USS Mackerel (SST-1)
.jpg) USS Mackerel (SST-1)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | As Mackerel: The mackerel, a sport and game fish |
| Builder | General Dynamics Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut |
| Laid down | 1 April 1952 |
| Launched | 17 July 1953 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Charles R. Muir |
| Commissioned | 9 October 1953 |
| Decommissioned | 31 January 1973 |
| In service | 9 October 1953, as USS T-1 (SST-1) |
| Renamed | USS Mackerel (SST-1), 15 July 1956 |
| Reclassified | From auxiliary submarine (AGSS-570) to training submarine (SST-1) prior to commissioning |
| Stricken | 31 January 1973 |
| Fate | Sunk as target 18 October 1978 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | T-1-class training submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 131 ft 3 in (40 m) |
| Beam | 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m) |
| Draft | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Propulsion | diesel-electric , single screw |
| Speed | |
| Complement | 2 enlisted men |
| Armament | 1 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tube |
USS Mackerel (SST-1), originally known as USS T-1 (SST-1), was the lead ship of the
Construction and commissioning
T-1 was originally planned as an experimental auxiliary submarine with
Service history
Training, target, and equipment testing services, 1954–1966
After completing
On 15 July 1956, T-1 was renamed Mackerel, but retained her hull number, SST-1.
Following her renaming, Mackerel participated in fleet exercises off the
In 1963, Mackerel conducted the first of her test and evaluation voyages. Departing Key West on 8 July 1963, she sailed to the British West Indies where she tested acoustical developments in submarine hulls for a two‑week period in waters near the British West Indies. In addition to resumption of her routine duties, she again operated in the West Indies in February 1964, again performing tasks related to evaluating submarine-hull acoustic developments.
From 7 March 1965 to 4 April 1965, Mackerel joined her sister ship USS Marlin (SST-2) and attack submarines USS Amberjack (SS-522), USS Batfish (SS-310), and USS Chivo (SS-341), along with a task force under Commander, Mine Force, in participating in mine warfare maneuvers.
Testing equipment for NR-1, 1966-1967
During May and June 1966, Electric Boat installed special equipment in Mackerel at Groton. Mackerel then transited south to Key West, arriving there on 26 June 1966. At Key West, she conducted experimental work during the rest of 1966 and in early 1967 to acquire data to be used in the development of future U.S. Navy submarines. She evaluated equipment intended for the
Target services, 1967-1973
Mackerel resumed operations at Key West in 1967, running submerged to serve as a target for vessels used to train sonar operators at the Fleet Sonar School; at the same time, she undertook the additional task of providing shiphandling training for submarine force junior
Mackerel made her last dive on 21 July 1972. After that, she remained in service with a reduced crew and conducted junior
Decommissioning and disposal
Mackerel and her sister
Mackerel was sunk as a target off Puerto Rico on 18 October 1978.
Notes
- ^ Per the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,[1] which makes no mention of a commissioning, stating merely that Mackerel was "placed in service" (implying a non-commissioned status) in 1953. The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships[2] and NavSource[3] both state that Mackerel's only sister ship, USS Marlin (SST-2), was commissioned in 1953 six weeks after Mackerel entered service and never served in a non-commissioned status. It would be strange for one submarine to spend almost all of her career in a non-commissioned status and her sister to serve throughout hers in commission, but no source explains this anomaly. It also is odd that NavSource states that Mackerel eventually was commissioned in 1971, but provides no specific date in 1971 for Mackerel's commissioning, raising the possibility that her commissioning did not, in fact, occur in 1971 and may well have occurred in 1953.
- ^ Per NavSource;[4] the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships[1] makes no mention of a commissioning, stating merely that Mackerel was "placed in service" (implying a non-commissioned status) in 1953, and has not been updated since 1969, making any mention of a commissioning in 1971 impossible. The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships[2] and NavSource[3] both state that Mackerel's only sister ship, USS Marlin (SST-2), was commissioned in 1953 six weeks after Mackerel entered service and never served in a non-commissioned status. It would be strange for one submarine to spend almost all of her career in a non-commissioned status and her sister to serve throughout hers in commission, but no source explains this anomaly. It also is odd that NavSource provides no specific date in 1971 for Mackerel's commissioning, raising the possibility that her commissioning did not, in fact, occur in 1971 and may well have occurred in 1953.
Citations
- ^ a b "Mackerel II (SST-1)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Marlin II (SST-2)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
- ^ "Mackerel (AGSS-570):T-1 (SST-1) / Mackerel (SST-1)". NavSource online. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.
- NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive Mackerel (AGSS-570) T-1 (SST-1) / Mackerel (SST-1)
External links
- Photo gallery of USS T-1/Mackerel (AGSS-570/SST-1) at NavSource Naval History
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1978 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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