USS Pargo (SS-264)

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History
United States
Builder	Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut[1]
Laid down	21 May 1942[1]
Launched	24 January 1943[1]
Commissioned	26 April 1943[1]
Decommissioned	12 June 1946[1]
Stricken	1 December 1960[1]
Fate	Sold for scrap, 16 May 1961[1]
General characteristics
Class and type	diesel-electric submarine[3]
Displacement	1,525 tons (1,549 t) surfaced[3] 2,424 tons (2,460 t) submerged[3]
Length	311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)[3]
Beam	27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[3]
Draft	17 ft 0 in (5.18 m) maximum[3]
Propulsion	4 × Hooven-Owens-Rentschler (H.O.R.) diesel engines driving electric generators[3] 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries[2] 4 × high-speed Allis-Chalmers electric motors with reduction gears[3] two propellers[3] 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced[3] 2,740 shp (2.0 MW) submerged[3]
Speed	21 knots (39 km/h) surfaced[2] 9 knots (17 km/h) submerged[2]
Range	11,000 NM (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)[2]
Endurance	48 hours at 2 knots (4 km/h) submerged[2] 75 days on patrol
Test depth	300 ft (90 m)[2]
Complement	6 officers, 54 enlisted[2]
Armament	10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 6 forward, 4 aft 24 torpedoes[4] 1 × 3-inch (76 mm) / 50 caliber deck gun[4] Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

USS Pargo (SS-264), a

Following shakedown and training Pargo sailed via the Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor, arriving 23 July 1943. The first of her eight war patrols began 18 August and took her into the East China Sea where she twice attacked the enemy, inflicting undetermined damage to several ships before returning to Pearl Harbor 6 October.

After refitting Pargo sailed 30 October in company with

Pargo next underwent overhaul and received a new engine at

Underway 13 June for the Celebes Sea, Pargo noted fewer ships present in the area. She scored well again, however, damaging several and sinking a 5,236 ton cargo ship, Yamagibu Maru.

24 August 1944 LCDR David B. Bell took command of the USS Pargo over from CDR Ian C. Eddy.

Sixth and seventh war patrols, October 1944 – March 1945

On 28 October Pargo sailed from western Australian waters in company with Haddo for her sixth patrol. From Exmouth Gulf she continued alone into the South China Sea where she found that increased allied air activity had further diminished use of the shipping lanes. She sank tanker Yuho Maru off Brunei Bay 26 November. Following this action she received from escorts the worst depth charging of her career, but escaped without serious damage, and returned to Australia 21 December.

Replenishment and retraining ensued, and on 15 January 1945 Pargo got underway for the

Returning to Pearl Harbor with the knowledge that she had contributed materially to the victory in the Pacific, Pargo assumed post-war duties as part of the squadron based there. She was decommissioned 12 June 1946 and was assigned to train Naval Reservists in the 13th Naval District where she remained until 1 June 1960 when her name was struck from the Navy List. Pargo was sold 17 April 1961.

Pargo received eight

See USS Pargo for other ships of the same name.

References

Bibliography

• Wright, C. C. (2005). "Question 17/03: Replacement of US Submarine Diesel Engines". Warship International. XLII (4): 431–434.
  ISSN 0043-0374
  .

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Pargo (SS-264).

• navsource.org: USS Pargo