USS Perch (SS-313)

History
United States
Builder	Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut
Laid down	5 January 1943
Launched	12 September 1943
Commissioned	7 January 1944
Decommissioned	January 1947
Recommissioned	20 May 1948
Decommissioned	31 March 1960
Recommissioned	11 November 1961
Decommissioned	27 May 1967
Stricken	1 December 1971
Fate	Sold for scrap, 15 January 1973
General characteristics
Class and type	diesel-electric submarine
Displacement	1,526 tons (1,550 t) surfaced; 2,424 tons (2,463 t) submerged;
Length	311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)
Beam	27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
Draft	16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum
Propulsion	4 × electrical generators; 2 × 126- batteries; 4 × high-speed General Electric electric motors with reduction gears; 2 × propellers; 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced; 2,740 shp (2.0 MW) submerged;
Speed	20.25 knots (38 km/h) surfaced; 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged;
Range	11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance	48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged; 75 days on patrol;
Test depth	400 ft (120 m)
Complement	10 officers, 70–71 enlisted
Armament	10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes; 6 forward, 4 aft; 24 torpedoes; 1 × 5-inch (127 mm) / 25 caliber deck gun; Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon;

USS Perch (SS/SSP/ASSP/APSS/LPSS/IXSS-313), a

Balao-class submarine, was the second submarine of the United States Navy to be named for the perch

, a freshwater spiny-finned fish.

Construction and commissioning

Perch was

Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut; launched on 12 September 1943, sponsored by Mrs. David A. Hart; and commissioned

on 7 January 1944.

Operational history

After shakedown, Perch departed 19 February 1944 for Key West, Florida, where she gave services to the Fleet Sound School. She then sailed for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, arriving 3 April 1944.

First and second war patrols, April – August 1944

On 29 April she departed Pearl Harbor with

wolf pack. Early in the morning of 24 May, a medium tanker was contacted and damaged by four torpedo hits. The counterattack by a lone escort prevented further observation of the damage inflicted and knocked out both high pressure air compressors by flooding of the pump room. Perch headed for the Marshall Islands, arriving at Majuro

on 4 June.

On 27 June Perch began her second war patrol, this time off Surigao Strait in the Philippines. She sank a 100-ton Japanese trawler with gunfire before returning to Pearl Harbor 26 August.

Third and fourth war patrols, September 1944 – February 1945

Perch departed Pearl Harbor on her third war patrol 19 September. At Midway she joined submarines

Saipan to refuel en route to Brisbane, Australia, for duty with Submarines, Southwest Pacific Fleet

.

The fourth war patrol began 19 December from Brisbane. First Perch patrolled off

Fremantle, Western Australia

, 15 February 1945.

Fifth and sixth war patrols, March – June 1945

On 12 March Perch departed Fremantle carrying with her eleven Australasian specialists trained in commando warfare, under the command of Major Donald Stott. On the first night of the mission, in the Makassar Straits, above Balikpapan, Borneo, she landed four of the party (including Stott) who were to make a reconnaissance of the beach and surrounding territory. Coming in close ashore two nights later to disembark the remainder of the party, Perch contacted a 300-ton coastal freighter that threatened to cut off her return to open water. She engaged it with gunfire and the second hit caused the freighter to burst into flames and sink.^[5] The first party were never heard from again. It was speculated that the engine which powered the officers kayak was heard. Locals believed they had been captured and executed by the Japanese. The second party rowed ashore, and placed their charges to blow up an oil supply pipeline. They were closely chased by Japanese patrols, but escaped by taking a small boat off the island. They were picked up well out to sea by a Catalina on patrol; only two of the party survived.^{[citation needed]} Perch returned to Fremantle, Western Australia, completing her fifth war patrol.

On 15 April Perch departed Fremantle on her sixth war patrol and journeyed to the Java Sea to hunt out the enemy. When she contacted a convoy of two ships, an alert Japanese escort discovered Perch and subjected her to a severe two-hour depth charging which caused considerable damage throughout the boat. She then sailed to the China coast to patrol off Hainan before returning to Pearl Harbor 5 June.

Seventh war patrol, July – August 1945

On 11 July Perch departed Pearl Harbor and after fueling at Saipan, proceeded north for duty in the "Lifeguard League" off Japan. On 13 August she rescued a Navy

Corsair

pilot from the water two miles (3 km) offshore, bombarded fishing vessels and buildings on the beach, and retired to sea. A few hours later the same day, she picked up another pilot from the same fighter squadron five miles (8 km) offshore. Two days later Japan capitulated and Perch returned to Pearl Harbor 30 August.

Conversion to transport submarine; Korean War

Perch departed Pearl Harbor and set course for the

U.S. Pacific Fleet

.

Perch recommissioned at Mare Island Naval Shipyard 20 May 1948. Through 1949, the ship participated in various troop- and cargo-carrying exercises. On 31 January 1950 Perch was reclassified a "transport submarine," ASSP-313. In September 1950 Perch transported a force from Britain's 41 (Independent) Commando Royal Marines in a raid on the northeast coast of Korea west of Tanchon.^[6] The target, a train tunnel on the north-south supply line, was destroyed, with the loss of one man who was buried at sea. The commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander R. D. Quinn, became the only submarine commanding officer to receive a combat award during the Korean War when he was awarded the Bronze Star for this action.

During this time, the Perch was fitted with a large sausage shaped hangar on her aft deck. Operational tests were made with both helicopter and amphibious boats.^[7]

1950s

From August 1951 to March 1952, Perch underwent overhaul at Mare Island. From 1952 to 1954, Perch trained, making "reconnaissance-runs" and "raids" on several

San Diego

area.

Perch, again classified as a Submarine Transport, APSS-313, on 24 October 1956, departed San Diego 5 November for a reconnaissance exercise in the

Underwater Demolition Teams

.

In December 1959 Perch departed San Diego, decommissioned on 31 March 1960, and entered the Mare Island Group of the

Pacific Reserve Fleet at Vallejo, Calif.

1960s–1970s

Perch recommissioned 11 November 1961, Lt. Comdr. C.H. Hedgepeth in command, trained on the West Coast and Hawaii through 1962, and arrived at her new homeport,

Okinawa

, Japan.

March and April 1965, saw Perch participating in exercise "Jungle Drum III" by landing 75 Marine Corps reconnaissance personnel on the

Gulf of Siam. Perch conducted search and rescue operations in the Vietnam combat zone during August and September. She made two amphibious landings on the coast of South Vietnam during November and December as part of Operation Dagger Thrust

.

During January 1966 Perch landed UDT personnel for beach survey work in South Vietnam as part of Operation Double Eagle. She then provided services at Legaspi, Philippines to train Filipino and American UDT personnel. Between local training operations in the Subic Bay area, Perch worked with Chinese Special Forces at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and with Army Special Forces at Keelung, Taiwan.

In July Perch participated in

Palau Islands, Guam

, and Midway Island. She operated in Hawaiian waters until 1967 when she became Naval Reserve Training submarine at San Diego. On 22 August 1968 Perch's classification was changed from APSS–313 to Submarine Transport LPSS–313. She was designated an Unclassified Miscellaneous Submarine IXSS-313 on 30 June 1971.