USS Sand Lance (SS-381)
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Sand Lance (SS-381) |
Namesake | Sand lance |
Builder | Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine[1] |
Laid down | 12 March 1943[1] |
Launched | 25 June 1943[1] |
Sponsored by | Mrs. Edith Burrows |
Commissioned | 9 October 1943[1] |
Decommissioned | 14 February 1946[1] |
Recommissioned | 6 April 1963[1] |
Decommissioned | 7 September 1963[1] |
Stricken | 1 September 1972[2] |
Fate | Transferred to Brazil 7 September 1963[2] |
Brazil | |
Name | Rio Grande do Sul (S-11) |
Namesake | Rio Grande do Sul |
Acquired | 7 September 1963 |
Stricken | 15 September 1972 |
Fate | Cannibalized for spare parts |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | |
Displacement | |
Length | 311 ft 6 in (94.95 m)[2] |
Beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2] |
Draft | 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum[2] |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | |
Range | 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)[3] |
Endurance |
|
Test depth | 400 feet (120 m)[3] |
Complement | 10 officers, 70–71 enlisted[3] |
Armament |
|
USS Sand Lance (SS-381), a
Construction and commissioning
Sand Lance′s
Service history
World War II
Sand Lance conducted training exercises from New London, Connecticut, until 18 December 1943 when she sailed for the Panama Canal. She transited the canal on 30 December and reached her base of operations, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 17 January 1944.
First war patrol
On 8 February, Sand Lance got underway for the first of her five war patrols. She stopped at
On the night of 12–13 March, Sand Lance was running on the surface toward
Second war patrol
Sand Lance spent her second war patrol in the vicinity of the
Third war patrol
Sand Lance put to sea on 3 July to patrol the
More bombs exploded astern on the morning of 6 August as she stalked some small freighters along the coast of Celebes. The force of the explosion lifted her several feet and damaged her port shaft.
Soon, Sand Lance had two additional problems, enemy escorts bearing down on her and a torpedo running hot in one of her stern tubes. Sand Lance came up to 100 feet (30 m) and fired the torpedo. Eight seconds later, it exploded prematurely, adding to the damage to her stern. Fortunately, the explosion apparently convinced the Japanese that they had destroyed the submarine, for Sand Lance received no further attacks. She surfaced after dark, but the damaged gear could not be repaired. Forced to make the voyage back to Fremantle on one shaft, she made port on 19 August. On 10 September, she headed east for Pearl Harbor and, from there, on to Mare Island Naval Shipyard, where she arrived on 1 November.
Fourth & fifth war patrols
Repairs were completed by 13 March 1945 when she sailed back to Pearl Harbor. On her fourth war patrol from 10 April to 6 June 1945, Sand Lance encountered only one target, an unidentified coastal freighter which she torpedoed on 14 May. She departed from her patrol area, along the coasts of
Post-World War II
Sand Lance remained inactive until designated for loan to the
On transfer she was renamed Rio Grande do Sul (S-11) (variously misspelled in American records as "...de Sol," "...del Sol," &c.) and served for eight years in the Brazilian Navy.
Retirement and disposal
On 15 September 1972, Brazil returned her (at least on paper), and promptly purchased her back for US$55,000 on 12 October. Upon that purchase, Sand Lance was struck from the Naval Vessel Register.
Brazil cannibalized the submarine for parts and within three years the boat was reduced to scrap.
Honors and awards
Sand Lance (SS-381) earned five
References
Citations
- ^ ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
- ^ ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
- ^ a b c d e f U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-26202-9.
- ^ U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 261–263
- ^ a b c U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
- ^ Axis History Forum
- ^ Hinman & Campbell, Appendix B, unpaginated.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
Bibliography
- Hinman, Charles R., and Douglas E. Campbell. The Submarine Has No Friends: Friendly Fire Incidents Involving U.S. Submarines During World War II. Syneca Research Group, Inc., 2019. ISBN 978-0-359-76906-3.
External links
- Photo gallery of USS Sand Lance at NavSource Naval History