Tag Archives: USS Torsk (SS-423)

Clearing the air on Cold War torpedoing

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With the news and dramatic IR footage of an unidentified American SSN/SSGN sending a single Cleveland-built MK 48 ADCAP into the Iranian frigate/corvette Dena on Wednesday, some 20 miles south of Galle in Sri Lanka, there have been lots of goofy comments floating around.

A couple of interesting historical tidbits include the fact that the last American warship in commission to have sunk an enemy ship in battle was “Old Ironsides,” the wooden-hulled frigate USS Constitution, a title she held since the Perry-class frigate USS Simpson was decommissioned in 2015. Simpson had, somewhat ironically, sunk an Iranian naval vessel during Praying Mantis in 1988.

The last American sub to chalk up confirmed torpedo “kills” in combat was the Tench-class fleet boat USS Torsk (SS-423) under T/Cdr. (later RADM) Bafford Edward “Loopy Lou” Lewellen, USNA ’31.

USS Torsk (SS-423). At sea, 16 February 1945. 80-G-313788

Using experimental 19-inch Mark 27 “Cutie” and 21-inch Westinghouse Mark 28 passive-acoustic electric torpedoes rather than his straight(ish) running steam-powered MK14-3As, Lewellen sank the Japanese coastal defense craft Kaibokan 13 and Kaibokan 47 on 14 August 1945 in the Sea of Japan while on her Second War Patrol. While the attacks were not covered in her Patrol Report, they are documented in her War History.

Later, setting a record of over 11,000 dives as a training boat, Torsk was decommissioned in 1964 and has been preserved as a museum ship in Baltimore since 1972.

USS Forrestal (CV-59) taken through the periscope of USS Torsk (SS-423). These photos were taken sometime between Fall 1963 and Spring 1964

USS Forrestal (CV-59) taken through the periscope of USS Torsk (SS-423). These photos were taken sometime between Fall 1963 and Spring 1964 2

“Kills” since then

There have been at least three confirmed anti-ship torpedo engagements (and conspiracy theories about  Cold War submarine losses) between Torsk and today.

In 2010, the South Korean Pohang-class corvette ROKS Cheonan split apart and sank while interdicting a mysterious underwater contact and, when raised, was found to have elements of a Nork CHT-02D torp in her wreckage.

On 2 May 1982, the RN Churchill-class hunter-killer HMS Conqueror (S48) torpedoed and sank the Argentine Brooklyn-class light cruiser ARA General Belgrano (C-4)— the highly decorated ex-WWII era USS Phoenix (CL-46). 

HMS Conqueror returns to Britain flying the Jolly Roger after sinking the Argentine cruiser Belgrano during the Falklands War. Pictured on 4 July 1982.

HMS Conqueror’s 1982 Jolly Roger skull flag from sinking General Belgrano at the Royal Navy Museum

On 9 December 1971, the Pakistani Daphne-class SSK, PNS/M Hangor (S-131), torpedoed and sank the Indian Type 14 (Blackwood-class) frigate INS Khukri (F149).

It will be interesting to see which American sub returns to her homeport in the coming months with a Jolly Roger and broom tied to its masts.

Gunboat Subs

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Official description: Six U.S. Navy submarines maneuvering in line abreast formation during exercises off Block Island, Rhode Island, in April 1947. The nearest submarine is USS Sarda (SS-488) while USS Torsk (SS-423) is next.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Catalog #: 80-G-704269

Note both Sarda and Torsk are in the late WWII “gunboat” configuration, i.e. fitted with 5-inch/25cal deck guns both fore and aft, augmented by two 40mm Bofors singles– quite a battery for a submarine. Such a layout was put to good use as, by 1944, most large Marus had been sent to the bottom already and targets worthy of a torpedo were increasingly rare– hence the prospect of easy dispatch via a 75-pound 5-inch shell. No fuss, no muss, no sending over a demo crew that could get hacked up with hatchets.

The Mark 40 5″/25 wet mount. With a weight of 7 tons, a trained crew could make one of these stubby boys sing at about 15 rounds per minute– provided the shells could be hustled up the hatch from below at a fast enough rate.

Of course, using such gunboat submarines in extended surface actions never proved ideal as they couldn’t carry enough rounds– which had to be passed up by hand chain-gang style from belowdecks– to make up for the fact that fire control from such a low-lying platform was a gamble at any range past point-blank, especially in any sort of sea state. See “Lattas Lancers” for a good lesson on that.

Plus, such an array of deck guns created drag and noise underwater, which was not ideal moving into the Cold War. 

It was little wonder that, as part of the GUPPY program, the Navy soon stripped all the fixed guns from its subs.