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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Contributed by Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN (ret.)
Patch on right courtesy of Mike Smolinski.

Crevalle (SS-291) (AGSS-291)

Radio Call Sign: November - Xray - Delta - Yankee
Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 14 September 1942, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME,; Launched, 22 February 1943; Commissioned USS Crevalle (SS-291), 24 June 1943; Decommissioned, 20 July 1946, at New London, CT.; Recommissioned, 6 September 1951; Decommissioned, 19 August 1955; Recommissioned, 11 April 1957; Reclassified Auxiliary Research Submarine (AGSS-291) in 1960; Decommissioned, 9 March 1962; Struck from the Naval Register, 15 April 1968; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 3-17-71 to Sc Eckhardt GMBH, Hamburg Germany for $77,777.00., 17 March 1971. Crevalle was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation and four battle stars for World War II service.

As built to the specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,526 t., Submerged: 2,414 t.; Length 311' 9"; Beam 27' 3"; Draft 15' 3"; Speed, Surfaced 20.25 kts, Submerged 8.75 kts; Cruising Range, 11,000 miles surfaced at 10kts; Submerged Endurance, 48 hours at 2kts; Operating Depth Limit, 400 ft; Complement 6 Officers 60 Enlisted; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 4"/50 deck gun, one 40mm gun, two .50 cal. machine guns; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear with four General Motors main generator diesel engines, 5,400 hp, Fuel Capacity 94,400 gal., four General Electric main motors with 2,740 hp, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.

Click On Image
For Full Size		Size Image Description Source
Crevalle 315k Cold day for Crevalle (SS-291) as she hits the water on 22 February 1943. USN photo courtesy of David Buell.
Crevalle 16k Commemorative post mark on the occasion of Crevalle's (SS-291) launching, 22 February 1943. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Crevalle 60k Commemorative launching tag of Crevalle (SS-291), 22 February 1943. Photo courtesy of Ron Toth, Jr.via Tom Kermen.
Crevalle 1.20k Commissioning crew of the Crevalle (SS-291) on 24 June 1943. USN photo # 80-G-71117 courtesy of NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
Crevalle 84k Lt Cdr Henry Munson, Crevalle's (SS-291) first Commanding Officer, 1943. U.S. Navy photo, courtesy of Bill Gonyo via usscrevalle.us.
Fremantle 101k Busy pier scene at Fremantle Australia 19 December 1943. From left to right, stern view to the camera are the Bonefish (SS-223), Rasher (SS-269), Bowfin (SS-287), Bluefish (SS-222), Narwhal (SS-167) and the sub tender Pelias (AS-14).
Second row, bow view are the Cod (SS-224), Tinosa (SS-283) and Crevalle (SS-291).
I believe the only time that photo could have been taken was 19 December 1943. The Tinosa was in Fremantle only once, from 16 December 1943 to 10 January 1944. During that brief window, the Bonefish had not arrived until 19 December and the Rasher departed 19 December so that is the single date all three submarines were ever in Fremantle port at the same time. 		Photo i.d. courtesy of Dan Goodell.
USN photo courtesy of Ric Hedman.
Charr 74k A 1944 Charcoal drawing by the artist Griffith Baily Coale entitled "Busy Fremantle--Busy Mother" is reminiscent of the above photo by Lt. Herb Hanson. Painting # 40 / 88-188-AN.
Courtesy of the USNHC.
Crevalle 156k Crevalle (SS-291), starboard view under way, circa 1944. U.S. Navy photo, courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.
Crevalle 187k An undated pre-war photo of the Taiyo Hogei KK - owned whale factory ship Nisshin Maru (renamed Nissin Maru in 1938) in the mid-1930's. Nissin Maru (16,764 grt) was torpedoed and sunk on 6 May 1944 off Borneo, at position (07 degrees 17'N, 116 degrees 51'E) by the submarine Crevalle (SS-291), while employed as IJN fleet tanker. Photo courtesy of Alex Duncan from "The World's Merchant Fleets 1939" by Roger W. Jordan, courtesy of Robert Hurst.
Crevalle 465k Civilian evacuees aboard the Crevalle (SS-291), after being rescued from Negros, Philippine Islands, on 11 May 1944. Altogether 40 refugees, including 28 women and children, and four men who had survived the Bataan Death March and made their escape. After surviving a severe depth-charge attack, Crevalle and her passengers arrived safely at Darwin on 19 May. Image scanned from United States Submarine Operations in World War II, by Theodore Roscoe, courtesy of Robert Hurst.
Crevalle 237k On 26th July 1944, U.S. submarines carry out succession of attacks on a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea. Angler (SS-240) damages transport (ex-seaplane carrier) Kiyokawa Maru, 18°15'N, 118°00'E. Flasher (SS-249) sinks merchant tanker Otoriyama Maru, 17°56'N, 118°07'E and teams with Crevalle (SS-291) to sink army cargo ship Tosan Maru, 18°24'N, 118°02'E. Crevalle sinks transport Aki Maru, 18°26'N, 118°02'E. Text courtesy of wrecksite.eu. Photo courtesy of Tommy Trampp.
Crevalle 231k Bow on view of Crevalle (SS-291) off Mare Island on 23 January 1945. USN photo # 597-45, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Crevalle 256k Broadside view of Crevalle (SS-291) off Mare Island on 23 January 1945. She was in overhaul at Mare Island from 17 November 44 until 6 February 45. USN photo # 599-45, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Crevalle 181k Stern view of Crevalle (SS-291) off Mare Island on 23 January 1945. USN photo # 601-45, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Crevalle 318k Bow of Crevalle (SS-291) as she enters dry dock #3 at Mare Island on 27 January 1945. She was in overhaul at the yard from 17 November 44 until 6 February 45. She was back in dock after sea trials for work on several sea valves and the port shaft stuffing box (per yard official journal).
Crevalle shows her new JT line array sonars and WCA at Mare Island, 27 January 1945. 		USN photo # 672-45, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. Partial text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
Crevalle 264k Stern of Crevalle (SS-291) as she enters dry dock #3 at Mare Island on 27 January 1945. She was in overhaul at the yard from 17 November 44 until 6 February 45. She was back in dock after sea trials for work on several sea valves and the port shaft stuffing box (per yard official journal).
Crevalle shows her new ST periscope (the forward one) and her new air-search radar mast at Mare Island, 27 January 1945. The sonars are JT line array sonars and WCA. 		USN photo # 672-45, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. Partial text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
Crevalle 110k Crevalle (SS-291) shows her new ST periscope (the forward one) and her new air-search radar mast at Mare Island, 27 January 1945. The sonars are JT line array sonars and WCA. U.S. Navy photo. Text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
Crevalle 121k Crevalle (SS-291) possibly entering Pearl Harbor, March 1945.
Note: The flag being flown at the highest point, seems to be of the "Hydeman's Hepcats", one of the wolf packs.		 U.S. Navy photo, courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii. Photo i.d. courtesy of Gary Carlson.
Operation Barney
0828330		2.54k
Submarine Force Pacific Fleet...
extends to.....
membership in the distinguished order of...
Mighty Mine Dodgers
A small band of brave men of high courage who have completed with skill, ingenuity and tenacity a task that required a transit of the most dangerous of war waters through enemy minefields and penetrating what the Emperor of Japan considered his inviolate waters....The Sea of Japan. No weapon of Dai Nippon could halt these determined men. They did wilfully and with due knowledge of the dangers involved, carry out their assigned task to emerge from incontrovertible proof of the success of their daring, thus becoming members of the Mighty Mine Dodgers and thus entitled to all the rights and privileges thereof.
Let all men who read this scroll be forever grateful and respectful of those heroic American submariners who went in and especially to those who gave their lives in this operation. The job was superlatively well done.
Chas Lockwood
Vice Admiral
This was Operation Barney		Operation Barney link courtesy of Steven Trent Smith, World War II Magazine via navytimes.com
Photo courtesy of the family of Charles H Wagner Jr., TM2c (SS) USNR. Service from 1942-1946, aged 18-22, aboard S-37 (SS-142) & Tinosa (patrols 6-12).
Crevalle 268k Stern view of Crevalle (SS-291) at Balboa, C.Z. and other unidentified boats, among them the Conger (SS-477), sometime between late April - July 1946. She cruised to the Canal Zone and the Virgin Islands before being placed out of commission in reserve at New London 20 July 1946. Partial text courtesy of DANFS.
Photo courtesy of Jamie Stott.
Crevalle 73k Commemorative post mark on the occasion of Crevalle's (SS-291) receiving her Navy Unit Commendation, 19 July 1951. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Crevalle 4.15k Four page Welcome Aboard PDF for the Crevalle (SS-291) & 38 page PDF history of the boat. Photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Crevalle 211k Starboard side view of the Crevalle (AGSS-291), underway, circa 1960. U.S. Navy photo, courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.
Crevalle 204k Crevalle (AGSS-291), in front of the Naval Reserve center at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery ME, circa 1960. Photo i.d. courtesy of John "Bud" Cunnally.
U.S. Navy photo, courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.
Irwin95kLieutenant Commander Charles Morton Irwin was the commanding officer of the Crevalle (AGSS-291) from 1960 to 1962. Photo from the 1970 USS Arcturus (AF-52) cruise book, courtesy of Bill Gonyo.
Crevalle 96k Crevalle (AGSS-291), at Boston Naval Shipyard, September 1964. © Richard Leonhardt.
View the Crevalle (SS-291)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway web site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association
Additional Resources and s of Interest
Ship's History USS Crevalle (SS 291)
Ep-21 (1) - Victory At Sea ~ Full Fathom Five - HQ
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