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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patch on right courtesy of Mike Smolinski, other patches contributed by Ramon Samson

Charr (SS-328) (AGSS-328) (IXSS-328)

Radio Call Sign: November - Kilo - Delta - Charlie
Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 26 August, 1943, at Electric Boat Co., Groton CT., as Bocaccio; Renamed Charr, 24 September 1942; Launched, 28 May 1944; Commissioned USS Charr (SS-328), 23 September 1944, Commander F. D. Boyle in command; Reclassified Auxiliary Submarine (AGSS-328) in 1966; Decommissioned, 28 June 1969; Reclassified Miscellaneous Submarine (IXSS-328) in 1971; Struck from the Naval Register, 20 December 1971; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping to Nicolai Joffe, Beverly Hills, CA for $ 105,381.00 & scrapped in Kearny, NJ. 17 August 1972. Charr received one battle star for her service during World War II.
Partial data submitted by Ron Reeves (of blessed memory)

As built to the specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,526 t., Submerged: 2,424 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, 400 ft; Complement 66; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, one 4"/50 or 5"/25 deck gun, one 40mm gun; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear with four General Motors main generator engines, 5,400hp, fuel capacity, 118,000 gal., four General Electric main motors with 2,740hp, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.
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Charr 25k Commemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of the keel laying of the Charr (SS-328), at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT., 26 August, 1943. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Charr 20k Commemorative postal cover issued on the occasion of the Charr's (SS-328) launching, 28 May 1944. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Charr 123k With a bit of a breeze brought on by her own launching, the bunting of the Charr (SS-328) is taut as she slides down the ways at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT., 28 May 1944. Courtesy of Electric Boat / Ramon Samson.
Charr 253k Commissioning crew of the Charr (SS-328). Courtesy of Ramon Samson.
Charr 186k Charr (SS-328), officers and chief petty officers. Courtesy of Ramon Samson.
Charr 89k Charr's (SS-328) first commanding officer, LCDR F. D. Boyle USN. Courtesy of Ramon Samson.
Charr 771k A month past commissioning and 2 weeks before heading to the Pacific, the Charr (SS-328) is seen at 100 feet by the airship ZP-12 from Lakehurst, N.J. on 25 October 1944. USN photo # 80-G-286092, from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
Charr 583k Dated 7 November 1944. Position 35 08 N, 75 03 W, course 183 degrees, 1230 hours, taken from altitude of 500'. Enroute from New London to ComSubPac at Pearl Harbor. Text courtesy of J.D. Decrevel EM2(SS).
USN photo # 80-G-289666, from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
Charr 92k The Charr (SS-328), under command of Commander Boyle, left Pearl Harbor on 30 December 1944, to patrol the northeast coast of French Indo-China. The patrol was highlighted by the unusual rescue of a Naval Aviator, a crew member of a PBM patrol plane that had been forced down just off the coast. While the Charr lay at anchor for four hours, a mile off the coast in broad daylight, an easy target for a Japanese plane or patrol boat, two men went ashore in a rubber boat. The aviator was brought aboard and three successive attempts were made to pick up the remaining nine members of the plane's crew during subsequent evenings, but contact with them could not be reestablished.
Painting entitled Air-Sea Rescue by the artist E.V. Vandos, depicting a PBM approaching a Balao class submarine. 		Photo courtesy of history.navy.mil.
Text courtesy of usscharr-ss328.org.
Charr 86k Charr (SS-328), port side view in harbor, circa 1944-45. Photo by Lt. Herb Hanson. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
328158kJapanese light cruiser Isuzu after modification at Mitsubishi Yokohama in 1944.
Between Sumbawa and Komodo Islands, Besugo (SS-321) fired nine torpedoes at the Isuzu group. Isuzu was undamaged, and one Japanese minesweeper was sunk. The following day, 7 April 1945, 60 miles (97 km) northwest of Bima, Isuzu was struck by one of five torpedoes fired by Gabilan (SS-252). The torpedo hit portside, below the bridge, causing flooding forward. Isuzu's speed fell below 10 knots (19 km/h), she took on a list and went down at the bow. While her crew was performing emergency repairs, Charr (SS-328) fired four torpedoes, hitting Isuzu portside twice near the aft engine room. Charr fired two more torpedoes, one of which broke off Isuzu's bow. Isuzu sank at 07°38'S 118°09'E / 7.633°S 118.150°E / -7.633; 118.150, witnessed by HMS Spark (P-236) . Her captain and 450 crewmen were rescued; 190 crewmen went down with the ship. On the same day, just a few hours apart, the battleship Yamato and her escorts were sunk by US aircraft in an attempted suicide attack on Okinawa.		Text & photo courtesy wikipedia.com via Tommy Trampp.
Charr 59k WW II battleflag of the Charr (SS-328). Courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Subron 5 181k Subron 5 family photo fall/winter (1945)in Guam, from left to right, Segundo (SS-398), Sea Cat (SS-399), Blenny (SS-324), Blower (SS-325), Blueback (SS-326) & Charr (SS-328).
 Photo by Lt. Herb Hanson, courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Charr 475k Charr (SS-328), 16 September 1946 off Mare Island Naval Shipyard. USN photo # 3292-46, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Charr 139k TBM-3E Avengers of Air Anti-Submarine Squadron Twenty Five (VS-25) in flight over the Charr (SS-328) off San Diego, California. USN and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo No. 1996.253.1342, courtesy of Mike Green.
Charr 88k Charr (SS-328) does Fiji while voyaging to Japan in 1948. Photo courtesy of Jewell W. Webb via William J. Webb.
Remora & Charr 137k Remora (SS-487) moored to the Charr (SS-328), San Diego, CA, 1949, as part of Submarine Squadron 3. Photo courtesy of Ric Hedman, & dedicated to the memory of Master Chief Petty Officer Charles (Monty) M. Montgomery. Thanks to Chief Petty Officer Joe Phoenix.
Caiman 291k Amidships looking forward plan view of Caiman (SS-323) at Mare Island on 25 September 1951. She was under conversion at the yard from 2 April to 10 October 1951. The Charr (SS-328) & Baya (SS-318) are in front of the Caiman undergoing their conversions to GUPPY. USN photo # 10531-9-51, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Charr 559k Charr (SS-328), 5 November 1951 off Mare Island Naval Shipyard following conversion to fleet snorkel configuration. Navy Photo NY9-10961-11-51, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Charr 135k Amidships looking aft plan view of Charr (SS-328) & amidships looking forward plan view of Charr at Mare Island on 9 November 1951. Baya (SS-318) and Montrose (APA-212) are forward on Charr.
Charr was in overhaul at the yard from 10 July to 18 November 1951. 		USN photo # 11035-11-51, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
328463k Nereus (AS-17) with three boats alongside: Balao (SS-285), Charr (SS-328) & Chivo (SS-341) probably around 1952, at San Diego.Photo courtesy of Tommy Trampp.
Charr
0832853		2.37k Navy Reservists aboard submarine Charr (SS-328) on 21 November 1953. Photo by Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
Charr
0832854		1.15k Charr (SS-328) rises from the depths on 21 November 1953. Photo by Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images via gettyimages.com.
3281.20k General Chiang Kai Shek on board Charr (SS-328) at Keelung, Formosa. General Shek peers through the periscope as Commander Whitman, Commanding Officer of the submarine, looks on, 9 November 1954.Photograph # USN 649238, now in the collections of the National Archives, courtesy of National Museum of the U.S. Navy via flickr.com.
Charr 61k LCDR R. A. Harris reads his orders as he assumes command on the Charr (SS-328) at Mare Island on 30 June 1955. CDR W. A. Whitman (right) was relieved as commanding officer. USN photo # 25873-6-55, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Segundo1.19kSegundo (SS-398) with Charr (SS-328) to the right of Segundo in Mare Island's dry dock 4 on 8 August 1955.Photo # 261X1-8-55 TH from the files of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Charr 146k View of Charr (SS-328) departing Mare Island on 29 November 1955. She was in overhaul at the yard from 28 June to 29 November 1955. USN photo # 27286-11-55, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Charr 92k 1956 photo of the Charr (SS-328), underway. Courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Tilefish 533k Tilefish (SS-307),Charr (SS-328) & Razorback (SS-394) visit Vancouver, Canada in 1957. Photo taken by Gordon Hunter, from Namaino, BC, Canada via wikimedia.org courtesy of Robert Hurst.
Charr 665k Charr (SS-328), circa 1958. Courtesy of Ramon Samson.
Charr 104k Location is San Diego Harbor, looking West with U.S. Navy North Island in foreground, and Point Loma in background. In 1958 just off the photo to left would be the carrier berthing docks, and aircraft on right would be Martin PB-Y's and PBM-5's. There is a ramp right there where they would wheel in and out of the bay, and their water takeoff and landing way is right behind where the Charr (SS-328) is traversing in the photo. Photo courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Photo i.d. & text courtesy of Jim Geldert.
Sperry 666k Sperry (AS-12) moored in the harbor at San Diego CA., in 1962 with submarines on her port side, from outboard to inboard,
Bugara (SS-331)
Caiman (SS-323)
Ronquil (SS-396)
Charr (SS-328)
Sea Fox (SS-402) and
Menhaden (SS-377).		 Photo courtesy of Tommy Trampp.
Charr 15k Commemorative postal cover of the Charr (SS-328), 15 plus years after her commissioning on 23 September 1944. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Charr 436k Late February 1967, tied alongside pier in Seattle, WA. following torpedo exercises in Dabob Bay. Photo by J.D. Decrevel EM2(SS).
Charr 341k Charr (SS-328) & Diodon (SS-349) at Ballast Point, 1967. Photo by J.D. Decrevel EM2(SS).
Charr 251k October 1967 in Sea of Japan off South Korea. Several crew swapped with crew from ROK destroyer. Photo by J.D. Decrevel EM2(SS).
Charr 89k Late 60's view of the conning tower, looking forward toward helm. Photo by J.D. Decrevel EM2(SS).
Charr 75k Charr's (SS-328) 7000th dive, 20 July 1968.
(L to R): TMSN Don McClain (IC Electrician watch), HMC(SS) "Doc" Taft(standing by just in case), TM1(SS) Vince Solari (OOD/Diving Officer), LCDR Jim Callan (port lookout), CS1(SS) Jake Wade (Chief of the Watch), EN1(SS) Harley Rackley (trim manifold watch), EM2(SS) Lin Marvil (starboard lookout). 		Photo by J.D. Decrevel EM2(SS).
Menhaden1.10kBream (AGSS-243), Tunny (AGS-282) and Charr (AGSS-328), during the decommissioning ceremony at Mare Island on 28 June 1969.Photo courtesy of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum via Darryl L. Baker.
Menhaden212kRaton (AGSS-270) and Bluegill (AGSS-242) during the decommissioning ceremony at Mare Island on 28 June 1969. Bream (AGSS-243), Tunny (AGS-282) and Charr (AGSS-328) are forward of Raton and Bluegill. Chara (AE-31) is in the background.Photo courtesy of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum via Darryl L. Baker.
Menhaden1.20kCommanding officers of the five decommissioned submarines on the speakers stand at Mare Island on 28 June 1969.Photo courtesy of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum via Darryl L. Baker.
Fremantle 365k This plaque was unveiled 20 March 1995 by His Excellency Major General P.M. Jeffery OA MC, Governor of Western Australia to commemorate the sacrifices made by Allied submarines that operated out of Fremantle, Western Australia during WW II. Photo courtesy of Ron Reeves (of blessed memory).
View the Charr (SS-328)
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 Web Sites of Interest
USS Charr SS328
USS Charr SS 328 Association
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