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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Patch on left courtesy of USS Thornback (SS-418) web site, on right by Sait Kucuk CPOS (Ret.) Turkish Navy

Thornback (SS-418)

Radio Call Sign: November - Kilo - Sierra - Bravo

Tench Class Submarine: Laid down, 5 April 1944, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H.; Launched, 7 July 1944; Commissioned USS Thornback (SS-418), 13 October 1944; Decommissioned, 6 April 1946, at New London, CT.; Decommissioned at New London, CT on 6 April 1946 and laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Reactivated for GUPPY IIA conversion at Portsmouth Navy Yard. Re-commissioned after upgrade on 2 October 1953. On 6 November 1954 conducted a first for submarines - snorkeling in the Mississippi River.
Between the years of 1954 and 1971, she was based at either Key West, FL or Charleston, SC and conducted operations in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Mediterranean as a unit of the U. S. Sixth Fleet.
Placed in a reduced manning status on 14 April 1971 in accordance with the Mutual Assistance Program. Thornback was Decommissioned on 1 July 1971 and transferred (lease) to the Republic of Turkey. Re-named and re-numbered TCG Ulucalireis (S-338), she transited the Panama Canal and underwent overhaul at Philadelphia Navy Yard until January 1972. Arriving in Turkey, she was Commissioned in a dual ceremony with TCG Orureis (S-337), (ex-Pomfret (SS-391)) on 3 May 1972.
Pursuant to the Foreign Military Sales Act, the ex-Thornback was permanently transferred (sold) to Turkey and simultaneously struck from the U. S. Naval Vessel Registry (NVR).TCG Ulucalireis served in the Turkish Navy until she was Decommissioned on 7 August 2000. Still under ownership of the Turkish Navy, the ex-Thornback was moved to moorings at the Rahmi M. Koc Museum of Transport, Communications and Industry in Istanbul, Turkey were she is currently open to the public.
Thornback received one battle star for her World War II service.
Research by CTRC Donald J. Wagner, USN (Retired) for NavSource.

As built to the specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,570 t., Submerged: 2,416 t.; Length 311' 8"; Beam 27' 2"; 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 6 Officers 60 Enlisted; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 5"/25 deck gun, one 40mm gun, one 20mm gun, two .50 cal. machine guns; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear with four Fairbanks Morse main generator diesel engines, 5,400 hp, Fuel Capacity, 113,510 gals, two General Electric main motors, 2,740 hp, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.

Click On Image For Full Size	Size	Image Description	Source
	5.79k	Thirty two page PDF showing General Plans for the Thornback (SS-418).	USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	1.75k	From left to right: Miss Betty Jane Fischler, Maid of Honor, Mrs. Peter K. Fischler, Sponsor for Thornback (SS-418); Rear Admiral Thomas Withers, USN, Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, Sponsor, & Mrs. Tom C. Clark, Matron of Honor for Tench (SS-417) at twin launching at Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H. 7 July 1944.	Photo courtesy of Jacqueline Thornburg, LBJ Library and Museum A/V Archives Technician/Special Emphasis Program Manager.
	309k	Mrs. Peter K. Fischler christens the Thornback (SS-418) at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME; 7 July 1944.	USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	145k	A fully crewed Thornback (SS-418) is launched at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME; 7 July 1944.	USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	45k	Commemorative launching tag of the Thornback (SS-418) at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME; 7 July 1944.	Photo courtesy of Ron Toth, Jr. via Tom Kermen.
	2.82k	Six photo PDF of Thornback (SS-418) viewed by the blimp ZP-11 on 15 November 1944, 19 January & 15 February somewhere off of New London, CT.	USN photo # 80-G-289737 & 289738, 301398,301399,& 337809 from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
	35k	Thornback (SS-418) in March 1945 wearing Ms 32/3SS-B camouflage scheme.	Photo & text courtesy of The Floating Drydock, "Fleet Subs of WW II", by Thomas F. Walkowiak.
	766k	Thornback (SS-418) stood out of New London, Conn., on 20 March 1945 bound, via the Panama Canal, for the Hawaiian Islands. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 25 May and conducted training in Hawaiian waters prior to getting underway on 11 June for the western Pacific. As she stood down the Pearl Harbor channel, a formation of LCI's, running down the wrong side of the channel, forced *Thornback* to crowd dangerously near the extreme edge of the channel. In the process, the submarine damaged her sound dome, necessitating repairs and a two-day delay in departing.	Text courtesy of DANFS. USN photo # 80-G-264348 from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
	538k	Thornback (SS-418) viewed by the blimp ZP-11 on 15 September 1945 somewhere off of New London, CT.	USN photo # 80-G-337810 from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
	174k	Thornback's (SS-418) battleflag flies from the periscope shears sometime before she was decommissioned at New London on 6 April 1946.	USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	61k	Thornback (SS-418) in the Cooper River with Charleston in the background. The Steeple is ST. Philip's church and the large building to the right is the United States Custom House. The year is 1956. The *Thornback* was just overhauled with a sonar dome added just forward of her sail.	Text courtesy of Robert Hall. USN photo.
	1.70k	Pompon (SSR-267) and Thornback (SS-418) next to Saratoga (CV-60) for replenishment - 17 August 1958.	Photo # USN 1038277 scanned by Ryan Crierie, via flickr, courtesy of Stephen Gower.
	651k	Birds of a feather not all flocking together: Mackerel (SST-1), Thornback (SS-418), Clamagore (SS-343) & Chivo (SS-341) with the Howard W. Gilmore (AS-16) in the distance.	Photo courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
	681k	A whopping Thornback (SS-418) in Genoa during the 1960's.	Photo courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
	308k	Diving Planes & Control room of the Thornback (SS-418) in the 1960's.	Photo courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
	268k	Thornback (SS-418) & Trigger (SS-564) share a pier side time in October 1962.	Photo courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
	499k	Thornback (SS-418) does Malta, 1963.	Photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	944k	Seaing Thornback (SS-418) in 1963.	Photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	1.15k	Starboardside view of the Thornback (SS-418).	USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
0841816	2.41k	Thornback (SS-418) entering Barcelona, 11 April 1964.	Photo by Manuel Galilea. Courtesy of Museu Marítim de Barcelona via Fabio Pena.
	74k	Atule (SS-403), rafting up to Thornback (SS-418), Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, 1966.	Courtesy of Lohman, submitted by George M. Arnold.
	334k	Amberjack (SS-522) & Thornback (SS-418) side by side at St. Thomas during Springboard ops in Jan/February of 1967. Longwire antenna on *Thornback* attached to after torpedo loading hatch (lower end).	Photo courtesy of Fred Schuster TM2 (SS).
	1.31k	Thirteen page Welcome Aboard program for the Thornback (SS-418), circa 1967.	USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	856k	Flyover in Charleston 1967. Thornback (SS-418) & a Tang class, possibly the Trout (SS-566) next to a unidentified submarine tender.	Photo courtesy of Peter Swiderski (left) in the Torp Rm Fwd, with Rich Majetic & Rusty Prendergast. Photo i.d. courtesy of David Johnston
	189k	Day at the office on Thornback (SS-418). Four photo PDF showing the loading a torpedo down the hatch.	Photo courtesy of Peter Swiderski
	204k	Thornback (SS-418) left, Atule (SS-403) right, circa 1967.	USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	325k	Thornback (SS-418) right, Atule (SS-403) left, circa 1967.	USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	571k	Broadside view of Thornback (SS-418) without a sonar dome, date?	Photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
	276k	Certificate of delivery of the Thornback (SS-418) to Turkey as the Ulucalireis (S-338) on 2 July 1971.	Photo courtesy of Y.M.Umar,CPO (Ret.),Turkish Navy.
TCG Ulucalireis (S-338)
	520k	Overhead view of the ex-Thornback (SS-410), now the Ulucalireis (S-338) underway.	Photo courtesy of Cuneyt Demir.
	653k	The Ulucalireis (S-338) surrounded by a sea of colored houses while dockside.	Photo courtesy of Cuneyt Demir.
	263k	Interior view of the Ulucalireis (S-338).	Photo courtesy of Y.M.Umar,CPO (Ret.),Turkish Navy.
	290k	Interior view of the Ulucalireis (S-338).	Photo courtesy of Y.M.Umar,CPO (Ret.),Turkish Navy.
	271k	Interior view of the Ulucalireis (S-338).	Photo courtesy of Y.M.Umar,CPO (Ret.),Turkish Navy.
	170k	Messdecks of the Ulucalireis (S-338).	Photo courtesy of Y.M.Umar,CPO (Ret.),Turkish Navy.
	331k	Forward torpedo room of the Ulucalireis (S-338).	Photo courtesy of Y.M.Umar,CPO (Ret.),Turkish Navy.

View the Thornback (SS-418)
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
Tench Class Submarines
Ep-21 (1) - Victory At Sea ~ Full Fathom Five - HQ

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