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Needlefish (SS-379)
Balao Class Submarine: The name Needlefish was assigned to the submarine (SS-379) on 23 August 1942, but construction was cancelled 29 July 1944, before she was laid down. 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 6 Officers 54 Enlisted; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 5"/25 deck gun, one 40mm, one 20mm, 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, 116,000 gals., 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 559k | The following two photos were taken 8 September 1944, on the day Kraken (SS-370) was commissioned. The big cylindrical sections are clearly marked 379 which makes them part of the Needlefish (SS-379). The other parts are either for the Needlefish or the Nerka (SS-380) which would be 380. The contracts for both were canceled 7/29/44. |
Courtesy of Bob Peppard & Photo by Harry Berns, Official photographer of the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, WI. Submitted by Larry Bohn, courtesy of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, home of the Cobia (SS-245) | |
 | 639k | The big cylindrical sections are clearly marked 379 which makes them part of the Needlefish (SS-379). The other parts are either for the Needlefish or the Nerka (SS-380) which would be 380. The contracts for both were canceled 7/29/44. | Courtesy of Bob Peppard & Photo by Harry Berns, Official photographer of the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, WI. Submitted by Larry Bohn, courtesy of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, home of the Cobia (SS-245) | |
 | 68k | Lagarto's (SS-371) conning tower shadow in the background casts onto the crowd at launching day at Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, WI. 28 May 1944. Note the sub parts in the far background. They are being scrapped out. The building program had been terminated and many parts had already been fabricated for the canceled subs Needlefish (SS-379) & Nerka (SS-380). | Photo by Harry Berns, Official photographer of the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, WI. Submitted by Larry Bohn, courtesy of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, home of the Cobia (SS-245) | |
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192k | A crowd of men, women, and children, all wearing winter attire, stand on the snow-covered grounds of the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company along the Manitowoc River watching the commissioning ceremony for the Lizardfish (SS-373) on 30 December 1944. Among the group are Naval officers and crewmen, shipyard officials and workers, and family members of crewmen and workers. The Lizardfish is tied up along the river, just out of view in this picture. In the background are scrap piles of material for two unfinished submarines, Needlefish (SS-379) & Nerka (SS-380). The large cylindrical sections with the number 379 would have formed hull portions of the Needlefish . The company's contracts to build those two submarines were cancelled in July, 1944 and parts for them were scrapped. | Photo by Harry Berns, Official photographer of the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, WI. Submitted by Larry Bohn, courtesy of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, home of the Cobia (SS-245) | |
 | 55k | Watercolor print by the artist Tom Denton of the side launching of a Manitowoc built boat. | Courtesy of submarineart.com | |
 | 485k | Photo of Harry Berns, Official photographer of the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, WI. The photo of the Golet (SS-361) encased in snow appears on the wall above him on the upper right. His obituary appears here. | Photo courtesy of Susan Menk, Archives Assistant, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Dee Anna Grimsrud,Reference Archivist, Wisconsin Historical Society, Steve Khail, CBC, Director of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, The Manitowoc Company, Inc. & William Young. | |
View the Needlefish (SS-379)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Ep-21 (1) - Victory At Sea ~ Full Fathom Five - HQ
Manitowoc Built Submarines
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