|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Tirante was a Tench-class (SS-417) Diesel-powered submarine, named for the Tirante, or "Tyrant Fish," which is a voracious, agile, thin-bodied fish with a wedge-shaped head, a large mouth, and a fierce row of canine teeth, suitable for catching and holding prey. When it encounters an enemy, the Tirante fish attacks without hesitation, having a ferocious disposition, as well as an insatiable appetite. When its lust for battle leads it into difficulty it usually heads for the bottom, where its ability to navigate deep depths enables it to avoid its pursuers. The Tirante fish frequents tropical or semi-tropical areas. |
"Sam Tirante" on the bow of the boat. Photo provided by Charles Shrump; EM3(SS); who served on the boat from 1970-1973. During the boat's overhaul in the Navy yard in Portsmouth, Virginia (starting in January 1961), Lt. Cmdr. William D. Benson, USN, skipper of the Tirante, carved the pattern from which the figurehead was cast when he learned that the shipyard would charge more for the work than his budget could afford. After mounting "Sam" on the bow the boat became the only submarine in the United States Navy carrying a figurehead and very likely the only commissioned Navy ship so equipped. The Naval Shipyard cast the piece, as well as two half models which went on the boat's wardroom bulkhead. Benson first planned to paint the figurehead in bright colors but later decided to leave the savage looking medal casting in its original bronze appearance. Benson's casting is 24 inches long, which is a little longer than the full-grown 19-inch fish in real life. |
| Built: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard; Portsmouth, New
Hampshire
Keel laid: April 28, 1944 Launched: August 9, 1944 (sponsored by Mrs. William B. Sieglaff, wife of a submarine Commander) Commissioned: November 6, 1944. Approximate cost: $7,000,000 Crew: 8 officers and 80 enlisted men Length: 306 feet 7 inches Beam: 27 feet 4 inches Draft: 16 feet Displacement: 1845 tons (surfaced); 2420 tons (submerged) Armament: Ten 21-inch torpedo tubes Shaft Horsepower: 5400 Speed: 15 knots (surfaced) Decommissioned (1st time): July 20, 1946 Recommissioned: November 26, 1952 |
| Tirante's main claim to fame during her service to the United States Navy was the war patrol conducted from March 3 to April 25, 1945, under the command of Lieutenant Commander George L. Street III. In February 1945, Tirante left Pearl Harbor on her maiden war patrol destination; the shipping lanes off the Japanese home island of Kyushu. During the last week in March, Tirante had her first brush with the enemy; a single-engined plane forced her to go deep in what was thought to be a surprise attack by the Japanese airman. (See more on this story from J. Paul Surprenant) A few days after this encounter, she unleashed a vicious attack against a 3,080-ton cargo vessel. Three torpedoes were fired; one hit just at the waterline and broke the target’s back. |
| Prowling off Oniki Saki (a cape on Western Kyushu) a few days later, a small Japanese cargo ship of 2,700 tons was sent to the bottom. This engagement was followed by a severe depth-charge barrage by Japanese subchasers. After dodging the enemy surface craft, Tirante surfaced and resumed her relentelss search for her foes. For the next few days she continued her “Field Day,” sinking a 2,800-ton cargo carrier and a large transport with torpedoes and two small ships with her deck guns. |
| While patrolling in the Yellow Sea, she entered an enemy anchorage on the north shore of Saishu (Qualpart Island). Tirante slid into the shallow anchorage using a captured enemy chart to plot the course. When Tirante was well inside the harbor and in position, two torpedoes were fired at a Japanese ship. On went wild, exploding on the beach, and the second found its mark. Two frigates bore down on her but two torpedoes stopped one chaser in her wake and the other was dispatched to the bottom with one torpedo. Tirante made her exit from the devastated harbor with great haste. |
| During this war patrol the actions of LCDR Street were to earn him the Medal of Honor and Tirante a Presidential Unit Citation. A good write-up on what happened during this patrol can be found in United States Submarine Operations In World War II, by Theodore Roscoe. Fifty-seven Medals of Honor were bestowed upon U.S. Navymen in World War Two; 7 going to submarine officers (3 of them posthumously). Out of the 49 Presidential Unit Citations awarded during World War Two, 34 went to submarines. |
|
|
| On her second patrol, Tirante gave a repeat performance of the hit-and-run attack on her first patrol at Qualpart Island. Around noon, she inched her way into Ha Shima harbor and took aim at a 3,000-ton freighter moored alongside a colliery. At 1,000 yards a torpedo was fired down the throat of the freighter and blew her sky high. However, with the target still listing heavily, another torpedo was unleashed, but no explosion occurred. With shells falling all around her, a third torpedo was fired. This one found its mark and the target settled into her tomb. (See more on this story from J. Paul Surprenant) |
| From March 25 to July 8, 1945, Tirante would sink 8 Japanese vessels for a total of 15, 886 tons. Tirante was on her third war patrol when the Japanese surrendered. |
| Tirante returned to the East Coast in October 1945. On July 20, 1946, after six months in training exercises, she was placed out of commission. Six years later, after the outbreak of the Korean War, she was converted to a modernized Guppy-type ("Guppy" stands for "Greater Underwater Propulsive Power") sub and was re-commissioned at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on November 26, 1952. She got the Guppy IIA conversion, which entailed fitting new battery cells and motors, and fairing in the existing conning tower and deck fittings, in 1953. |
| In 1964, Tirante was awarded the coveted Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy as the ship in both the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets that achieved the greatest improvement in battle efficiency in the competitive year based upon the Battle Efficiency Competition. |
| Tirante was the first submarine overhauled in Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. She arrived there in January 1961 for a six-month overhaul. |
| Thanks goes to Timothy Spoon, ex-EM2(SS) who served aboard Tirante (1963-1966) for providing most of the information in the above history. |
| Tirante's Fate: On October 1, 1973, Tirante was decommissioned and stricken from the list of Navy ships. |
 |
|
|
| LCDR George L. Street |
|
| CDR A.R. Christiansen |
|
| LCDR John M. Barrett |
|
| LCDR George M. Hecker |
|
| LCDR David F. Purinton |
|
| LCDR William D. Benson |
|
| LCDR W.A. Greene |
|
| LCDR Edward Clausner, Jr. |
|
| LCDR Charles G. Tate |
|
| LCDR Arthur O. Riendeau |
|
| LCDR William F. Henry |
|
| CDR Eugene B. Veek |
|
| LCDR William T. Stutzer |
|
| Note: The above list was provided by the U.S. Navy for use in the official program for the second decommissioning ceremony for the boat. It left out LCDR Davis Cone, who succeeded LCDR Street just prior to the boat's first decommissioning in 1946. |
|
|
| Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) TWELVE was first organized
on 30 April 1943 under Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet and
was originally based at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Units of the squadron
were credited with sinking 96 vessels, totaling 410,000 tons. Only one
unit of the squadron, USS Harder (SS-256), was lost during World War II.
SUBRON 12 was dissolved in September 1945 and was resurrected
in Key West, Florida in July 1952, with USS Bushnell (AS-15) as the squadron
repair/support tender, which also had the squadron staff embarked.
Bushnell had been taken out of the mothball fleet on the west coast and
recommissioned in February 1952.
SUBRON 12 was decommissioned on 30 June 1973. |
|
|
| I reported aboard Tirante as an MMFA on February 22, 1961, a couple of days after graduating from Basic Submarine School in Groton, Connecticut. At the time, Tirante was undergoing an overhaul at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia. As soon as I reported aboard, I was advanced to MMFN, which was the practice at the time for designated strikers. I did my tour as a Messcook and was then assigned to the Seaman Gang, as all non-rated personnel were. |
| We left the shipyard in August 1961 and headed for Tirante's homeport of Key West, Florida, where she was assigned to Submarine Squadron (SUBRON) 12. In November 1961, I was advanced to Machinist's Mate Third Class. |
| As an MM3, I was assigned to the Auxiliary Gang for a couple of months and then to the Engine Room Gang. Tirante was different from other boats of her class in that she only had one Diesel engine (one of three Fairbanks-Morse Diesels) in the Forward Engine Room. |
| Tirante made no deployments while I was aboard her but she did make a few trips to ports on the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., to Gitmo, and to Gulfport. |
| I earned my "Silver Dolphins" (the breast insignia for men designated as "qualified in submarines") in March 1962 and was soon transferred to Basic Nuclear Power School at the Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| The purpose of this page is provide a place for ex-crew members to post a query about or an attempt to locate a lost shipmate. Or to just let ex-shipmates know you're still around. Send your queries, etc. to me via e-mail at my e-mail address at the bottom of this page and I'll place them on the page with a link to your e-mail address. Good luck in your search. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Ron Martini’s Submarine World Network The largest submarine-oriented site on the Internet; plus other information |
| United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. An organization that all submarine vets should join |
| SubmarineSailor.com Rosters for subs, sub tenders, and ASRs. Other sub-related info, as well |
| Rontini’s Submarine BBS Where submarine sailors (and others) from all eras hang out |
| Sid Harrison’s Navy Days The most comprehensive submarine and Navy-oriented site on the Internet |
| Fleet Reserve Association The hardest-charging military lobby group there is (especially for enlisted-related matters) |
| National Chief Petty Officers Association (NCPOA) I’m a member |
| The Retired Enlisted Association (TREA) I’m a member |
| U.S. Navy Memorial Every Navy veteran should have his particulars in the Navy Log (it's accessible on-line) |
| Bluejacket.com Informative site on USN, USMC, USCG history and traditions |
| Submarine Wives Club Who cared for the kids, paid the bills, kept the car running, battled yard and housework, etc. in our absence? |
|
|
|
|
|
|