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USS Bumper (SS-333)
Encyclopedia
USS Bumper (SS-333), a Balao-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for the bumper, a fish of the West Indian Ocean
.
Bumper (SS-333) was launched 6 August 1944 by Electric Boat
Co., Groton, Conn.; sponsored by Mrs. Joseph W. Williams, Jr., wife of the prospective commanding officer; and commissioned 9 December 1944, Commander J. W. Williams, Jr., in command.
Between 22 April and 15 August 1945 Bumper completed two war patrols in the Java
and South China Sea
s and the Gulf of Siam. During this time she sank a 1189-ton tanker, destroyed another small tanker
at anchor, and sank four miscellaneous small craft by gunfire.
Bumper arrived at Fremantle
, Australia
, from her last war patrol 15 August 1945. On 31 August 1945 she departed Fremantle for Subic Bay
, Philippine Islands where she arrived 9 September. She served as a unit of Submarines, Philippine Sea Frontier, until February 1946 when she returned to California
for repairs. Repairs completed, she reported for duty with Submarine Squadron 5 at Pearl Harbor
and operated in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands
until December.
On 16 December 1946 she departed Pearl Harbor to conduct a simulated war patrol. She called at Truk, Caroline Islands
; Subic Bay, Philippine Islands; Yokosuka
, Japan
; and Midway
. She also spent six weeks with Northern Training Group, Western Pacific, at Tsingtao
, China
, and in the Yellow Sea
. She returned to Pearl Harbor 29 March 1947.
Early in January 1948 Bumper proceeded to California and underwent yard overhaul until 1 June 1948. She arrived back at Pearl Harbor 12 June and shortly thereafter commenced her second simulated war patrol in the Western Pacific, returning to Pearl Harbor 29 September 1949.
22 February 1950 and operated along the eastern seaboard until 16 September 1950 when she was decommissioned. She was transferred to Turkey
16 November 1950 and recommissioned as TCG Çanakkale (S 333). She served in the Turkish Navy
until she was decommissioned 11 August 1976.
service.
Balao class submarine
The Balao class was a successful design of United States Navy submarine used during World War II, and with 122 units built, the largest class of submarines in the United States Navy. An improvement on the earlier Gato class, the boats had slight internal differences...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, was a ship of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
named for the bumper, a fish of the West Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
.
Bumper (SS-333) was launched 6 August 1944 by Electric Boat
Electric boat
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...
Co., Groton, Conn.; sponsored by Mrs. Joseph W. Williams, Jr., wife of the prospective commanding officer; and commissioned 9 December 1944, Commander J. W. Williams, Jr., in command.
Between 22 April and 15 August 1945 Bumper completed two war patrols in the Java
Java Sea
The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...
and South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
s and the Gulf of Siam. During this time she sank a 1189-ton tanker, destroyed another small tanker
Tanker (ship)
A tanker is a ship designed to transport liquids in bulk. Major types of tankship include the oil tanker, the chemical tanker, and the liquefied natural gas carrier.-Background:...
at anchor, and sank four miscellaneous small craft by gunfire.
Bumper arrived at Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, from her last war patrol 15 August 1945. On 31 August 1945 she departed Fremantle for Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
, Philippine Islands where she arrived 9 September. She served as a unit of Submarines, Philippine Sea Frontier, until February 1946 when she returned to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for repairs. Repairs completed, she reported for duty with Submarine Squadron 5 at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
and operated in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
until December.
On 16 December 1946 she departed Pearl Harbor to conduct a simulated war patrol. She called at Truk, Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
; Subic Bay, Philippine Islands; Yokosuka
Yokosuka, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 419,067 and a population density of 4,160 people per km². It covered an area of 100.62 km²...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; and Midway
Midway Atoll
Midway Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Tokyo, Japan. Unique among the Hawaiian islands, Midway observes UTC-11 , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time and one hour...
. She also spent six weeks with Northern Training Group, Western Pacific, at Tsingtao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and in the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
. She returned to Pearl Harbor 29 March 1947.
Early in January 1948 Bumper proceeded to California and underwent yard overhaul until 1 June 1948. She arrived back at Pearl Harbor 12 June and shortly thereafter commenced her second simulated war patrol in the Western Pacific, returning to Pearl Harbor 29 September 1949.
TCG Çanakkale (S 333)
Bumper operated out of Pearl Harbor until 7 February 1950 when she returned to the United States. She transited the Panama CanalPanama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
22 February 1950 and operated along the eastern seaboard until 16 September 1950 when she was decommissioned. She was transferred to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
16 November 1950 and recommissioned as TCG Çanakkale (S 333). She served in the Turkish Navy
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
until she was decommissioned 11 August 1976.
Honors and awatds
Bumper received one battle star for her World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service.