.gif)
USS Cusk (SS-348)
Encyclopedia
USS Cusk (SS/SSG/AGSS-348), a Balao-class
submarine
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for the cusk
, a large food fish related to the cod
.
Cusk was launched 28 July 1945 by Electric Boat
, Groton, Conn.; cosponsored by Mrs. C. S. Gillette, and Mrs. W. G. Reed; and commissioned 5 February 1946, Commander Paul E. Summers in command.
Departing New London
24 April 1946, Cusk made an extended cruise through the Caribbean Sea
, and arrived at San Diego 6 June 1946. She sailed to Alaska
and northern waters between 16 July and 20 August, then carried out local operations out of San Diego. A pioneer in the missile field, Cusk was fitted with a missile hangar and launching ramp just aft of her sail in 1947.
She was designated SSG-348, 20 January 1948 and was the first submarine to launch a guided missile
(a Republic-Ford JB-2
) from her own deck, a forerunner of the ballistic missile
submarines of the future.
She entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard
for a "Fleet Snorkel" conversion and modernization in 1954, but remained in the Regulus
missile program because of her special guidance equipment although redesignated SS-348, 1 July 1954.
Cusk arrived at Pearl Harbor
, her new home port, 13 May 1957. Continuing her missile guidance duties with consorts , and she operated in Hawaii
an waters with a cruise to San Diego in 1957 and duty in the Far East in 1958 and 1960.
In the fall of 1961 Cusk had her Regulus missile guidance equipment removed and reverted to attack submarine profile. After successfully shooting a MK 14 Mod 3 warshot torpedo at the target cliffs on Kahoolawe Island she departed for WesPac in January 1962. designated as the SubFlot 7 Mining platform during the deployment, Cusk offloaded all steam torpedoes at Cubi Point NAS that spring and reloaded 4 MK 27 Mobile drill mines and 18 MK 10 moored drill mines. 12 days after departure from Subic Bay, Cusk entered the shallow waters of Buckner Bay Okinawa submerged, launched the 4 MK 27 mobile mines and then planted a field of 18 MK 10 moored mines. following the successful mine plant Cusk returned to Subic Bay RP, and retrieved her MK 14 Mod 3 warshot torpedoes.
In June 1969, the Secretary of Defense ordered that 100 of the Navy's oldest ships be decommissioned. Unfortunately for the Cusk, she was on that list. Subsequently, the Cusk was redesignated AGSS-348 and she set sail for the last time in September 1969 for Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco
.
Cusk was decommissioned and simultaneously struck from the Naval Register, 24 September 1969; she was sold for scrapping, 26 June 1972.
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 cusk
Cusk
Cusk may refer to:*The cusk, Brosme brosme, a North Atlantic food fish of the family Lotidae*The burbot, Lota lota, a related fish also sometimes referred to as "cusk"*Cusk eels, eel-like fishes of the family Ophidiidae...
, a large food fish related to the cod
Cod
Cod is the common name for genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of...
.
Cusk was launched 28 July 1945 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...
, Groton, Conn.; cosponsored by Mrs. C. S. Gillette, and Mrs. W. G. Reed; and commissioned 5 February 1946, Commander Paul E. Summers in command.
Departing New London
Naval Submarine Base New London
Naval Submarine Base New London is the United States Navy's primary submarine base, the "Home of the Submarine Force", and "the Submarine Capital of the World".-History:...
24 April 1946, Cusk made an extended cruise through the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, and arrived at San Diego 6 June 1946. She sailed to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and northern waters between 16 July and 20 August, then carried out local operations out of San Diego. A pioneer in the missile field, Cusk was fitted with a missile hangar and launching ramp just aft of her sail in 1947.
She was designated SSG-348, 20 January 1948 and was the first submarine to launch a guided missile
Guided Missile
Guided Missile is a London based independent record label set up by Paul Kearney in 1994.Guided Missile has always focused on 'the underground', preferring to put out a steady flow of releases and developing the numerous GM events around London and beyond....
(a Republic-Ford JB-2
Republic-Ford JB-2
The Republic-Ford JB-2 Loon was a United States copy of the German V-1 flying bomb. Developed in 1944, and planned to be used in the United States invasion of Japan , the JB-2 was never used in combat. It was the most successful of the United States Army Air Forces Jet Bomb projects during...
) from her own deck, a forerunner of the ballistic missile
Ballistic missile
A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
submarines of the future.
She entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
for a "Fleet Snorkel" conversion and modernization in 1954, but remained in the Regulus
SSM-N-8 Regulus
The SSM-N-8A Regulus was a ship and submarine launched, nuclear armed cruise missile deployed by the United States Navy from 1955 to 1964.-Design and development:...
missile program because of her special guidance equipment although redesignated SS-348, 1 July 1954.
Cusk arrived 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...
, her new home port, 13 May 1957. Continuing her missile guidance duties with consorts , and she operated in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an waters with a cruise to San Diego in 1957 and duty in the Far East in 1958 and 1960.
In the fall of 1961 Cusk had her Regulus missile guidance equipment removed and reverted to attack submarine profile. After successfully shooting a MK 14 Mod 3 warshot torpedo at the target cliffs on Kahoolawe Island she departed for WesPac in January 1962. designated as the SubFlot 7 Mining platform during the deployment, Cusk offloaded all steam torpedoes at Cubi Point NAS that spring and reloaded 4 MK 27 Mobile drill mines and 18 MK 10 moored drill mines. 12 days after departure from Subic Bay, Cusk entered the shallow waters of Buckner Bay Okinawa submerged, launched the 4 MK 27 mobile mines and then planted a field of 18 MK 10 moored mines. following the successful mine plant Cusk returned to Subic Bay RP, and retrieved her MK 14 Mod 3 warshot torpedoes.
In June 1969, the Secretary of Defense ordered that 100 of the Navy's oldest ships be decommissioned. Unfortunately for the Cusk, she was on that list. Subsequently, the Cusk was redesignated AGSS-348 and she set sail for the last time in September 1969 for Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Cusk was decommissioned and simultaneously struck from the Naval Register, 24 September 1969; she was sold for scrapping, 26 June 1972.