View source for USS Guavina

{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Guavina;0836206.jpg
|Ship caption=In 1951 Guavina (SS-362) was equipped with an experimental searchlight sonar.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1959}}
|Ship name=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company]], [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">{{cite book
  | last = Friedman
  | first = Norman
  | authorlink =
  | title = U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History
  | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]]
  | year = 1995
  | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]]
  | pages = 285–304
  | url =
  | doi =
  | isbn = 1-55750-263-3 }}</ref>
|Ship laid down=3 March 1943<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship launched=29 August 1943<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=23 December 1943<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship decommissioned=8 June 1946<ref>USCS Catalog Pg G-15, 1997</ref>
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship recommissioned=1 February 1950<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship decommissioned=27 March 1959<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=30 June 1967<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Sunk as a target off [[Cape Henry]], 14 November 1967<ref name="Register">{{cite book
  | last = Bauer
  | first = K. Jack
  | authorlink = K. Jack Bauer
  |author2=Roberts, Stephen S.
   | title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants
  | publisher = Greenwood Press
  | year = 1991
  | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]]
  | pages = 271–273
  | url =
  | doi =
  | isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}</ref>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Gato class submarine|''Gato''-class]] [[diesel-electric]] [[submarine]]<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1525|long ton|t|lk=on}} surfaced<ref name="Register"/>
*{{convert|2424|long ton|t}} submerged<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship length={{convert|311|ft|9|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship beam={{convert|27|ft|3|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship draft={{convert|17|ft|0|in|abbr=on}} maximum<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship propulsion={{Fleet-boat-propulsion-late-GM-4-GE}}
*2 × 126-cell [[Talk:Gould Electronics|Gould]] batteries
|Ship speed=*{{convert|20.25|kn|mph km/h}} surfaced<ref name="Lenton">Lenton, H. T. ''American Submarines'' (Doubleday, 1973), p.79.</ref>
*{{convert|8.75|kn|mph km/h}} submerged<ref name="Lenton" />
|Ship range={{convert|11000|nmi|mi km}} surfaced at {{convert|10|kn|mph km/h}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 305-311</ref>
|Ship endurance=*48 hours at {{convert|2|kn|mph km/h}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
*75 days on patrol
|Ship test depth={{convert|300|ft|m|-1|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship complement=*6 officers, 54 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> (peace)
*80-85 (war)<ref name="Lenton" />
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*10 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (six forward, four aft; 24 [[torpedo]]es)
*one [[3"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on}}]]/50 [[Caliber (artillery)|caliber]] deck gun
*two [[M1919 Browning machine gun|.30 cal (7.62 mm)]] [[machinegun]]s<ref name="Lenton" />
}}
|}

'''USS ''Guavina'' (SS/SSO/AGSS/AOSS-362)''', a {{sclass|Gato|submarine}}, was a ship of the [[United States Navy]] named for the [[guavina]], a fish which may reach a length of {{convert|2|ft|m|1}} indigenous to the [[West Indies]] and the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coasts of [[Central America]] and [[Mexico]].

==Construction and commissioning==
''Guavina'' initially was ordered as a unit of the [[Balao-class submarine|''Balao'' class]], but her builder, the [[Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company]], did not receive the drawings for the ''Balao'' class from the [[Electric Boat]] Company in time to build ''Guavina'' or the submarines {{USS|Golet|SS-361}}, {{USS|Guitarro|SS-363}}, and {{USS|Hammerhead|SS-364}} to the new design, so they were built as ''Gato''-class submarines. Thus, in some references, these four submarines are listed as units of the ''Balao''-class.<ref>Friedman 1995, p. 209</ref>

''Guavina'' was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company at [[Manitowoc, Wisconsin|Manitowoc]], [[Wisconsin]], on 29 August 1943, sponsored by Miss Marie Roen, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 23 December 1943.

==Operational history==
After shakedown, ''Guavina'' was towed down the [[Mississippi River|Mississippi]] in a [[floating drydock]] by tug ''Minnesota'', reaching [[New Orleans, Louisiana|New Orleans]] 24 January 1944. She underwent training exercises at New Orleans and at [[Balboa, Panama|Balboa]], [[Panama Canal Zone|C.Z.]], before reaching [[Pearl Harbor]] 5 April to prepare for her first war patrol.

=== First war patrol, April – May 1944 ===

''Guavina'' sailed 6 April 1944, on her first offensive cruise. On 22 April she sank by gunfire two [[Commercial trawler|trawlers]] loaded with lumber and cargo and 3 days later torpedoed a large "[[maru (ship)|maru]]". Her first big kill came 26 April when she sent torpedoes into two of the merchant ships in a seven-ship [[convoy]]. One of them, ''Noshiro Maru'', sank almost immediately after three tremendous explosions. The second maru also exploded, although persistent [[depth charge|depth charging]] prevented ''Guavina'' from staying around to observe the sinking.

After standing lifeguard duty off [[Wake Island]] during air strikes 21 May – 26 May, the submarine returned to [[Majuro Atoll]] 28 May. Her aggressive first patrol forecast even greater service for the nation.

=== Second war patrol, June – July 1944 ===

On her second war patrol (20 June – 31 July) ''Guavina'' sailed from Majuro to [[Brisbane]], [[Australia]], sinking 1 ship and rescuing 12 downed aviators. At 13:24 on 3 July she picked up an obviously important ship with four escorts, and trailed her to get in attack position. Finally at 03:48 the next morning ''Guavina'' launched four torpedoes, three of which hit and set off a tremendous explosion. The sub spent the next 3 hours running silent and deep to avoid a total of 18 depth charges and 8 aerial bombs, surfacing at 06:43 to observe the wreckage of ''Tama Maru'' (3,052 tons). A total of 321 troops, two gunners and eleven crewmen were killed. While on lifeguard duty off [[Yap]] 2 July to 21 July, ''Guavina'' picked up a total of 12 downed B-24 airmen, and then headed for Brisbane via [[Seeadler Harbor]], [[Admiralty Islands]].

=== Third and fourth war patrols, August – December 1944 ===

''Guavina'''s third war patrol (16 August – 29 September) took her along the [[Philippines|Philippine]] coast off [[Mindanao]]. On 31 August she opened fire on two small coastwise steamers, chasing them almost onto the beach before finally destroying them. Then, after a period of lifeguard duty, on 15 September ''Guavina'' sighted a large ship, later revealed to be a transport at anchor. Closing for the kill she loosed a salvo of three torpedoes. Only one hit, so she fired three more, scoring twice. Although the target was enveloped in fire and smoke, it still did not sink; so ''Guavina'' administered the final fatal blow with a spread of two torpedoes which totally disintegrated the target.

Departing Brisbane 27 October, ''Guavina'' headed to the [[South China Sea]] for her fourth war patrol. A night surface attack 15 November netted her a large maru; one torpedo hit caused a violent explosion, as the maru apparently was carrying aviation gasoline; a second fish sent through the fiery waters finished her. [[Tanker (ship)|Tanker]] ''Down Maru'' fell victim to ''Guavina'' 22 November, and a second tanker anchored nearby met the same fate the following day. During the final month she searched for additional victims. Then finding unfavorable attack conditions, she sailed for port, making Perth, Australia 27 December.

=== Fifth and sixth war patrols, January – May 1945 ===

Working first with {{USS|Pampanito|SS-383|2}} and then with {{USS|Becuna|SS-319|2}} and {{USS|Blenny|SS-324|2}}, ''Guavina'' spent her fifth war patrol (23 January – 5 March 1945) again in the South China Sea. The value of the [[Wolf pack (submarines)|coordinated attack group]] was quickly proved as on 6 February ''Guavina'' was directed in for the kill by ''Pampanito'' and sank the 6,892-ton tanker ''Taigyo Maru''. To avoid the subsequent depth charging, ''Guavina'' pulled the unusual maneuver of lying on the bottom near the stern of her recent victim.

She returned ''Pampanito'''s favor the following day by providing a diversion in the form of four flares from her "[[Buck Rogers]]" gun as her sister sub maneuvered for a successful shot. ''Guavina'' sank another tanker, the 8,673-ton ''Eiyo Maru'', 20 February, and suffered one of the severest depth chargings of the war. With no room to run, she lay on the bottom at {{convert|130|ft|m}} while Japanese escorts and planes dropped a total of 98 depth charges and bombs during the next 7 hours. Battered but undaunted, she sailed to Subic Bay in the Philippines, arriving 5 March for a badly needed refit.

On her sixth war patrol (21 March – 8 May) ''Guavina'' worked in coordination with {{USS|Rock|SS-274|2}}, {{USS|Cobia|SS-245|2}}, and ''Blenny'' in the South China Sea. A lack of targets resulted in her returning empty-handed, but she did rescue five B-25 crew members 28 March before returning to Pearl Harbor 8 May. With six successful war patrols behind her she proceeded to the West Coast for overhaul. She departed [[San Francisco]] for Pearl Harbor 6 August, but with the end of the war returned to the States. ''Guavina'' then put in at [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard|Mare Island]] and was placed in commission, in reserve, and Decommissioned 8 June 1946.

=== Post-war service as submarine tanker ===

From March 1949, ''Guavina'' underwent extensive overhaul and modification under project [[Ship Characteristics Board|SCB 39]] for conversion to a submarine oiler at Mare Island, and was even equipped with a snorkel. ''Guavina'' recommissioned in the active fleet as '''SSO-362''' 1 February 1950 at Mare Island. After operations along the West Coast, she sailed to [[Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk]] via Balboa and [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] 24 July to 25 August. Further operations out of Norfolk were followed by overhaul at [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard|Philadelphia]] and on 29 January 1951, ''Guavina'' reported to [[Key West]], her new homeport.

Operating out of Key West, ''Guavina'' cruised to the [[Caribbean Sea]] and up the East Coast to [[Nova Scotia]] to test the concepts of fueling [[seaplane]]s and other submarines, although most of her work was in the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and the [[Straits of Florida]]. After overhaul at Philadelphia 18 April to 26 July 1952, ''Guavina'' was redesignated '''AGSS-362'''. Two more years of operations along the East Coast and in the Gulf were followed by a second extensive overhaul at Philadelphia. To aid refueling, ''Guavina'' gained a large, raised platform over the after torpedo room, which was soon dubbed the "flight deck".

[[File:USS Guavina (AGSS-362) fueling a Martin P5M-1 Marlin of VP-44 in the open sea off Norfolk, Virginia (USA), in 1955 (80-G-709414).jpg|thumb|right|''Guavina'' (AGSS-362), refueling a [[P5M Marlin]] flying boat off Norfolk, VA. in 1955. It was planned to use submarines to refuel the new jet-powered [[P6M SeaMaster]] flying boats. As part of this program ''Guavina'' was converted to carry 160,000 gallons of aviation fuel.]]

And a flight deck it soon became as in January 1956 ''Guavina'' began testing the concept of mobile support of seaplanes from a submarine oiler. After an initial 2-week trial period, ''Guavina'' and a variety of seaplanes carried out refueling development for most of 1956. Sailing from [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] 18 September, the submarine headed for the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. After her 2-month deployment there with the [[US 6th Fleet|6th Fleet]] and Patrol Squadron 56, ''Guavina'' returned to [[Key West]] 1 December, then put into Charleston for overhaul.

Emerging from overhaul 12 July 1957 with the new designation '''AOSS-362''', ''Guavina'' resumed her established pattern of testing various applications of submarine oiler and seaplane refueling concepts, operating principally in the Caribbean. Ranging along the coast from New London to [[Bermuda]], she also engaged in antisubmarine exercises and other peacetime training missions.

=== Grounding ===

On 16 February 1958 ''Guavina'' was operating in the Bahamas and dropped anchor off the island of [[San Salvador Island|San Salvador]]. Overnight, high winds and heavy seas pushed her aground. ''Guavina'' spent several days stuck hard aground in the shallow sandy surf of San Salvador. She eventually was freed by the combined efforts of the [[salvage and rescue ship]]s {{USS|Petrel|ASR-14|}} and {{USS|Escape|ARS-6|}} and the [[ocean tug]]s {{USS|Shakori|ATF-162|}} and {{USS|Allegheny|ATA-179|}}.

==Decommissioning and disposal==
''Guavina'' arrived at the [[Charleston Navy Yard]] in [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]], [[South Carolina]], on 4 January 1959, and [[Ship decommisionig|decommissioned]] there on 27 March 1959, going into reserve. She served as a [[training ship]] for [[United States Naval Reserve]] personnel in the [[United States naval districts#5th Naval District|5th Naval District]] at [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], until struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register|Navy List]] on 30 June 1967 and sunk as a target by the submarine {{USS|Cubera|SS-347|3}} off [[Cape Henry]], [[Virginia]], with a [[Mark 16 torpedo|Mark 16-1]] torpedo.

==Honors and awards==
''Guavina'' received five [[battle star]]s for [[World War II]] service.

==Notable Veterans==
[[Maxime Faget]], the [[NASA]] engineer responsible for the design of the [[Mercury spacecraft]], and who contributed to the design of the [[Gemini Spacecraft|Gemini]] and [[Apollo (spacecraft)|Apollo]] spacecraft and the [[Space Shuttle]] served on ''Guavina'' during the Second World War.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g9/guavina.htm}}

== External links==
{{Commons category|USS Guavina (SS-362)}}
*{{navsource|08/08362|Guavina}}
*[http://navsource.org/archives/08/pdf/0836200.pdf Post-war decommissioning action summary]

{{The Manitowoc Company|state=autocollapse}}
{{Gato class submarine}}
{{1958 shipwrecks}}
{{1967 shipwrecks}}

{{coord missing|Atlantic Ocean}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guavina (SS-362)}}
[[Category:Gato-class submarines]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Manitowoc, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1958]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1967]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Virginia coast]]