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USS Carbonero SS-337

The USS Carbonero SS-337 was built by the Electric Boat Company out of Groton, Connecticut. It was launched on October 19, 1944 and commissioned into the Navy on February 7, 1945. She was named after a salt-water fish found in the West Indies and was the first ship to carry the name.

She was built a Balao class submarine, measuring over 311 foot in length and just a bit more than 27 foot wide. When she was submerged, she displaced 2,424 tons, on the surface, it measured 1,526 tons. The initial power came from four V16 diesel engine built by General Motors. These engines are attached to electric generators that provide power to four high speed electric motors provided by General Electric. These motors drive the two propellers. There are also two 126 cell Sargo batteries that also take a charge from the generators. These are used when the sub is running underwater. This propulsion system can drive the sub along at speeds of up to 20.25 knots above the water and 8.75 knots when submerged.

Her crew complement consisted of between eight and ten officers and 70 to 71 enlisted men. When the sub came into contact with the enemy, it carried a complement of 24 torpedoes to fire. They could be launched from one of six tubes located in the front of from one of four in the back. She was also armed with one four inch, 50 caliber gun and four machine guns along her deck to engage enemies on the surface. In order to make a quick getaway, the sub could dive to depths of up to 400 feet.

The USS Carbonero started her career serving as a training sub for the Fleet Sonar School out of Key West, Florida. She then moved on to Balboa to participate in torpedo exercises. She finally passed through the Panama Canal and arrived in Pearl Harbor on May 9, 1945. Her first patrol took place off the Formosan Islands. For the most part, her mission involved lifegaurding duties. She was responsible for picking up any downed pilots who may have had to crash land after air attacks. This mission took place between May 26 and July 8. Once this mission was complete, she made way to Subic Bay for a refit.

Once the work was completed, she left for the Gulf of Siam. While cruising off the coast of the Malay Peninsula, She made contact with the enemy. While naval targets were getting tough to find, the Carbonero managed to sink two sampans, four schooners and two junks. This second patrol had begun on August 4, but was cut short with the announcement of the Japanese surrender on August 15. The sub made its way back to Subic Bay.

The submarine arrived back in the continental United States on September 22, 1945. She reported in at Seattle, Washington and spent the spent the next two years performing operations off the west coast of America. In the early part of 1947, she was assigned to a simulated war patrol in the Far East. Upon her return, she was posted to the Submarine Guided Missile Program, out of San Diego and Port Hueneme, California. She was specifically assigned to the Regulus Missile Program and classified as an Auxiliary Submarine, having her hull designation changed to AGSS-337. This happened in 1949.

In 1951, the USS Carbonero was fitted with a Fleet Snorkel modification package. This package allowed her to take on fresh air and run her diesel engines while spending prolonged periods under the surface. Once the work was complete, she operated off the coast of California and in the Hawaiian Islands. In 1953, the Carbonero received another upgrade. This time she was fitted with equipment that would allow her to control her torpedoes remotely after they had been fired. She helped to test these systems.

In 1957, she was transferred to Pearl Harbor. She spent the next five years involved in various operations, training missions and cruises through foreign waters. Her trips took her all over the world. She spent time in the South and Western Pacific Ocean, made a trip through the Arctic, and cruised to the Far East. In the early part of 1962, the remote control systems were removed from the sub and her hull designation was returned to SS-337.

Between 1962 and her decommissioning in December of 1970, the Carbonero participated in nuclear testing. She was on hand for several detonations. She was called away from this duty during the Vietnam War, to, once again, perform lifeguard operations. She was pulled from mothballs in 1975 and taken back to Hawaii. Here she became a target sub for a new torpedo called the Mark 48. She was sunk on April 27, 1975. The sub had received one Battle Star for her World War II service.

One issue that continues to be of concern for the men and women who had served aboard naval vessels built during the first three quarters of the twentieth century is asbestos. The mineral had been used extensively as and insulator and used in the manufacture of many of the parts used in the ships and subs. The damage caused by exposure to asbestos can take up to fifty years to develop. People who have experienced prolonged and heavy exposure to asbestos may fall victim to asbestosis or mesothelioma. There is no cure for either of these diseases and they are both very deadly. If you have questions about these diseases or about asbestos exposure in general, please contact us.

Submarines Index

USS Albacore SS 218 USS Amberjack SS 219 USS Angler SS 240 USS Apogon SS 308 USS Archer-Fish SS 311 USS Argonaut-SM-1 USS Argonaut SS 475 USS Aspro SS 309 USS Atule SS 403 USS Balao SS 285 USS Bang SS 385 USS Barbel SS 316 USS Barbero SS 317 USS Barb SS 220 USS Barracuda SS 163 USS Bashaw SS 241 USS Bergall SS 320 USS Besugo SS 321 USS Billfish SS 286 USS Blackfin SS 322 USS Blackfish SS 221 USS Blenny SS 324 USS Blower SS 325 USS Blueback SS 326 USS Bluefish SS 222 USS Bluegill SS 242 USS Boarfish SS 327 USS Bonefish SS 223 USS Bonita SS 165 USS Bowfin SS 287 USS Bream SS 243 USS Brill SS 330 USS Bugara SS 331 USS Bullhead SS 332 USS Bumper SS 333 USS Burrfish SS 312 USS Cabezon SS 334 USS Carbonero SS 337 USS Hake SS 256 USS Hammerhead SS 364 USS Harder SS 257 USS Hardhead SS 365 USS Hawkbill SS 366

USS Herring SS 233 USS Hoe SS 258 USS Icefish SS 367 USS Jack SS 259 USS Jallao SS 368 USS Kete S 369 USS Kingfish SS 234 USS Kraken SS 370 USS Lagarto SS 371 USS Lizardfish SS 373 USS Loggerhead SS 374 USS Macabi SS 375 USS Mackerel 204 USS Manta SS 299 USS Mapiro SS 376 USS Marlin SS 205 USS Mingo SS 261 USS Moray SS 300 USS Muskallunge SS 262 USS Narwhal SS 263 USS Nautilus SS 168 USS Paddle SS 167 USS Pampanito SS 383 USS Parche SS 384 USS Pargo SS 264 USS Perch SS 176 USS Permit SS 178 USS Peto SS 265 USS Pickerel SS 177 USS Picuda SS 382 USS Pike SS 173 USS Pilotfish SS 386 USS Pintado SS 387 USS Pipefish SS 388 USS Piranha SS 389 USS Plaice SS 390 USS Plunger SS 179 USS Pogy SS 266 USS Pollack SS 180 USS Pomfret SS 391 USS Pompano SS 181 USS Pompon SS 267 USS Porpoise SS 172

USS Puffer SS 268 USS Queenfish SS 393 USS Quillback SS 424 USS Rasher SS 269 USS Raton SS 270 USS Ray SS 271 USS Razorback SS 394 USS Redfin SS 272 USS Redfish SS 395 USS Robalo SS 273 USS Rock SS 274 USS Ronquil SS 396 USS Runner SS 275 USS Runner SS 476 USS S-1 SS 105 USS S-20 SS 125 USS S-46 SS 157 USS Sailfish SS 192 USS Salmon SS 182 USS Sand Lance SS 381 USS Sargo SS 188 USS Saury SS 189 USS Sawfish SS 276 USS Scabbardfish SS 397 USS Scamp SS 277 USS Scorpion SS 278 USS Sculpin SS 191 USS Sea Cat SS 399 USS Sea Devil SS 400 USS Sea Dog SS 401 USS Seadragon SS 194 USS Sea Fox SS 402 USS Seahorse SS 304 USS Sealion SS 195 USS Seal SS 183 USS Sea Owl SS 405 USS Sea Poacher SS 406 USS Searaven SS 196 USS Sea Robin SS 407 USS Seawolf SS 197 USS Segundo SS 398 USS Sennet SS 408

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