USS Corvina
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Builder | Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut[1] |
| Laid down | 21 September 1942[1] |
| Launched | 9 May 1943[1] |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. R. W. Christie |
| Commissioned | 6 August 1943[1] |
| Fate | Sunk by Japanese submarine I-176 south of Truk Lagoon, 16 November 1943[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Gato-class diesel-electric submarine[2] |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)[2] |
| Beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2] |
| Draft | 17 ft (5.2 m) maximum[2] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | |
| Range | 11,000 nmi (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 kn (19 km/h)[6] |
| Endurance |
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| Test depth | 300 ft (90 m)[6] |
| Complement | 6 officers, 54 men[6] |
| Armament |
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USS Corvina (SS-226), a Gato-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the corvina.[7]
Construction and commissioning
[edit]Corvina′s keel was laid down by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut, on 21 September 1942. She was launched on 9 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. LaRene P. Christie, wife of Rear Admiral Ralph. W. Christie, commander of submarine operations in Fremantle, Australia, and commissioned on 6 August 1943.
Service record
[edit]Clearing New London, Connecticut, on 18 September 1943, Corvina arrived at Pearl Harbor on 14 October. She put out from Pearl Harbor on her maiden war patrol 4 November, topped up her fuel tanks at Johnston Island two days later, and was never heard from again. Her commanding officer was Roderick S. Rooney.[citation needed]
Her assignment had been a dangerous one: to patrol as closely as possible to the heavily guarded stronghold of Truk and to intercept any Japanese sortie endangering the forthcoming American invasion of the Gilbert Islands. Japanese records report that Japanese submarine I-176 launched three torpedoes at an enemy submarine south of Truk on 16 November, claiming two hits which resulted in the explosion of the target.[8] Her loss with her crew of 82 was announced 14 March 1944, making Corvina the only American submarine to have been sunk by a Japanese submarine in the entire war.[9]
In popular culture
[edit]The 1951 John Wayne film Operation Pacific makes reference to the loss of Corvina. In the film, the fictitious Gato-class submarine USS Thunderfish makes an impromptu rendezvous with Corvina after Corvina reported problems with her Number 4 diesel engine. The submarines exchange engine parts and the commanding officers also exchange films, Lieutenant Commander Duke E. Gifford (played by Wayne) offering George Washington Slept Here and Corvina′s captain offering "a submarine picture," later revealed to be the 1943 film Destination Tokyo. Later, while the crew of Thunderfish is watching Destination Tokyo, Gifford tries to figure out the source of torpedo explosions reported by Thunderfish′s sonar operator. The following day, Thunderfish comes across wreckage, and discovers the case containing George Washington Slept Here, revealing that Corvina had been sunk. Thunderfish′s radar then reports a single contact, and the submarine submerges. Gifford discovers "one I-type Jap submarine" while looking through the periscope. Thunderfish then engages, torpedoes, and sinks the Japanese submarine, avenging the loss of Corvina.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 285–304. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 271–273. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
- ^ a b c d e Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 270–280. ISBN 978-0-313-26202-9. OCLC 24010356.
- ^ U.S. Submarines Through 1945 p. 261
- ^ a b c U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305–311
- ^ a b c d e f U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311
- ^ "USS Corvina". Wrecksite. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
- ^ "Corvina (SS 226)". Navy Department Library. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ^ Boyd, Carl; Yoshida, Akihiko (1995). The Japanese Submarine Force and World War II. Naval Institute Press. p. 236. ISBN 9781557500151. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
[edit]5°5′N 151°10′E / 5.083°N 151.167°E
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1943 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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- Gato-class submarines
- World War II submarines of the United States
- Lost submarines of the United States
- World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean
- Ships built in Groton, Connecticut
- Ships sunk by Japanese submarines
- 1943 ships
- Warships lost in combat with all hands
- Maritime incidents in November 1943
- Submarines sunk by submarines