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![[photo]](buildings/lio1.jpg "[photo]")
USS Lionfish
Photo courtesy of Battleship Cove, www.battleshipcove.org |
Built by the Cramp Shipbuilding Corporation of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the USS Lionfish was commissioned in November 1944. The USS Lionfish is representative of the Balao-class of submarines that played an important role in fighting the Japanese during World War II. It is a pre-snorkel type of submarine, which operated underwater on batteries and was powered by four engines in a diesel-electric system. The USS Lionfish measures 312 feet in length with a 27-foot beam and is capable of descending to a maximum depth of 712 feet. It carried a 76-member crew. The Lionfish was armed with two 5-inch deck guns, two 40-millimeter guns and 10 21-inch torpedo tubes. The deck is covered in teakwood and the submarine's exterior is painted black and haze gray.
![[photo]](buildings/lio2.jpg "[photo]")
USS Lionfish
Photo courtesy of Battleship Cove, www.battleshipcove.org |
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American submarines sank more than 600,000 tons of enemy warships and more than 5,000,000 tons of merchant shipping, thus destroying much of Japan's ocean commerce. The USS Lionfish made two war patrols in the Pacific and is believed to have sunk an I-Class Japanese submarine and a 100-ton schooner. The Lionfish received one battle star for wartime service. Following the war, the submarine entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet and was put back into service in 1951 on the Atlantic Coast. Decommissioned at the Boston Navy Yard in 1953, the USS Lionfish was again called to duty from 1960 to 1972 as a reserve training submarine in Providence, Rhode Island. The submarine arrived in 1972 at Battleship Cove, the world's largest collection of historic naval ships, in Fall River, Massachusetts. A memorial to the 52 American submarines lost during World War II is displayed in the bunkroom of the vessel.
The USS Lionfish, a National Historic Landmark, is located at Battleship Cove on 5 Water St. in Fall River. Battleship Cove is open to the public throughout the year for a fee. The times change slightly from season to season and Battleship Cove is closed on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. For up-to-date information, please call 508-678-1100 or visit Battleship Cove's website.
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