SS-417 to SS-525
Tench-class Submarines
The Tench-class submarines were the final and most refined U.S. Navy fleet submarines built during World War II, designed to deliver greater combat endurance, improved internal layout, and harder-hitting performance in the Pacific.
Developed from the successful Balao and Gato classes, Tench-class boats combined proven undersea warfare capability with upgrades that strengthened survivability, patrol efficiency, and torpedo loadout, making them some of the most effective American submarines of the war and early Cold War.
Though introduced late in WWII, the Tench class represented the peak of U.S. diesel-electric submarine design before the nuclear age, with several boats later modernized for Cold War service. For military historians, submarine enthusiasts, and collectors researching U.S. Navy submarines, World War II naval warfare, and the evolution of American undersea power, the Tench-class remains a critical chapter in the legacy of fleet submarine dominance.
WORLD WAR II
12 BOATS · 1944–1945
SS-417 USS Tench
Lead Ship of the Class
PACIFIC - EAST CHINA SEA
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
3
War Patrols
0
Ships Confirmed
To Peru 1973
Scrapped 1976
Lead boat of the class and first to deploy. Conducted three war patrols off Kyushu, the Yellow Sea, and East China Sea. Rescued downed aviator and radioman during B-29 raids on Japan. Transferred to Peru as BAP Abtao, scrapped 1976.
SS-418 USS Thornback
Museum Ship - Istanbul
PACIFIC - JAPAN HOME WATERS
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
1
War Patrols
0
Ships Confirmed
Museum Ship
Istanbul, Turkey
Completed one war patrol off the Japanese coast. Postwar GUPPY IIA conversion extended her service through the Cold War. Transferred to Turkey in 1971 as TCG Uluc Ali Reis. Now a museum ship at the Rahmi M. Koç Museum on Istanbul's Golden Horn.
SS-419 USS Tigrone
Last Tench in U.S. Navy Service
PACIFIC - JAPAN HOME WATERS
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
2
War Patrols
0
Ships Confirmed
Decom. Jun 1975
Sunk as Target 1976
Completed two war patrols. Converted to radar picket submarine (SSR-419) postwar. The last Tench-class boat in active U.S. Navy service, decommissioned June 27, 1975 - outlasting every other WWII submarine in American service. Sunk as torpedo target.
SS-420 USS Tirante
Medal of Honor - Street's Raiders
PACIFIC - YELLOW SEA / KOREA
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
2
War Patrols
6+
Ships Sunk
Medal of Honor
Presidential Unit Citation
LCDR George Street III earned the Medal of Honor for a daring night surface attack into Quelpart Island harbor - sinking transport Juzan Maru and both escort frigates before escaping through mined waters. XO Edward Beach later wrote Run Silent, Run Deep. Led 'Street's Sweepers' wolfpack on second patrol. Scrapped 1974.
SS-421 USS Trutta
PACIFIC - JAPAN HOME WATERS
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
1
War Patrols
0
Ships Confirmed
To Turkey 1972
TCG Cerbe (S-340)
Completed one war patrol off the Japanese coast. Postwar GUPPY IIA conversion. Served in Atlantic Fleet through the Cold War before transfer to Turkey in 1972 as TCG Cerbe.
SS-422 USS Toro
PACIFIC - JAPAN HOME WATERS
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
1
War Patrols
0
Ships Confirmed
Decom. Mar 1963
Scrapped 1965
Completed one war patrol. One of the few Tench-class boats that did not receive a GUPPY or Fleet Snorkel modernization. Decommissioned in 1963 and scrapped - among the first of the class retired.
SS-423 USS Torsk
Last Torpedo Kill of WWII
PACIFIC - SEA OF JAPAN
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
2
War Patrols
3
Ships Sunk
Museum Ship
Baltimore, MD
The 'Galloping Ghost of the Japanese Coast' fired the last torpedo and sank the last enemy warship of World War II - Kaibokan No. 13 on August 14, 1945, using the new experimental Mark 28 acoustic homing torpedo. Set the all-time record of 11,884 career dives. Museum ship at Historic Ships in Baltimore since 1972.
SS-424 USS Quillback
PACIFIC - KYUSHU
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
1
War Patrols
0
Ships Confirmed
GUPPY IIA
Scrapped 1974
Conducted one war patrol off Kyushu. Destroyed a Japanese suicide motorboat and rescued a downed aviator just half a mile from heavily armed shore. GUPPY IIA conversion extended Cold War service. Scrapped 1974.
SS-475 USS Argonaut
Became HMCS Rainbow
PACIFIC - JAPAN HOME WATERS
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
2
War Patrols
0
Ships Confirmed
To Canada 1968
HMCS Rainbow
Second U.S. Navy boat named Argonaut. Completed two war patrols off the Japanese coast. Fleet Snorkel conversion postwar. Sold to Canada in 1968 as HMCS Rainbow - the last operational submarine in the Royal Canadian Navy before nuclear boats arrived. Scrapped 1977.
SS-476 USS Runner
PACIFIC - JAPAN HOME WATERS
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
1
War Patrols
0
Ships Confirmed
Fleet Snorkel
Scrapped 1973
Second Navy boat named Runner (the first was lost in 1943). Completed one war patrol. Fleet Snorkel conversion postwar. Served as Naval Reserve trainer in Chicago before being scrapped in 1973.
SS-478 USS Cutlass
Last Active Tench - Taiwan's Hai Shih
DEPLOYED - ARRIVED POST-CEASE-FIRE
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
Combat Patrols
0
Ships Sunk
Still Active
ROCS Hai Shih (Taiwan)
Entered Japanese waters on her first war patrol immediately after the August 13, 1945 cease-fire. GUPPY II conversion postwar. Transferred to Taiwan in 1973 as ROCS Hai Shih - the last Tench-class submarine in active service with any navy, still operational for coastal defense after 80+ years afloat.
SS-479 USS Diablo
Lost as PNS Ghazi - 1971
DEPLOYED - ARRIVED POST-CEASE-FIRE
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
Combat Patrols
0
Ships Sunk
Lost Dec 4, 1971
PNS Ghazi (Pakistan)
Entered Japanese waters after the cease-fire. Fleet Snorkel conversion postwar. Transferred to Pakistan in 1964 as PNS Ghazi. Lost on December 4, 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War - the only Tench-class submarine ever lost and the first submarine combat casualty in South Asian waters. All 92 hands lost.
COLD WAR FLEET
17 BOATS · 1945–1951
Commissioned too late for war patrols or completed postwar, these boats became the backbone of America's Cold War submarine force. Most received GUPPY modernizations and served into the 1970s. Fourteen were transferred to allied navies worldwide.
SS-435 USS Corsair
Corsair Subclass Lead
ATLANTIC FLEET
Electric Boat, Groton CT
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
Postwar Comm.
Decom. Feb 1963
Scrapped 1963
The only Tench-class boat built by Electric Boat. Lead ship of the improved 'Corsair' subclass (SS-435 onward) with GM diesels and further engineering refinements. Commissioned November 1946 - too late for the war. Scrapped 1963.
SS-477 USS Conger
ATLANTIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
In Training at War's End
Decom. Jul 1963
Scrapped 1964
Commissioned February 1945 but in shakedown training when the war ended. Served postwar without GUPPY modernization. Decommissioned 1963 and scrapped - one of the earliest Tench-class retirements.
SS-480 USS Medregal
ATLANTIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
Fleet Snorkel
Decom. Aug 1970
Scrapped 1972
Commissioned April 1945 but in training at war's end. Fleet Snorkel conversion extended Cold War service. Operated in the Atlantic and Mediterranean through the 1960s. Scrapped 1972.
SS-481 USS Requin
Museum Ship - Pittsburgh
ATLANTIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
Fleet Snorkel / SSR
Museum Ship
Pittsburgh, PA
Commissioned April 1945, too late for combat. Converted to radar picket submarine (SSR-481), then Fleet Snorkel. Served as Naval Reserve trainer in Tampa before becoming a museum ship - first in Tampa (1972), then relocated to Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh (1990). One of only two Tench-class boats preserved in the U.S.
SS-482 USS Irex
ATLANTIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
Fleet Snorkel
Decom. Nov 1969
Scrapped 1971
Commissioned May 1945, in training when the war ended. Fleet Snorkel conversion. Operated extensively in the Atlantic and Mediterranean during the Cold War. Scrapped 1971.
SS-483 USS Sea Leopard
ATLANTIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY IIA
To Brazil 1973
BNS Bahia (S-12)
Commissioned June 1945 but never made a war patrol. GUPPY IIA conversion. Extensive Cold War Atlantic service including cold-water training exercises. Transferred to Brazil in 1973 as BNS Bahia. Scrapped 1998.
SS-484 USS Odax
ATLANTIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY II
To Brazil 1972
BNS Rio de Janeiro
Commissioned July 1945. First submarine to receive the GUPPY II conversion - the prototype boat for the entire GUPPY program. Transferred to Brazil in 1972 as BNS Rio de Janeiro. Scrapped 1981.
SS-485 USS Sirago
ATLANTIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY II
Decom. Jun 1972
Scrapped 1973
Commissioned August 13, 1945 - the very day hostilities ceased. Technically the last Tench commissioned during the war but never made a combat patrol. GUPPY II conversion. Atlantic Fleet service through the Cold War. Scrapped 1973.
SS-486 USS Pomodon
GUPPY I Prototype
ATLANTIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY I Prototype
Decom. Aug 1970
Scrapped 1972
Commissioned September 1945. Selected as the prototype for the GUPPY I conversion program in 1947 - the first American submarine modernized using captured German Type XXI U-boat technology. Later upgraded to GUPPY II. Scrapped 1972.
SS-487 USS Remora
ATLANTIC FLEET / PACIFIC
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY III
To Greece 1973
HS Katsonis (S-115)
Commissioned January 1946. Received the advanced GUPPY III conversion with hull extension for expanded electronics and living spaces. Conducted surveillance patrols during the Korean War. Transferred to Greece in 1973 as HS Katsonis. Scrapped 1999.
SS-488 USS Sarda
ATLANTIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
No GUPPY Conversion
Decom. Jun 1964
Scrapped 1971
Commissioned April 1946. Served postwar without receiving a GUPPY or Fleet Snorkel conversion. Atlantic Fleet operations. Decommissioned 1964 and scrapped 1971.
SS-489 USS Spinax
PACIFIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
Fleet Snorkel
Decom. Oct 1969
Scrapped 1972
Commissioned September 1946. Fleet Snorkel conversion. Pacific Fleet operations through the Cold War. Scrapped 1972.
SS-490 USS Volador
PACIFIC FLEET
Portsmouth Navy Yard, ME
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY III
To Italy 1972
ITS G. Gazzana Priaroggia
Construction suspended 1946, completed 1948 with GUPPY II enhancements built-in. Conducted Cold War reconnaissance patrols off Hokkaido and in the Bering Strait. Later upgraded to GUPPY III. Transferred to Italy in 1972.
SS-522 USS Amberjack
ATLANTIC FLEET
Boston Navy Yard, MA
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY II
To Brazil 1973
BNS Ceará (S-14)
Second Navy boat named Amberjack (the first was lost in 1943). Commissioned March 1946. GUPPY II conversion. Atlantic Fleet service. Transferred to Brazil in 1973 as BNS Ceará.
SS-523 USS Grampus
ATLANTIC FLEET
Boston Navy Yard, MA
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY IIA
To Brazil 1972
BNS Goiás (S-15)
Second Navy boat named Grampus. Construction suspended postwar, commissioned October 1949. Recalled to active duty during the Korean War. GUPPY IIA conversion. Transferred to Brazil in 1972 as BNS Goiás. Scrapped 1981.
SS-524 USS Pickerel
Trans-Pacific Submerged Record
PACIFIC FLEET
Boston Navy Yard, MA
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY III
To Italy 1972
ITS Primo Longobardo
Second Navy boat named Pickerel. Commissioned April 1949. Set the record for the longest submerged trans-Pacific crossing - traveling from Hong Kong to Pearl Harbor entirely underwater in 1950. GUPPY III conversion with hull extension. Transferred to Italy in 1972 as ITS Primo Longobardo. Scrapped 1981.
SS-525 USS Grenadier
Last Tench Commissioned
ATLANTIC FLEET
Boston Navy Yard, MA
TENCH CLASS
0
War Patrols
-
GUPPY IIA
To Venezuela 1973
ARV Picúa (S-22)
Second Navy boat named Grenadier and the last Tench-class submarine commissioned - February 10, 1951, nearly seven years after the lead ship. GUPPY IIA conversion. Transferred to Venezuela in 1973 as ARV Picúa. Scrapped 1981.
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