USS Gudgeon (SS-211)

Gudgeon anchored off Mare Island California
History
United States
BuilderMare Island Naval Shipyard
Laid down22 November 1939
Launched25 January 1941
Commissioned21 April 1941
FateLost off the Maug Islands, 18 April 1944
General characteristics
Class & typeTambor class diesel-electric submarine
Displacement
  • 1,475 long tons (1,499 t) standard, surfaced
  • 2,370 long tons (2,410 t) submerged
Length307 ft 2 in (93.62 m)
Beam27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
Draft14 ft 7+12 in (4.458 m)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 20.4 knots (38 km/h) surfaced
  • 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged
Range11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged
Test depth250 ft (76 m)
Complement6 officers, 54 enlisted
Armament

USS Gudgeon (SS-211) was the first American submarine to sink an enemy warship in World War II (Pacific, 27 January 1942). She was the last of the long-range Tambor-class vessels commissioned for the United States Navy in the years before the country entered World War II. Gudgeon scored 14 confirmed kills, placing her 15th on the honor roll of American submarines. She was declared overdue, presumed lost with all hands, on 7 June 1944. Of the twelve Tambor-class submarines, only five survived the war.