USS Sea Dog

History
United States
BuilderPortsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
Laid down1 November 1943
Launched28 March 1944
Commissioned3 June 1944
Decommissioned27 June 1956
Stricken2 December 1968
FateSold for scrap, 18 May 1973
General characteristics
Class & typeBalao-class diesel-electric submarine
Displacement
  • 1,526 long tons (1,550 t) surfaced
  • 2,391 long tons (2,429 t) submerged
Length311 ft 6 in (94.95 m)
Beam27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
Draft16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum
Propulsion
Speed
  • 20.25 knots (37.50 km/h) surfaced
  • 8.75 knots (16.21 km/h) submerged
Range11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance
  • 48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged
  • 75 days on patrol
Test depth400 feet (120 m)
Complement10 officers, 70–71 enlisted
Armament

USS Sea Dog (SS-401/AGSS-401) was a Balao-class submarine in the United States Navy. She was the first ship to be named for the dogfish, a small shark of the North Atlantic, considered destructive by fishermen.

Sea Dog was laid down on 1 November 1943 at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 28 March 1944 sponsored by Mrs. Claire Dowden Lowrance, wife of the prospective commanding officer, and commissioned on 3 June 1944 with Commander Vernon L. Lowrance in command.

Following a month's training off the New England coast, Sea Dog sailed for Pearl Harbor to join Submarine Squadron (SubRon) 28 and prepare for her first war patrol. Arriving in Hawaii on 22 August, she sailed west on 13 September, topped off at Midway Island on 17 September; and entered her patrol area in the Nansei Shoto on 28 September.