USS Thresher (SS-200)

History
Thresher as she appeared prewar, with hull number prominently displayed. Note also her conning tower has the large slab silhouette which would be rapidly reduced with wartime experience,
United States
Builder	Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut
Laid down	27 April 1939
Launched	27 March 1940
Commissioned	27 August 1940
Decommissioned	13 December 1945
Honors & awards	15 × battle stars Navy Unit Commendation
Recommissioned	6 February 1946
Decommissioned	12 July 1946
Stricken	23 December 1947
Fate	Sold for scrap, 18 March 1948
General characteristics
Class & type	Tambor class diesel-electric submarine
Displacement	1,475 long tons (1,499 t) standard, surfaced 2,370 long tons (2,410 t) submerged
Length	307 ft 2 in (93.62 m)
Beam	27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
Draft	14 ft 7+1⁄2 in (4.458 m)
Propulsion	4 × General Motors Model 16-248 V16 Diesel engines driving electric generators 2 × 126-cell Sargo batteries 4 × high-speed General Electric electric motors with reduction gears two propellers 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced 2,740 shp (2.0 MW) submerged
Speed	20.4 knots (38 km/h) surfaced 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged
Range	11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)
Endurance	48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged
Test depth	250 ft (76 m)
Complement	6 officers, 54 enlisted
Armament	10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 6 forward, 4 aft 24 torpedoes 1 × 3-inch (76 mm) / 50 caliber deck gun Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
Notes	6th patrol and later: 3 inch gun replaced with 5"/51 caliber gun

USS Thresher (SS-200) was the most decorated United States Navy submarine of World War II, with 15 battle stars and a Navy Unit Commendation. Thresher was the third of twelve Tambor-class submarines that were commissioned. All twelve fought in the war, and she was one of five to survive it.