USS Cochino (SS-345)

USS Cochino leaving Portsmouth, England, for the Barents Sea, c. July 1949.
History
United States
Name:	USS Cochino
Builder:	Electric Boat Company, Groton, Connecticut
Laid down:	13 April 1944
Launched:	20 April 1945
Commissioned:	25 August 1945
Fate:	Sunk by battery explosion and fire off Norway, 26 August 1949
General characteristics (As completed)
Class and type:	Balao-class diesel-electric submarine
Displacement:	1,526 long tons (1,550 t) surfaced 2,424 long tons (2,463 t) submerged
Length:	311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)
Beam:	27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
Draft:	16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum
Propulsion:	4 × General Motors Model 16-278A V16 diesel engines driving electrical 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:	20.25 kn (23.30 mph; 37.50 km/h) surfaced 8.75 knots (16.21 km/h) submerged
Range:	11,000 nmi (13,000 mi; 20,000 km) surfaced at 10 kn (12 mph; 19 km/h)
Endurance:	48 hours at 2 kn (2.3 mph; 3.7 km/h) submerged 75 days on patrol
Test depth:	400 ft (120 m)
Complement:	10 officers, 70–71 enlisted
Armament:	10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 6 forward, 4 aft 24 torpedoes 1 × 4-inch (102 mm) / 50 caliber deck gun Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon
General characteristics (Guppy II)
Class and type:	none
Displacement:	1,870 long tons (1,900 t) surfaced 2,440 long tons (2,480 t) submerged
Length:	307 ft (94 m)
Beam:	27 ft 4 in (8.33 m)
Draft:	17 ft (5.2 m)
Propulsion:	Batteries upgraded to GUPPY type, capacity expanded to 504 cells (1 × 184 cell, 1 × 68 cell, and 2 × 126 cell batteries) 4 × high-speed electric motors replaced with 2 × low-speed direct drive electric motors
Speed:	Surfaced: 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h) maximum 13.5 kn (15.5 mph; 25.0 km/h) cruising Submerged: 16 kn (18 mph; 30 km/h) for ½ hour 9 kn (10 mph; 17 km/h) snorkeling 3.5 kn (4.0 mph; 6.5 km/h) cruising
Range:	15,000 nmi (17,000 mi; 28,000 km) surfaced at 11 kn (13 mph; 20 km/h)
Endurance:	48 hours at 4 kn (4.6 mph; 7.4 km/h) submerged
Complement:	9–10 officers 5 petty officers 70 enlisted men
Sensors and processing systems:	WFA active sonar JT passive sonar Mk 106 torpedo fire control system
Armament:	10 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes (six forward, four aft) all guns removed
Notes:	Snorkel added

USS Cochino (SS-345), a Balao-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the cochino, a triggerfish found in the Atlantic. Her keel was laid down by Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 20 April 1945 sponsored by Mrs. M.E. Serat, and commissioned on 25 August 1945 with Commander W.A. Stevenson in command.

Cochino joined the U.S Atlantic Fleet, cruising East Coast and Caribbean Sea waters from her home port of Key West, Florida. On 18 July 1949, she put to sea for a cruise to Britain, and arctic operations. Her group ran through a violent polar gale off Norway, and the joltings received by Cochino played their part on 25 August in causing an electrical fire and battery explosion, followed by the generation of both hydrogen and chlorine gases.

Defying the most unfavorable possible weather conditions, Commander (later Rear Admiral) Rafael Celestino Benítez (1917–1999), commanding officer of Cochino, and his men fought for 14 hours to save the submarine, displaying seamanship and courage. But a second battery explosion on 26 August made "Abandon Ship" the only possible order, and Cochino sank. Tusk's crew rescued all of Cochino's men except for Robert Wellington Philo, a civilian engineer. Six sailors from Tusk were lost during the rescue.