USS Atule (SS-403)
June 21, 1944 - Sept. 8, 1947 March 8, 1951 - April 6, 1970
Appeared in 1526 ts Immersed 2424 ts
95.0 meters
8.3 meters
4.6 meters
6 officers, 60 NCOs and men
4x 1350 hp diesel engines 4x electric motors (total 2740 hp)
Surfaced 20.25 knots Dipped 8.75 knots
11,000 nautical miles at 10 knots
10x 21-inch torpedo tubes
The USS Atule (SS -403 ) was a submarine of the Balao - class of the United States Navy. She was the only boat that was after the fish Atule mate, a Stachelmakrelenart, named and served from 1944 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1970 in the U.S. Navy, then from 1974 as BAP Pacocha (SS -48 ) in the Navy of Peru.
History
First time use
The USS Atule was laid on November 25, 1943 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine on Kiel. After five months of construction, she was launched on March 6, 1944 from the pile, was commissioned into the U.S. Navy took place on June 21.
After a month, left the Naval Submarine Base New Atule the London and crossed the Panama Canal to the Pacific, where she went along with her sister ship USS Jallao towards Pearl Harbor. On October 9, she left along with the Jallao and Pintado Hawaii toward the western Pacific, where the three boats were operating as a wolf pack. The first success the group had, on 25 October, when the Jallao the Japanese light cruiser Tama, who had already been damaged in the Battle of Cape Engano sank. The Atule had lost in the following days several times a radar and sonar contact with Japanese ships but it kept going. On the night of November 1, however, the boat recorded a fast transporter, which was escorted by several escort ships. Despite poor visibility the Atule fired six torpedoes at the transporter, the Asama Maru, from the first two of which met and the ship was destroyed by a large explosion. To dodge the attacks of the escorts, dipped the submarine. In the following days the Atule took their patrols in the South China Sea on again. On November 13, an association came from an aircraft carrier, a heavy cruiser and a destroyer in sight, but not so that the submarine had to stop the persecution in range of the torpedoes. On 20 November the Atule sank off the coast of Formosa, a light minelayer, on 24 November, she torpedoed and sank a transporter him. On November 27, another cargo ship was torpedoed and sunk, officially this sinking of Atule was never credited. On November 28, she broke off their first mission trip and drove to the bunkers for Majuro Atoll, where she arrived on 11 December.
On 6 January 1945 the Atule ran from her second war patrol, however, until January 24, they sighted no targets in its area of operations in the Yellow Sea. On January 24, she was able to sink the freighter 1 Taiman Maru Number with 6888 GT. The rest of the time their second mission trip spent the boat with the destruction of Japanese floating mines, on February 22, she left her field of application in the direction of Saipan, from where they departed for Midway six days later.
The third application was ride on 2 April to 30 of May, during the entire trip was operating the Atule mostly as a rescue ship for downed pilots, or destroying floating mines. The fourth use navigation began on July 3, she led the boat in front of the Japanese main island of Honshu, where it was torpedoed and sunk on 12 August a Japanese coastal defense boat. After the Japanese surrender on 15 August, the submarine returned via Midway to Hawaii, where it arrived on August 25. Five days later, the Atule ran toward U.S. East Coast. On October 27, 1945, she took part in the celebrations of the Navy Day, then she went for a three-month overhaul at the Portsmouth Naval Yard in the dock. In July 1946, she participated in Operation Nanook in part, were built north of the Arctic Circle at the weather stations, among other things, the forerunner of the Thule Air Base in Greenland. On February 27, 1947 in Philadelphia started with the preparations for the phasing out of the boat, on 8 September 1947, the Atule was deactivated and assigned to the reserve fleet.
Second time use
After three years in the reserve fleet, the submarine was towed to Kittery, where it was equipped as part of the Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program with a snorkel and streamlined bodies to improve the speed under water. On March 8, 1951, the Atule was officially put back into service. In the following months the boat was operating mostly in the Caribbean and Atlantic, in February 1952, it participated in the NATO - scale exercise " Grand Slam" part in the Mediterranean. In September 1952, the submarine came during the exercise " LANTSUBEX I" in the remnants of hurricane Charlie and had to fight their way through heavy seas and strong winds. Between November 1952 and April 1953, the boat was overtaken again in Kittery, in October 1953, the Atule on the " LANTSUBEX II" exercise part, where there was a fire on board and the U- boat was not driven in heavy seas. The damage is repaired at another dock period between November 1953 and January 1954. In the following years the boat operated mostly off the east coast, 1955 and 1957 was followed by other shipyard stays in Philadelphia. 1958 Atule of New London was moved to Key West. In the following years, the boat took part in many exercises in the Caribbean, the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean in part, from October 1963 to April 1964 was followed by a more extensive Dockaufenthalt in Norfolk.
In 1967 the submarine Prospective Commanding Officer School and Fleet Training in Guanatanamo was assigned and served until its inclusion in the reserve fleet on 15 September 1969 as a training ship. On 1 October the Atule for auxiliary submarine ( AGSS -403 ) was reclassified, on April 6, 1970, he was taken out of service. Removal from the register of ships was made on 15 August 1973.
Sale to Peru
On 31 July 1974, the Atule was sold to the Navy of Peru, where the submarine was commissioned on 28 May under the name BAP Pacocha (SS -48 ) to commemorate the Battle of Pacocha of 1877.
The Downfall
The submarine was rammed on the evening of August 26, 1988 at 18:50 clock by the Japanese ship at Callao Kiowa Maru and sank. Of the 49 sailors on board the submarine drowned four, including the commander, Captain Daniel Nieva Rodríguez. 23 men were able to leave the boat. They were rescued after four hours, but there were three of them died of hypothermia.
The submarine sank within 5 minutes on the ground at a depth of about 42.5 m. The remaining crew aboard managed with great effort to close the Scots and to take refuge in the forward torpedo room. Was used in the following 20 hours, lithium hydroxide, in order to bind the carbon dioxide. On August 27, met a diver to assist the crew when leaving. Because of rapid medical treatment died of 22 sailors recovered only one on the DCI.
The salvage of the boat began on 30 August 1988. On July 23, 1989, was lifted. It was disassembled and parts thereof used for other submarines.