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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Patch contributed by Mike Smolinski

Porpoise (SS-172)

Radio Call Sign: November - Echo - Quebec - Mike

Porpoise Class Submarine: Laid down, 27 October 1933, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME.; Launched, 20 June 1935; Commissioned USS Porpoise (SS-172), 15 August 1935; Decommissioned, 15 November 1945; Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; Placed in service as a Naval Reserve Training Ship at Houston, TX, 8 May 1947; Placed out of service and simultaneously struck from the Naval Register, 13 August 1956; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 14 May 1957, to Southern Scrap Material Co., Ltd., New Orleans, LA. Porpoise earned 5 battle stars for World War II service.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,310 t., Submerged: 1,934 t.; Length 301' ; Beam 24' 11"; Draft 13' 1"; Speed, Surfaced 19 kts, Submerged 8 kts; Maximum Operating Depth 250'; Complement 5 Officers, 45 Enlisted; Armament, six 21" torpedo tubes, four forward, two aft, 18 torpedoes, one 3"/50 deck gun, two .50 cal. machine guns, two .30 cal. machine guns; Propulsion, diesel-electric drive, Winton Engine Co., diesel engines, 4300hp, Fuel Capacity, 93,129 gal., Elliot Motor Company electric motors, 2,085 hp, Battery Cells, 240, twin propellers.

Size	Image Description	Source
59k	Postal cover - Shakedown Cruise, Sponsored by ANCS members on board 315 316 & 317, post marked - Porpoise (SS-172), April 24, 1934.	Courtesy of Daniel W. Gless.
19k	Commemorative postal cover marking the launching ceremony of the Porpoise's (SS-172), 20 June 1935.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
101k	Porpoise (SS-172) commissioning ceremony, at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, 15 August 1935. At the head of the gangway, Captain A.W. Brown is reading commissioning orders to the new submarine's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Stuart S. Murray, and the rest of her officers and crew. A Chief Petty Officer is by the flagstaff, ready to hoist the National Ensign.	USNHC # NH 42645, courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center.
98k	Colors are raised as the Porpoise (SS-172) goes into commission, during ceremonies held at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, 15 August 1935. Officers saluting at the head of the gangway are Captain A.W. Brown and *Porpoise's* Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Stuart S. Murray.	USNHC # NH 42646, courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center.
78k	Commemorative postal cover marking Porpoise's (SS-172) first day in service, joining the Navy 22 October 1935.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
78k	Commemorative postal cover marking: Bass (SS-164); Dolphin (SS-169); Porpoise (SS-172); Argonaut (SS-169); Nautilus (SS-168); Cuttlefish (SS-171) Barracuda (SS-163); Narwahl (SS-167) Bonita (SS-165); & Cachalot (SS-170) on Navy Day, October 27, 1935.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
156k	Porpoise (SS-172) was the first of a new generation of submarines that developed into the successful WW II fleet boats. Her design shows much of the standard above water configuration for U.S. submarines completed through 1942. Many features of her internal arrangement were adopted in Dolphin (SS-169): Officer's quarters above the forward battery, control room below the conning tower & above the pump room, crew's quarters above the the after battery, the engine room & a maneuvering room above the motor room. *Dolphin* differed in haqving a large gallery above an auxillary (battery-charging) machinery room abaft the crew's mess / after battery forward of the main engine room. In *Porpoise*, a small galley & washroom with storeroom below, was worked in at the after end of the control room.	Drawing by Jim Christley. Text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
18k	Commemorative postal cover and photo inset marking the Porpoise's (SS-172) shakedown cruise, 3 March 1936.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
62k	Port bow view of the Porpoise (SS-172), underway, 1936.	Photo # 43-1319a, courtesy of U.S. National Archives.
60k	Porpoise (SS-172) near New London, Connecticut, in about 1936.	USNHC # 49968, courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center.
171k	Bow view of the S-34 (SS-139) tied up to wharf, taken in the mid to late 30's, probably in Pearl Harbor. The sub is getting a new battery. The new cells are loaded on the railcars to the right. The photo was dated by looking at the sub moored behind it. It is a fleet boat, and probably a *Pike/Permit* class. It is painted black, so that puts it in the later 1930's. Also, the *S-34's* skeg has been cut away as part of a safety and maintenance mod, and that was done in April, 1932. The *S-34* was stationed almost exclusively in the P.I. and Pearl until 1941. The mountainous background looks a lot like Pearl (although it may be Subic or Cavite).	US Navy photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org. Photo i.d. courtesy of David Johnston (USNR), Darryl Baker & John Hummel. Text i.d. courtesy of David Johnston (USNR) & Darryl Baker. Photo added 03/17/07.
17k	Commemorative postal cover marking Fleet Maneuvers of the following subs off Midway, 5 April 1937: Argonaut (SS-166), Nautilus (SS-168), Dolphin (SS-169), Porpoise (SS-172), Pike (SS-173), & Shark (SS-174) .	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
23k	Commemorative postal cover marking the second anniversary of the commissioning of the Porpoise (SS-172), 15 August 1937.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
21k	Commemorative postal cover marking Thanksgiving aboard the Porpoise(SS-172), 24 November 1938.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
123k	Holland (AS-3) in Alaskan waters with submarines Pollack (SS-180) and Porpoise (SS-172) alongside, circa the later 1930s.	NH # 68480, courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center.
119k	Holland (AS-3) with seven submarines alongside, circa 1936-1939. These "boats" are, from left to right: Nautilus (SS-168); Narwhal (SS-167); Shark (SS-174), marked *"P3"; Dolphin* (SS-169), marked *"D1"; Porpoise* (SS-172), marked *"P1"; Pike* (SS-173), marked *"P2"; and Tarpon* (SS-175), marked *"P4"*.	NH # 3036, courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center.
82k	Holland (AS-3) with seven submarines alongside, circa 1936-1939. These "boats" are, from left to right: Nautilus (SS-168); Narwhal (SS-167); Shark (SS-174), marked *"P3"; Dolphin* (SS-169), marked *"D1"; Porpoise* (SS-172), marked *"P1"; Pike* (SS-173), marked *"P2"; and Tarpon* (SS-175), marked *"P4"*.	NH # 3037, courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center.
90k	Holland (AS-3) with seven submarines alongside, circa 1936-1939. These "boats" are, from left to right: Nautilus (SS-168); Narwhal (SS-167); Shark (SS-174), marked *"P3"; Dolphin* (SS-169), marked *"D1"; Porpoise* (SS-172), marked *"P1"; Pike* (SS-173), marked *"P2"; and Tarpon* (SS-175), marked *"P4"*.	NH # 3038, courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center.
96k	Holland (AS-3) with seven submarines alongside, circa 1936-1939. These "boats" are, from left to right: Nautilus (SS-168); Narwhal (SS-167); Shark (SS-174), marked *"P3"; Dolphin* (SS-169), marked *"D1"; Porpoise* (SS-172), marked *"P1"; Pike* (SS-173), marked *"P2"; and Tarpon* (SS-175), marked *"P4"*.	NH # 3039, courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center.
97k	Six U.S. Navy submarines nested together, circa 1939-1941. Probably seen from Canopus (AS-9) in Manila Bay, Philippines. The inboard submarine is not identified. The others are (from left to right): Pike (SS-173); Tarpon (SS-175); Porpoise (SS-172); Perch (SS-176); and Permit (SS-178).	Collection of Jack L. Wheat, who served in Canopus. US Navy photo # NH 99672, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
166k	Porpoise (SS-172) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 13 October 1942. Note the barrage balloons in the distance.	USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.org.
45k	Porpoise (SS-172) was still in much of her prewar form when this photo was taken on 13 October 1942. *Porpoise* shows the flat stern introduced in the big V-boats (SS-163-71). By this time, two external tubes had been added forward, and a fixed loop antenna is visible atop the bridge fairwater. Little changed since the boat was completed except for a 20-mm gun platform.	Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
95k	Details of early war modifications to Porpoise (SS-172) are shown here. The new mast carries an SD-air warning radar. Circled just abaft it are a radio-receiving loop antenna and, above it, an SJ surface-search radar antenna. Abaft both are the boat's two periscopes:the tall one with its syspeice in the conning tower, the short one with an eyepeice in the control room. Further aft is a 20-mm mount, the gun for which has not been mounted. The submarine still has her prewar-type covered bridge with glassed-in eye ports.	Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
75k	Porpoise (SS-172) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 13 October 1942.	USNHC # 19-N-35997, photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.
114k	Porpoise (SS-172) at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 13 October 1942. Barge *YC-312* is alongside. White outlines mark recent alterations to *Porpoise*, among them a degaussing cable housing aft.	USNHC # 19-N-35999, photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.
79k	Porpoise (SS-172) broadside view off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, 20 July 1944.	USNHC # 19-N-69265, photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.
34k	Porpoise (SS-172) broadside view off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, 20 July 1944.	USNHC # 19-N-69267, photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.
53k	Porpoise (SS-172), off Philadlephia Navy Yard, surface view, "Bow." 20 July 1944.	US Navy photo # 1464-44, courtesy of NARA.