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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patch contributed by Mike Smolinski

Silversides (SS-236) (AGSS-236)

Radio Call Sign: November - Alpha - Holel - Zulu
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Construction - WW II Service

Gato Class Submarine: Laid down, 4 November 1940, at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA.; Launched, 26 August 1941; Commissioned USS Silversides (SS-236), 15 December 1941; Decommissioned, 17 April 1946; Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; Placed in service, 15 October 1947 as a Naval Reserve training ship at Chicago, IL; Redesignated Auxiliary Submarine (AGSS-236), 6 November 1962; Placed out of service and struck from the Naval Register 30 June 1969; Final Disposition, donated to South Chicago Chamber of Commerce for preservation as a memorial at Muskegon, MI., opened 24 May 1973. Silversides received twelve battle stars for World War II service.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,526 t., Submerged: 2,410 t.; Length 311' 10"; Beam 27' 4"; Draft 15' 3"; Speed, Surfaced 20.25 kts, Submerged 8.75 kts; Complement 6 Officers 54 Enlisted; Maximum Operating Depth, 300 ft; Submerged Endurance, 48 hrs at 2 kts; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Cruising Range, 11,000 miles surfaced at 10 kts; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 3"/50 dual purpose deck gun, two .50 cal. machine guns, two .30 cal. machine guns; Propulsion, diesel- electric, four Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines, HP 5400 , fuel capacity 116,000 gal., four General Electric Co. electric motors, HP 2740, two 126 cell main storage batteries, twin screws.
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Silversides 40k Postcard photo of the Silversides (SS-236) during her Naval Reserve duty behind Chicago's Naval Armory during the 1950s.
Contributed by Joe Radigan. Text i.d.courtesy of Fred Tannenbaum.
Silversides 772k Silversides (SS-236) served as a training ship for naval reservists at Chicago, Ill. in 1964. Photo courtesy of Chuck Thompson.
Photo added 09/09/11.
Silversides 689k Silversides (SS-236) and her logo in 1964. Photo courtesy of Chuck Thompson.
Photo added 09/09/11.
Silversides 858k Chicago camouflage near the stern of Silversides (SS-236) in 1964. Photo courtesy of Chuck Thompson.
Photo added 09/09/11.
Silversides 851k No passing of submarines on a one way street; Silversides (SS-236) at Chicago, Ill. in 1964. Photo courtesy of Chuck Thompson.
Photo added 09/09/11.
Silversides 94k Silversides (SS-236) is getting a coat of paint from volunteers in the mid-1970s.
US Navy photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org. Text i.d. courtesy of Fred Tannenbaum.
Silversides 112k Silversides (SS-236) on the south side of Chicago's Navy Pier on 29 May 1980. She remained at this berth until 7 August 1987.
Photo courtesy of Fred Tannenbaum.
Silversides 95k Silversides (SS-236) at dawn in June 1980 at Chicago's Navy Pier. Photo courtesy of Fred Tannenbaum.
Silversides 104k Silversides (SS-236) conning tower fairwater as it appeared 29 May 1981. Note the 40-millimeter antiaircraft gun on the after "cigarette deck" and the ammunition ready lockers mounted on the structure in 1945. Photo courtesy of Fred Tannenbaum.
Silversides 104k Silversides (SS-236) viewed on her starboard quarter, 29 May 1981. Photo courtesy of Fred Tannenbaum.
Silversides 140k Silversides (SS-236) on 31 August 1984. She wears a modified Measure 32/3SSB World War II submarine camouflage scheme. Photo courtesy of Fred Tannenbaum.
Silversides 179k Silversides (SS-236) veterans gather on board the boat on 1 September 1984. Her second commanding officer, John S. Coye Jr. stands at center. Former pharmacists mate Thomas Moore, the "surgeon" of the famous appendectomy, isstanding third from left. Former executive officer Robert K.R. Worthington is standing fifth from left. Former lieutenant Keith Nichols is standing fourth from the right while former lieutenant Eugene Malone is standing second from right. Photo from the collection of RADM John S. Coye Jr. USN (Ret.).Photo courtesy of Fred Tannenbaum.
Silversides 72k Silversides (SS-236), a national landmark and a museum, is seen at "full dress ship" in Muskegon, MI. for the US Navy's Submarine Centennial, 3 June 2000. Photo by Lt. Scott McIlnay.
US Navy photo # N-8321M-002, US Navy Chinfo Photo Gallery web site.
Silversides 43k Conning tower tally of all the Silversides (SS-236) sinkings during WW II.
 Contributed by Fred Tannenbaum.
View the Silverside (236)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
National Historic Landmark - USS Silversides (SS-236)
Historic Ships Visitiors Guide - USS Silversides (SS-236)
Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum
Ep-21 (1) - Victory At Sea ~ Full Fathom Five - HQ
HISTORIC SUBMARINE DOCUMENTARY AND TRAINING FILMS
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