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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

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Dorado (SS-248)

Gato Class Submarine: Laid down, 27 August 1942, at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT.; Launched, 23 May 1943; Commissioned USS Dorado (SS-248), 28 August 1943; Final Dispostion, lost at sea while in transit from New London, CT. to the Panama Canal; Struck from the Naval Register, (date unknown).

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,526 t., Submerged: 2,424 t.; Length 311' 9"; Beam 27' 3"; Draft 15' 3"; Speed, Surfaced 20.25 kts, Submerged 8.75 kts; Complement 6 Officers 54 Enlisted; 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 deck gun, two .50 cal. machine guns, two .30 cal. machine guns; Propulsion, diesel electric reduction gear with four General Motors main generator engines, 5,400HP, Fuel Capacity, 97,140 gal., four General Electric main motors, 2,740HP, two 126-cell main storage batteries, twin screws.

Dorado
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USCS Log

Size	Image Description	Source
346k	The keel of the Dorado (SS-248) being laid, 27 August 1942, at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT. This part of the keel is the steel beam between the outer hull and the pressure hull. It also likely separated a tank, for example it could separate the port and starboard portion of a main ballast tank or variable ballast tank. It appears the man is operating a pneumatic rivet gun. I would says he is driving the symbolic first rivet for the keel laying. Interesting that this is being done prior to the keel being landed on the keel blocks. Then there is the welding ground clamp below the man's right hand and a welder with hood standing by. It could be that the first rivet was driven followed by the first weld.	Text courtesy of Darryl Baker. Electric Boat photo in the NARA (National Archives & Records Administration) files, courtesy of Patrick Donnelly, Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
200k	First day cover for keel laying of the Dorado (SS-248). Her keel was laid in the Victory Yard of the Electric Boat Company on 27 Aug 1942.	Courtesy of Darryl L. Baker
42k	This photo might be the Dorado (SS-248) being constructed at the Victory Yard of the Electric Boat Company.	USN photo courtesy of Theodore Roscoe, from his book "U.S. Submarine Operations of WW II", published by USNI.
77k	Dorado (SS-248), launching at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT., 23 May 1943.	Electric Boat Co. photo. USNHC # 79755.
108k	Dorado (SS-248), closeup view of her midships area, taken while she was fitting out at the Electric Boat Company shipyard, Groton, Connecticut, in August 1943. Note women workers in the foreground, and the ship's bell at left. Photographed by Lieutenant Commander Charles Fenno Jacobs, USNR.	Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. USNHC # 80-G-468485
202k	Officers and crew of the Dorado (SS-248) at their commissioning party taken August 13, 1943 at Polly's Inn off West Norwich Road, Montville, CT.	Courtesy of Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
323k	Officers and crew of the Dorado (SS-248) with their wives and girl friends at their commissioning party. The photo was taken August 13, 1943 at Polly's Inn off West Norwich Road, Montville, CT. *Dorado's* (CO), LCDR Earle (Penrod) C. Schneider, former (XO) of the Trigger (SS-237), and son of a Chief Torpedoman, is the first officer in the first row, on the right hand side, sixth person in, sitting with his wife's arm around him; his (XO), LCDR George A. Wagner & his wife, are the eigth & ninth in the third row (last row sitting, next to the guy wearing glasses to his right). LCDR D. Glass, Jr., is I believe, six people to the left of LCDR Schneider.	Courtesy of Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
38k	Polly's Inn off West Norwich Road, Montville, CT, where the Dorado (SS-248) and other crews celebrated before heading off to war. The building has since burned down.	Photo courtesy of Patrick Donnelly, Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
24k	Commemorative postal cover issued on the occassion of the Dorado's (SS-248) commissioning, 28 August 1943.	Courtesy of Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
50k	Commemorative postal cover issued on the occassion of the Dorado's (SS-248) commissioning, 28 August 1943.	Courtesy of Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
166k	Bow view of the Dorado (SS-248) on sea trials off the New England coast, August 1943.	Electric Boat photo in the NARA (National Archives & Records Administration) files, courtesy of Patrick Donnelly, Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
147k	Stern view of the Dorado (SS-248) on sea trials off the New England coast, August 1943.	Electric Boat photo in the NARA (National Archives & Records Administration) files, courtesy of Patrick Donnelly, Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
50k	Georges Schreiber & Thomas Hart Benton collaborated in producing the Abbott Collection of Submarine Paintings, a project largely executed aboard the American submarine Dorado (SS-248), that was later lost in action with all hands. The following drawings are from their collection, courtesy of the U.S. Naval Historical Center. "Sleek and cigar-shaped like the submarine itself, marine torpedoes are loaded aboard the undersea warship in dock. The greatest care must be exercised in this operation-- not only because of the danger, which is comparatively slight, but because a slip might injure one of the immensely valuable "tin fish".	USNHC *"Loading Tin Fish"* Georges Schreiber #9 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-JB.
64k	Dorado (SS-248), firing on a derelict cargo ship for target practice during its shakedown cruise, summer 1943. Following its commissioning in the fall of that year, *Dorado* , sailed for the Canal Zone, but never arrived. Air searches discovered oil slicks and widely scattered debris, but no specific identification was made. A German submarine was known to be operating in the area, but the actual fate of *Dorado* is unknown.	USNHC *"Score Another for the Subs"* Thomas Hart Benton #22 Oil on board, 1943. 88-159-BN Gift of Abbott Laboratories.
65k	There is no surcease in the vigilance aboard a submarine. Vulnerable to depth charges and bombs, eternally a "lone wolf" on a mission, the Dorado (SS-248) must be ready to crash-dive at an instant's notice. The skipper and executive of "old 204" augment the regular lookouts on the conning tower between submerging.	USNHC *"Conning Tower"* Georges Schreiber #19 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-JL.
73k	Relieving the tension of hours below surface, crewmen on board Dorado (SS-248) play a round of cards while a shipmate kibitzes from his bunk. While pondering his cards, each player also listens for the call to battle stations. In the foreground, the bulbous warheads of twin torpedoes seem to peer balefully in quest of targets.	USNHC *"All Hands Below"* Georges Schreiber #2 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-IU.
39k	The lowly mule still pulls guns and supply wagons, the foot-soldier still fights hand-to-hand with the foe...and the mess cook must still peel potatoes by hand. Some U.S. Navy ships have automatic peelers, but Dorado (SS-248) doesn't, but don't mention it to this man!	USNHC *"War Isn't All Mechanized"* Thomas Hart Benton #11 Pen and ink on paper, circa 1944. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-BC.
51k	Sweater-clad U.S. Navy submarine men blend into the gloomy background of their ship, Dorado (SS-248), illuminated in eerie fashion by a light in the overhead, as they go about their duties far below the surface while on a patrol mission. An officer keeps his eyes glued to the periscope as he scans the horizon for the outline of an enemy ship.	USNHC *"Up Periscope"* Thomas Hart Benton #24 Oil on canvas, circa 1944. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-BP.
51k	A smudge of smoke on the horizon reveals the presence of an enemy ship, pray for the Dorado's (SS-248) hungry torpedoes. Only her periscope shows as the sub races below surface to get within target range of her next victim.	USNHC *"Sighting the Target"* Georges Schreiber #16 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-JI.
89k	Men and machinery jam the tiny conning tower of Dorado (SS-248), tense yet cool as they await a report from the officer, Earle (Penrod) C. Schneider, LCDR (CO) peering through the periscope. Navigators pore over their charts at the left, beside them a "talker" awaits a command, while at the right a crewman climbs up the ladder from the control room below.	USNHC *"Up Periscope"* Georges Schreiber #1 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-IT.
67k	Specialists of the Silent Service -- the submarine fleet of the U.S. Navy-- eye their gauges and instruments with calculating care as Dorado (SS-248) slides through the dark water eighty feet below the surface. Heart of the undersea vessel, the control room contains the giant wheels which operate the diving planes. Here also is the "Christmas Tree", where green or red lights, constantly gleaming and blinking, reveal whether valves and hatches are safely rigged for diving. At the right a "talker" inputs vital information to other parts of the ship, while at the left a crewman goes up the ladder to the conning tower, located just above the control room.	USNHC *"Eighty Feet Below"* Georges Schreiber #18 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-JK.
87k	The crucial moment has arrived-- the vital occasion for which the Dorado (SS-248) was built and the men were trained -- the firing of torpedoes at an enemy ship. In the confinement of the machinery-laden warship the tension is almost a physical presence as all watch the marksmen ready their deadly bolt.	USNHC *"Stand By to Fire"* Georges Schreiber #17 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-JJ.
33k	Up from the depth, like a primordial monster, the Dorado (SS-248) rises to charge her batteries, and "air out" under the protective blanket of the night. Often a submarine spends the whole day on the bottom when enemy ships or planes are about.	USNHC *"Surface"* Georges Schreiber #15 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-JH.
42k	Crewmen of Dorado (SS-248) race up ladders to get aloft through the open hatchway of the conning tower, exhilarated by their eagerness to get a breath of fresh air after hours of confinement below.	USNHC *"Up the Hatch"* Thomas Hart Benton #25 Oil on press board, circa, 1944. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-BQ.
63k	Final act in a drama at sea. The skipper of Dorado (SS-248), LCDR Earle (Penrod) C. Schneider, and one of his lookouts watch eagerly through their glasses as the victim of their torpedoes up-ends and plunges toward the bottom... one less ship for the enemy to throw against the Allies. The flame of the fire lights a pathway for the sub as she races toward the sinking ship in the hope of picking up prisoners.	USNHC *"The Kill"* Georges Schreiber #14 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-JG.
61k	Choosing to fight on the surface rather than crash-dive, Dorado (SS-248) relies on her three-inch gun rather than costlier torpedoes. While lookouts eye the skies for signs of enemy planes, the gun crew speedily prepares to open fire on the foe. High seas-- a constant peril on the narrow, slippery deck of a sub-- add their menace to the scene.	USNHC *"Clear for Action"* Georges Schreiber #20 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-JM.
76k	Completely relaxed in exhaustion, crewmen of Dorado (SS-248) do "bunk duty" above a deadly but quiescent torpedo. A shipmate whiles away his off-duty interlude by reading.	USNHC *"Slumber Deep"* Thomas Hart Benton #19 Watercolor on paper, circa 1944. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-BK.
67k	Excited gestures add emphasis to a crewman's comments on some news contained in a letter received from home. His shipmates peruse the letter while a fourth crewman does "bunk duty" on board Dorado (SS-248).	USNHC *"News from Home"* Georges Schreiber #13 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories, Inc. 88-159-JF.
43k	Eyes almost closed in concentration as he reads a periodical spread open on his leg, a crewman munches on a sandwich and sips a cup of the ubiquitous Navy "jamoke"--coffee aboard Dorado (SS-248).	USNHC *"Coffee and Chow"* Thomas Hart Benton #18 Pen and ink on paper, circa 1944. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-BJ.
50k	"Going Home", that phrase sounds sweeter to a submarine man than the men of perhaps any other branch of the Navy. Fine-drawn and weary from weeks of patrolling enemy waters, with death often just around the corner, the submarine man and his ship both need rest and "overhauling" when their mission is concluded. A dark, pencil-like shadow under lowering skies, the Dorado (SS-248) skims along on the surface while the night hides her from enemy eyes.	USNHC *"Going Home"* Georges Schreiber #21 Watercolor, 1943. Gift of Abbott Laboratories 88-159-JN.
122k	*"Fire away! Buy extra bonds,"* by Georges Schreiber, Oil on board, 1944. The first Series E U.S. Savings Bond was purchased by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on May 1, 1941. During WWII war bonds were a source of monetary income for the United States government. Americans were urged to buy war bonds and war savings stamps. Purchasing bonds was considerd not only patriotic, but also an investment in victory. While the initial goal of selling war bonds was to finance the war, it had the positive side-effect of raising morale on the home-front. By the end of the war 85 million Americans had invested in war bonds. The 5th war loan campaign began on June 12, 1944 with a goal of $16 billion. When this campaign ended on July 8, 1944, $20.6 billion worth of bonds had been sold. In the upper left corner of this poster is a reference to the Dorado (SS-248).	Text and photo courtesy of the Illinois State Library, library.uiuc.edu., Poster published by the United States Government Printing Office, United States Treasury Department War Finance Division, entitled *"Fire Away"* by Georges Schreiber, Oil on board, 1944.
123k	U.S. Sub Vets Memorial to the Dorado (SS-248) at Wichita, Kansas.	Courtesy of Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
96k	Memorial to the Dorado (SS-248) at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.	Courtesy of Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
17k	50th anniversary commerative Dorado (SS-248) envelope.	Courtesy of Douglas Campbell & ussdorado.com
77k	In memory of the Dorado (SS-248).	Photo courtesy of Tom Kermen. Photo added 01/09/06.
29k	Area map of the Caribbean showing the general area where the Dorado (SS-248) is believed to be lost.	Photo courtesy of sailwx.info.Photo added 01/09/06.
117k	The wife of a World War II U.S. submarine veteran, tosses a flower into a reflecting pool to honor the memory of one of the 52 submarines lost during World War II at the National Submarine Memorial-West on board Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Calif. On this Veterans Day, the Submarine Veterans of World War II transferred ownership of the memorial to the U.S. Navy. The following text is from The Coming Fury by Bruce Catton., pg. 478. "Major Sullivan Bullen of Illinois was killed in the battle, and just before it he had written to his wife, Sarah, to tell her that he believed he was going to be killed and to express a tremulous faith that could see a gleam of light in the dark: "But O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and float unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you in the gladdest days and in the gloomiest nights, always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your chest it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait, for we shall meet again!"	U.S. Navy photo N-1159B-021 by Journalist 2nd Class Brian Brannon, courtesy of news.navy.mil.
304k	Memorial to Dorado (SS-248) crew. In the Second Book of Shmuel (Samuel), 22nd chapter, 5th through the 20th verses, translated from the original in Hebrew and published by the Koren Publishers of Jerusalem, Israel, 1982, can perhaps aptly describe the fate of the crew and all other U.S. submariners who died defending their county: "When the waves of death compassed me / the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; / the bonds of She'ol encircled me; / the snares of death took me by surprise; / in my distress I called upon the Lord, / and cried to my G-D: / and he heard my voice out of his temple, / and my cry entered into his ears. / Then the earth shook and trembled; /the foundations of heaven moved / and shook because of his anger /...the heavy mass of waters, and thick clouds of the skies /... And the channels of the sea appeared, / the foundations of the world were laid bare, / at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast at the breath of his nostrils. / He sent from above, he took me; / he drew me out of many waters; / he delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me. / They surprised me in the day of my calamity: / but the Lord was my stay / He brought me forth also into a large place: / he delivered me because he delighted in me./"	Courtesy of Robert Miller's Albums : National Sub Memorial - West / epson.com.