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Keel Laying - Commissioning
WW II Patrols
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons
Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (9) - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
| Click On Image For Full Size Image | Size | Image Description | Source | |
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131k | Vice Admiral William Wohlsen Behrens, Jr. was assigned to the Balao (SS-285) as Commanding Officer from 1953 to 1954. |
Photo courtesy of the Behrens family & submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 71k | Balao (SS-285) & Sennet (SS-408) in Port Key West Fla, circa late 1950's.
| Photo courtesy of Jack Treutle. | |
 | 88k | Balao (SS-285) photographed circa 1952. | US Navy photo # NH 79767, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1974. | |
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73k | LCDR. Maurice Oscar Muncie commanded the Balao (SS-285) from August 1958 to 1959. | USN photo courtesy of Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 151k | Balao (SS-285) painted pink for the movie "Operation Petticoat" in 1959 while the boat was in Key West, Fla. | Photo courtesy of atule.com. | |
 | 165k | Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, and Dina Merrill, on the Balao (SS-285) during the movie "Operation Petticoat" in 1959 while the boat was in Key West, Fla. | Photo courtesy of atule.com. | |
 | 112k | Balao (SS-285) going to sea from Key West. | Photo by Tim "T-Spoon" Spoon & atule.com. | |
 | 174k | Balao (SS-285) and Bushnell (AS-15) in Key West, Fla,. | Photo courtesy of John Hummel, (USN) retired. | |
 | 79k | Balao (AGSS-285) exercising with a Brazilian S2F anti-submarine aircraft and H-34 (HSS-1) helicopter off Key West, FL., 7 March 1961. The Brazilian helicopter is flying over the submarine in this view. Balao is a unit of Submarine Squadron Twelve, whose insignia is visible on her fairwater, directly over her hull number. (see photo below) | US Navy photo # NH 98047, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. | |
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166k | Balao (SS-285) arrived in Genoa on 24 May 1962. | Photo courtesy of Carlo Martinelli. Photo added 01/09/12. |
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172k | Balao (SS-285) in Genoa on 24 May 1962. | Photo courtesy of Carlo Martinelli. Photo added 01/09/12. |
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 | 68k | View of the Balao (SS-285) "sail", with Submarine Squadron Twelve insignia, circa 1963. Removed shortly before Balao was expended as a target in 1963, this structure has been on exhibit at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C., since about the middle 1960s. | US Navy photo # NH 57880-KN, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 168k | Sail away: As many different types of sails as there are boats in this photo of Squadron 12, Key West Fla, in Mid 60's: Atule (SS-403), Balao (SS-285), Grenadier (SS-525) & Bluegill (SS-242). | Photo courtesy of John Hummel, (USN) retired. | |
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143k | Mixed bag of boats from different bases moored together possibly at the Key West Naval Base or at Roosevelt Roads, P.R.
From left to right & front to back: From New London with the eight ball plaque of subron 8; Blenny (SS-324); from Key West with the subron 12 plaque: Grenadier (SS-525); from Norfolk with the subron 6 plaque; Carp (SS-338) & again from Key West; the Balao (SS-285) tied up to the pier. Behind them and from Charleston with subron 4 is the Trigger (SS-564) and an unidentified boat. Grenadier received her high sail in an overhaul in 1961-62. I found a picture of Blenny that showed her with a high sail that was dated 18 Apr 1966. All of the boats in the photo were known to have been based in, or operating out of, Key West in the period of 1962-1966. Therefore, I can reliably conclude that this photo was taken between 1962 and 1966. Grenadier and Balao (SS-285) participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis blockade in October, 1962. In November, Grenadier was one of several ships that participated in a maritime rights show of force exercise off Cuba. It is conceivable that these other boats were dispatched to the area as backup in case this exercise went south. So it's possible that this photo was taken during late 1962 during the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis. |
Photo by Tim "T-Spoon" Spoon & submitted by John Hummel. Text I.d. courtesy of John Hummel, Mike Keating & Dave Johnston. | |
 | 19k | Commemorative post mark on the occasion of the 60th year of the Balao's (SS-285) commissioning, 4 February 1943 - 4 February 2003. | Courtesy of Jack Treutle. | |
 | 93k | The sail of the World-War-II era Balao (SS-285), on display at the Washington Navy Yard. | USN photo courtesy of Naval Sea Systems Command & submitted by Bill Gonyo. | |
 | 110k | Photo of a plaque of the Balao (SS-285) that is next to the sail on display at the Washington Navy Yard, Feb. 05. | Photo courtesy of Wendell McLaughlin. | |
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| This page was created by and maintained by Michael Mohl © 2012, Michael Mohl © 2012, NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved. |