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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patch contributed by Mike Smolinski

Hackleback (SS-295) (AGSS-295)

Radio Call Sign: November - Xray - Lima - Charlie
Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 15 August 1942, at Cramp Shipbuilding Co., Philadelphia, PA.; Launched, 30 May 1943; Commissioned USS Hackleback (SS-295), 7 November 1944; Decommissioned, 20 March 1946, at San Francisco, CA.; Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island Group; Reclassified Auxiliary Research Submarine (AGSS-295), 6 November 1962; Struck from the Naval Register, 1 March 1967; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 4 December 1968 to Zidell Explorations, Portland, OR.
Partial data submitted by Ron Reeves, HTC, USNR (ret.)

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,526 t., Submerged: 2,424 t.; Length 311' 8"; Beam 27' 3"; Draft 15' 3"; Speed, Surfaced 20.25 kts, Submerged 8.75 kts; Cruising Range, 11,000 miles surfaced at 10kts; Submerged Endurance, 48 hours at 2kts; Operating Depth Limit, 400 ft; Complement 6 Officers 60 Enlisted; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 5"/25 deck gun, one 40mm gun, two .50 cal. machine guns; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear with four Fairbanks-Morse main generator diesel engines, 5,400 hp, Fuel Capacity 116,000 gal., four Elliot Motor Co., main motors with 2,740 hp, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.
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Double18kTwo More Subs to Sink the Axis. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania -- Two more undersea fighters went out to beat Axis U-Boats at their own deadly game when the Devilfish (SS-292), (left) and the Hackleback (SS-295), slid down the ways at Cramp Shipyards today. The Devilfish was christened by Mrs. Frank W. Fenno of Williamsport, wife of a Navy Cross winner. Mrs. William L. Wright of Corpus Christi, Texas, whose husband was decorated for the sinking of three Jap warships and five Merchantmen, sponsored the Hackleback.Official U.S. Navy Photo from ACME, New York Bureau dated 5/30/43, courtesy of Bill Gonyo.
Hackleback 53k Starboard view of the Hackleback (SS-295), underway, circa 1944, location unknown.
U.S. Navy photo, courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.
Hackleback 131k Hackleback (SS-295) with a 5"/25 deck gun fore and aft, circa 1945.
USN photo.
Hackleback 11k Hackleback (SS-295), port side view underway, date and location unknown.
Courtesy of subnet.com.
Midway197kJapanese merchant shipping had been decimated by the Pacific submarine fleet, and Hackleback (SS-295) was to encounter no suitable targets in any of her patrols. But on this first patrol, she played a key role in the sinking of the last of Japan's super-battleships, the Yamato. Patrolling the Bungo Suido area late in the night of 6 April, Hackleback made radar contact on a fast group of ships at about 25,000 yards. She sent a steady stream of location reports back to Pearl Harbor, at the same time attempting to close the task group. Hackleback three times came to within 13,000 yards of the Yamato force, but destroyers forced her out of range before she could get in position to fire torpedoes. Yamato was not to escape, however. The following morning, 7 April, planes from Admiral Mitscher's famous TF 58, guided by Hackleback's contact location reports, struck the Yamato group. In four successive waves, the carrier planes accounted for the destruction of Yamato, the light cruiser Yahagi, and four destroyers.Drawing by Takeshi Yuki scanned from "Color Paintings of Japanese Warships", courtesy of combinedfleet.com. Text courtesy of DANFS.
Midway197kThe submarine tender Griffin (AS-13), at Midway with three of her charges between 26 August and 1 September 1945 The three boats are not identified, but boats at Midway at that time included Piranha (SS-389), Lionfish (SS-298), Moray (SS-300), Devilfish (SS-292),and Hackleback (SS-295).
The outboard boat is an EB boat, but none of the above boats are EB boats, all Cramp or Portsmouth-built, so they are unidentified for now.		USN photo from the collection of CWO 4 Benton E. Buell, USN, courtesy of David Buell.
Mare Island Reserve Fleet137kReserve fleet at Mare Island, circa Jan 1946. There are 52 submarines and 4 Sub Tenders in this photo. This photo is a Berthing list identifying the ships in the picture. Photo commemorating 50 years, U. S. Submarine Veterans of WW II 1996 calendar, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Mare Island Reserve Fleet453kPhoto of the Reserve fleet at Mare Island, circa Jan 1946. There are 52 submarines and 4 Sub Tenders in this photo. Whether coincidental or on purpose, the number of boats in the photo is the same as that which were lost in WW II.
From back to front and left to right, first group of 12 boats:
Sandlance (SS-381)
Tunny (SS-282)
Aspro (SS-309)
Lionfish (SS-298)
Guvania (SS-362)
Sunfish (SS-281)
Macabi (SS-375)
Gurnard (SS-254)
Pampanito (SS-383)
Mingo (SS-261)
Guitarro (SS-363)
Bashaw (SS-241)
From back to front and left to right, second group of 12 boats:
Sealion (SS-315)
Hammerhead (SS-364)
Bream (SS-243)
Seahorse (SS-304)
Tinosa (SS-283)
Pintado (SS-387)
Mapiro (SS-376)
Pipefish (SS-388)
Moray (SS-300)
Batfish (SS-310)
Hackleback (SS-295)
Bluegill (SS-242)
From back to front and left to right, third group of 12 boats:
Hawkbill (SS-366)
Menhaden (SS-377)
Perch (SS-313)
Loggerhead (SS-374)
Barbero (SS-317)
Baya (SS-318)
Hardhead (SS-365)
Spadefish (SS-411)
Springer (SS-414)
Devilfish (SS-292)
Kraken (SS-370)
Dragonet (SS-293)
From back to front and left to right, fourth group of 12 boats:
Lamprey (SS-372)
Piranha (SS-389)
Manta (SS-299)
Pargo (SS-264)
Rancador (SS-301)
Archerfish (SS-311)
Mero (SS-378)
Sawfish (SS-276)
Spot (SS-413)
Lizardfish (SS-373)
Jallao (SS-368)
Icefish (SS-367)
From back to front and left to right, last group of 4 boats:
Steelhead (SS-280)
Puffer (SS-268)
Stickleback (SS-415)
Trepang (SS-412)
From back to front, Submarine Tenders group of 4 ships:
Pelias (AS-14)
Aegir (AS-23)
Euryale (AS-22)
Griffin (AS-13)
Photo commemorating 50 years, U. S. Submarine Veterans of WW II 1996 calendar, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Pacific Reserve Fleet 278k Three veterans of Operation Crossroads are shown at Mare Island on 17 Oct 1946 in the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Left to right: Dentuda (SS-335), Searaven (SS-196) and Tuna (SS-203); Parche (SS-384) is aft of these three. Bluegill (SS-242) and Hackleback (SS-295) are to the left.
USN photo # 3618-46, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
View the Hackleback (SS-295)
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
Ep-21 (1) - Victory At Sea ~ Full Fathom Five - HQ
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