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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patches contributed by Mike Smolinski

Perch (SSP-313)
(ASSP-313) (APSS-313) (LPSS-313) (IX-313)
Recommissioning - Korean War Service - Decommissioning

Radio Call Sign: November - Zulu - Alpha - Quebec
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Construction - Decommissioning 1943 - 1947

Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 5 January 1943, at the Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT.; Launched, 12 September 1943; Commissioned USS Perch (SS-313), 7 January 1944; Decommissioned, 15 January 1947; Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet; Converted to a Submarine Transport, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA.; Recommissioned USS Perch (SSP-313), 20 May 1948; Redesignated Transport Submarine (ASSP-313), 31 January 1950; Redesignated Submarine Transport (APSS-313), 24 October 1956; Decommissioned, 31 March 1960, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA.; Laid up in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Mare Island; Recommissioned, 11 November 1961; Reclassified Amphibious Transport Submarine, (LPSS-313), 22 August 1968; Reclassified Unclassified Miscellaneous Submarine (IXSS-313), 30 June 1971; Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register, 1 December 1971; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping to Levin Metals Corp., San Jose, CA for $ 37,528.00 Scrapped in San Pedro, CA. 15 January 1973. Perch received four battle stars for her World War II service and one battle star for Korean War service.
Partial data submitted by Ron Reeves, HTC, USNR (ret.)

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,526 t., Submerged: 2,242 t.; Length 311' 9"; 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, 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, one 20mm gun, two .50 cal. machine guns; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear with four main generator engines, General Motors diesel engines, HP 5400, Fuel Capacity 118,000, four General Electric motors, HP 2,740, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.
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Perch 127k Commissioning ceremonies of Perch (SS-313), at Mare Island on 20 May 1948. Officers are from left to right: LCDR J. R. Ragan (Executive Officer), LT D. T. Morse (Engineer Officer), LCDR O. H. Payne (Commanding Officer & speaker), ENS E. R. Ettner (Supply Officer) and Capt. H. C. Fish (Commander, Mare Island Group Reserve Fleet).
 US Navy photo # 872-5-48, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Perch 210k Forward plan view of the Perch (SS-313) at Mare Island near the completion of conversion to a troop transport on 13 Aug 1948. Her conversion started on 20 May and was completed on 17 August 1948.
US Navy photo # 1375-8-48, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Perch 191k Aft plan view of the Perch (SS-313) at Mare Island near the completion of conversion to a troop transport on 13 Aug 1948.
US Navy photo # 1376-8-48, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Perch 79k Perch (ASSP-313) preparing to launch an LVT amphibious tractor during a 1949 exercise. The vehicle could be carried in the cargo hangar and launched by flooding down the submarine.
 USN photo and text from The American Submarine by Norman Polmar, courtesy of Robert Hurst.
Perch 381k Perch (SSP-313) shown at Mare Island Naval Shipyard shortly after a collision with the Orleck (DD-886) on 23 March 1949. Both vessels were participating in maneuvers off San Diego when the collision occurred. No one was killed, but both ships required repairs at Mare Island. The Perch suffered damage to her periscope shears, snorkel, and hangar. AP Wirephoto and text courtesy of David Johnston (USNR).
Perch 1.60k Sailors from the Perch (APSS-313) chipping the ice from the deck of the in Bristol Bay, Jan. 1950.
The Barbero (SS-317) left San Diego for Alaska with 4 other ships on 5 Jan. 1950. The Ice Breaker Burton Island (AG-88), a destroyer (converted to a Marine Troop carrier), an LST for the Marine vehicles, and the Perch. We stopped for a couple of days in Kodiak for fresh supplies and went through Unimac pass into the Arctic Ocean. We anchored just off the peninsula in Bristol Bay. The Barbero had been converted into a cargo carrier (After torpedo room and part of the after battery was cargo space). The Perch was a troop carrier with a bubble on the back deck to hold a Marine landing craft (with Tank tracks). The Marines from the Perch and destroyer made their landing and we unloaded our WOODEN boxes for them to take ashore. That night a blizzard arrived and the marines were stranded on shore for three days. We went out and dived each day to melt the ice off our deck. The Perch didn't. The Perch captain refused to leave his cabin and the Exec sent a secret message to headquarters about the captain. They came and got him. The Perch couldn't dive because the ice kept it afloat. The sailors had to chip off enough ice so they could dive. The Marines were rescued and all boarded the destroyer. The Barbero had been rigged with a fathometer on the deck so it could detect how far the ice was above us when we went under the ice. The Burton Island and the Barbero headed North into a thicker ice bed. A PBY flew out over the ice and found a lake large enough for us to surface in about forty miles north. We dove and was the first sub to go that far under the ice. We surfaced in the lake and charged our batteries for about four hours and the Burton Island told the skipper a place he could surface at their end. Mission accomplished. Headed home. Went to Mare Island and decommissioned the Barbero. The Greenfish (SS-351) was there for overhaul and I transferred to her after decommissioning. The Korean war broke out on June 30 and the Greenfish headed for Pearl.		 Text courtesy of Paul Fowler.
US Navy photos # USN 427739 427740 courtesy of Arctic Submarine Laboratory & scanned by Ryan Crierie, via flickr, courtesy of Stephen Gower.
Photo added 10/31/11.
Perch 1.30k Perch (APSS-313) in Alaska - 3 July 1950. Photo # 80-G-427742 scanned by Ryan Crierie, via flickr, courtesy of Stephen Gower.
Photo added 10/31/11.
Perch 16k Deep freeze is given Perch (APSS-313), by a covering of ice off Cape Seniavin, Bristol Bay, Alaska. The ice was successfully removed by taking the submarine down. Circa 1951. Courtesy of All Hands Magazine, Oct. 51, submitted by Stan Svec.
Perch 117k Perch (SS-313), aft view in San Diego Harbor, circa 1953.
The Bang (SS-385) is perched outboard of the Perch.		 Courtesy of Phil Gulick, former 1st Amphib Recon Company member aboard the Perch.
Perch 237k Bow on view of Perch (ASSP-313) departing Mare Island on 6 May 1954.
US Navy photo # 21033-5-54, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Perch 119k Broadside view of Perch (ASSP-313) off Mare Island on 6 May 1954. She was under going repairs at Mare Island from 8 December 1953o 13 May 1954.
 US Navy photo # 21035-5-54, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Perch 272k Stern view of Perch (ASSP-313) departing Mare Island on 6 May 1954.
US Navy photo # 21037-5-54, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Perch 258k Broadside view of Perch (ASSP-313) off Mare Island on 11 September 1956. She was under going repairs at Mare Island from 7 May to 26 September 1956.
 US Navy photo # 31053-9-56, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Perch 62k Perch (ASSP-313), surface view, 45 degrees off center-line, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA., 11 Sept. 1956.
 Courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Perch 71k Perch (ASSP-313), surface view, 135 degrees off center-line, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA., 11 Sept. 1956.
 Courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Perch 81k Perch (ASSP-313), bow view, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA., 11 Sept. 1956.
 Courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Perch 57k Perch (ASSP-313), stern view, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA., 11 Sept. 1956.
 Courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Perch 421k Perch (ASSP-313), port view bow, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA., 11 Sept. 1956. US Navy photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Perch 130k Perch (ASSP-313), plan view amidships looking forward, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA., 11 Sept. 1956.
 Courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Perch 230k Perch (ASSP-313), alongside of the Nereus (AS-17), possibly at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA., 1956.
 Courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org
Perch 86k Perch (ASSP-313),during exercises with reconnaissance troops from the 1st Marine Division off the coast of California. In addition to many internal changes, the Perch's conning tower structure had been extended and additional masts and shears added by January 1957, when this photo was taken.
 USN photo and text from The American Submarine by Norman Polmar, courtesy of Robert Hurst.
Perch 998k Perch (ASSP-313) recommissioned 11 November 1961, Lt. Comdr. C. H. Hedgepeth in command, trained on the West Coast and Hawaii through 1962 and arrived at her new homeport, Subic Bay, Philippine Islands in March 1963. Text courtesy of DANFS. U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Wayne Buescher PH3 via Lonnie Whittaker Webmaster WWW.USS-BENNINGTON.ORG.
Perch 39k Perch (APSS-313), Subic Bay, PI, 27 June 1966. Note Annapolis (AGMR-1) in background.
Note: "During January 1966, Perch landed UDT personnel for beach survey work in South Vietnam as part of operation "Double Eagle." She then provided services at Legaspi, P.I. to train Filipino and American UDT personnel. Between local training operations in the Subic Bay area, Perch worked with Chinese Special Forces at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and with Army Special Forces at Keelung, Taiwan. In July, Perch participated in operation "Deck House II" on the coast of South Vietnam. Again in August, Perch conducted several independent beach surveys with UDT personnel along the coast of South Vietnam. For operation "Deck House IV" in September, Perch landed UDT personnel on five successive nights for preinvasion beach reconnaissance.		 Photo © Richard Leonhardt.
Submarine Base Pearl Harbor564kSubmarine are from left to right: Halibut (SSGN-587), Pickerel (SS-524), Perch (LPSS-313), Unidentified and Tunny (APSS-282) at Submarine Base Pearl Harbor on 12 April 1967. U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Perch 97k Perch (ASSP-313), off Pearl Harbor, date unknown.
 Courtesy of usssubvetsofwwii.org.
Perch 94k Perch (LPSS-313), moored at the San Diego Inactive Ship Facility in 1971.
Photo courtesy of L. Cole. from Warship Boneyards, by Kit and Carolyn Bonner.
View the Perch (SS/SSP/ASSP/APSS/LPSS/IX-313)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
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