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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Contributed by Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN (ret.)

Blenny (SS-324) (AGSS-324)

Radio Call Sign: November - Kilo - Bravo - Alpha

Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 8 July 1943, at Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT.; Launched, 9 April 1944; Commissioned USS Blenny (SS-324), 27 July 1944; Reclassified Auxiliary Submarine AGSS-324, circa 1964; Decommissioned at Philadelphia, PA., 7 November 1969; Laid up in the Reserve Fleet; Struck from the Naval Register, 15 August 1973; Final Disposition, sunk as part of an artificial reef off Ocean City, NJ in June, 1989; Blenny received four battle stars for her World War II service and one battle star for Korean 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.

Size	Image Description	Source
55k	Keel of the Blenny (SS-324), 8 July 1943, at Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT.,	Courtesy of Frank Toon. Coquille, Oregon, webmaster / webenet.net.
552k	Looks like the start of another work day as E.B. employees climb up the stairwell past the "No Swimming at this site" sign near the new North Yard. An officer on deck of the soon to be launched Blenny (SS-324) looks across the opposite ways at the construction of a prefabricated section of the Cochino (SS-345). The pace of construction progresses quickly as a worker tightens the bolts on part of her hull. The *Cochino's* keel would officially be laid 13 April. Construction of the boat will be moved over to the soon to be vacated way that the *Blenny* now occupies. By early 1944, most of the building yards were forced to adopt some measure of pre-fabrication in order to expedite the building process. Manitowoc was the acknowledged master of this art and it allowed them to complete boats quickly in a limited amount of building space (Manitowoc built their boats to EB plans). While EB did not go to the same extent as Manitowoc, even they pre-fabricated some sections and attached them to the keel once it was laid. The date of the photo is probably around the first week of April 1944. The *Blenny* would be launched on the 9th. Note the *Blenny's* open outer torpedo door shutters still need to be affixed.	NARA FILE # 080-G-468517, photographed by Lt. Comdr. Charles Fenno Jacobs, USNR. Photo # HD-SN-99-02479, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil, Defense Visual Information Center. Photo i.d. courtesy of John Hummel, Ric Hedmen & David Johnston. Partial text courtesy of David Johnston (USNR).
72k	The Blenny (SS-324) sliding down the launching ways at Electric Boat Company, Groton, CT., 9 April 1944.	Courtesy of Frank Toon. Coquille, Oregon, webmaster / webenet.net.
102k	The Blenny (SS-324), drawn by the renowned graphic illustrator John Barrett with the text written by naval author and historian Robert F. Sumrall. Their company Navy Yard Associates offers prints of most destroyers, destroyer escorts, submarines and aircraft carriers in various configurations during the ship's lifetime. The prints can be customized with ship's patches, your photograph, your bio, etc. If you decide to purchase artwork from them please indicate that you heard about their work from NavSource.	Photo courtesy of Navy Yard Associates.
181k	Subron 5 family photo fall/winter (1945)in Guam, from left to right, Segundo (SS-398), Sea Cat (SS-399), Blenny (SS-324), Blower (SS-325), Blueback (SS-326) & Charr (SS-328).	Photo by Lt. Herb Hanson, courtesy of John Hummel.
42k	This WW II scale model (1:178) of the of the Blenny (SS-324) was built by Tom Dougherty of Cheshire, CT., who is a member of the Sub Committee.	Courtesy of Frank Toon.Coquille, Oregon, webmaster / webenet.net.
130k	Stern view of Blenny (SS-324) off Mare Island on 4 Nov 1947.	USN photo # 2135-47, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
100k	Broadside view of Blenny (SS-324) off Mare Island on 4 Nov 1947. She was in overhaul at the yard from 16 Aug to 22 Nov 1947.	USN photo # 2137-47, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
103k	Bow on view of Blenny (SS-324)in the Mare Island channel departing the yard on 4 Nov 1947.	USN photo # 2139-47, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
44k	The Blenny (SS-324) underway at Esquimalt, British Columbia, Canada, 1948 during a winter cruise to Alaska.	USN photo courtesy of John Hummel.
90k	Blenny (SS-324), underway, after 1951 conversion to a GUPPY class, place unknown.	Courtesy of George Arnold.
283k	The Blenny (SS-324) makes her way up the Thames river after 1951 conversion to a GUPPY class.	USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
124k	Blenny (SS-324) was the test ship for the BQG-4 PUFFS sonar. This picture shows her carrying the first engineering development model and was taken in November, 1960. She was later refitted with a fully mature system, the only Guppy to have PUFFS other than the Guppy III's. Grouper (AGSS-214) also conducted tests of the PUFFS system, but never carried an operational version.	Photo courtesy of Ric Hedman. Text info courtesy of Dave Johnston (USNR).
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. Photo added 03/03/08.
59k	The Blenny (SS-324) in one of her final configurations, with the shark fin arrays with the standard BQG-4 PUFFS system. This photo was taken on 18 April 1966.	USNI Photo & I.d. courtesy of David Johnston (USNR).
49k	From left to right, Sea Robin (SS-407), Tusk (SS-426), Sea Owl (SS-405), Sablefish (SS-303), Halfbeak (SS-352), Blenny (SS-324) & Becuna (SS-319) at New London CT, in 1968 during change of command.	Courtesy of John Hummel.
24k	Blenny (SS-324), in between the Tench (SS-417) (alongside pier)and Becuna (SS-319) at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. Boats are in for de-commissioning, 7 November 1969. This photo was taken at Pier "D" in the back channel of PNSY probably about the same time they are being prepared to be put on the marine railway which is on the left & out of the picture to be closed up.	Photo courtesy of John Hummel. Text I.d. submitted by Ron Reeves, HTC, USNR (ret.)
31k	*Sub Ron 8: Clamagore* (SS-343),(front) Cobbler (SS-344) on her starboard side Corporal (SS-346) on her port side, Blenny (SS-324) bringing up the rear. Circa 1968-71, location unknown.	Courtesy of John Hummel.
28k	Clamagore (SS-343) against pier, Tiru (SS-416), Blenny (SS-324) & Albacore (AGSS-569), circa early 80's at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.	Courtesy of John Hummel. Photo I.d. submitted by Ron Reeves, HTC, USNR (ret.)
22k	Blenny (SS-324), sunk as part of an artificial reef off Ocean City, NJ.	Courtesy of Frank Toon. Coquille, Oregon, webmaster / webenet.net.
37k	Blenny (SS-324), drawn by the renowned graphic illustrator John Barrett with the text written by naval author and historian Robert F. Sumrall. Their company Navy Yard Associates offers prints of most destroyers, destroyer escorts, submarines and aircraft carriers in various configurations during the ship's lifetime. The prints can be customized with ship's patches, your photograph, your bio, etc. If you decide to purchase artwork from them please indicate that you heard about their work from NavSource.	Photo courtesy of Navy Yard Associates.