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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Bugara (SS-331) (AGSS-331)

Radio Call Sign: November - Kilo - Bravo - Quebec
Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 21 October 1943, at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT.; Launched, 2 July 1944; Commissioned, USS Bugara (SS 331), 15 November 1944; Reclassified Auxiliary Submarine (AGSS-331) in 1969; Decommissioned, and Stuck from the Naval Register, 1 October 1970; Final Disposition, sunk while under tow near Cape Flattery, WA.,6-1-71. Bugara received three battle stars for her World War II service.
Partial data submitted by Ron Reeves (of blessed memory)

As built to the 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; Cruising Range, 11,000 miles surfaced at 10kts; Submerged Endurance, 48 hours at 2kts; Operating Depth, 400 ft; Complement 66; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, one 4"/50 or 5"/25 deck gun, one 40mm gun; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear with four main generator engines., GM diesel, HP 5400, fuel capacity, 118,000 gal., four main GE motors with 2,740 shp, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.
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Electric Boat 140k Trains brought the building material for submarine construction at Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn., circa summer 1943, possibly for the following boats:
Chub (SS-329),
Brill (SS-330),
Bugara (SS-331),
Bullhead (SS-332),
Bumper (SS-333),
Cabezon (SS-334),
Dentuda (SS-335),
Capitaine (SS-336), or
Carbonero (SS-337).
Photo from the Photo Essay How To Build A Submarine at Electric Boat Co. New London, Conn.
Photographer: Bernard Hoffman, courtesy of life.time.com
Electric Boat 493k Steel under giant rolls being shaped for submarine construction at Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn., circa August 1943, probably for one of the following boats:
Chub (SS-329),
Brill (SS-330),
Bugara (SS-331),
Bullhead (SS-332),
Bumper (SS-333),
Cabezon (SS-334),
Dentuda (SS-335),
Capitaine (SS-336), or
Carbonero (SS-337).
NARA FILE #: 80-G-468488, photographed by Lt. Comdr. Charles Fenno Jacobs, USNR. Photo # HD-SN-99-02475, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
Electric Boat 784k Welders work on hull of new submarine at Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn., circa August 1943. This sub is probably one of the following:
Chub (SS-329),
Brill (SS-330),
Bugara (SS-331),
Bullhead (SS-332),
Bumper (SS-333),
Cabezon (SS-334),
Dentuda (SS-335),
Capitaine (SS-336), or
Carbonero (SS-337).
NARA FILE #: 80-G-468489, photographed by Lt. Comdr. Charles Fenno Jacobs, USNR. Photo # HD-SN-99-02474, from the Department of Defense Still Media Collection, courtesy of dodmedia.osd.mil.
Bugara 647k The Bugara (SS-331) slides down the launching ways at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT., 2 July 1944. USN photo # 80-G-448203 from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
Bugara 19k Commemorative postal cover marking the launching of the Bugara (SS-331) at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT., 2 July 1944. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Bugara 583k This overhead view of the Bugara (SS-331) was taken during torpedo practice firings off Panama Bay in January 1945. The torpedo retrieving davits are rigged, which are used for hauling the practice torpedo out of the water. The torpedos float to the surface after their run due to air in the nose of the "fish". Torpedos with warheads mounted sink if they fail to make contact with a target. USN Archive photo # 19-N-76588.
Photo and text courtesy of The Floating Drydock, "Fleet Subs of WW II" by Thomas F. Walkowiak.
Bugara 164k "Mopping up! Submarine gunners blaze away towards the end of the war, July 1945."
This photo could very well be of the Bugara (SS-331) which sank 57 small boats and craft by gunfire as targets were becoming scarcer towards the last few months of the war.		 Text & photo courtesy of Theodore Roscoe, from his book "U.S. Submarine Operations of WW II", published by USNI.
Bugara 40k Bugara's (SS-331) WW II battleflag. USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
330, 331 & 333 125k Brill (SS-330), Bugara (SS-331) & Bumper (SS-333), late 1940's. Photo courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Bugara 60k Francis Albert Greenup was the commanding officer of the Bugara (SS-331) from March 1946 to October 1947. Photo courtesy of the Lucky Bag yearbook Class of 1936 via Bill Gonyo.
Schade 699k April 1947 photo of CDR Arnold F. Schade, USN WWII Commanding Officer of Growler (SS-215) and Bugara (SS-331). USN photo courtesy of the Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum via Darryl L. Baker.
Bugara 48k Bugara (SS-331) late October 1947, either entering or leaving San Francisco. Courtesy of Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory)
Bugara 158k Capt Harvey Jacob Smith, Jr. was the commanding officer of the Bugara (SS-331) from 5 15.06.1950 / 05.09.1952. USN official photo from the personal collection of Bill Gonyo.
Bugara 557k Bugara (SS-331) possibly off San Diego, July 1962. Photo courtesy of Cole Smith and atlanticfleetsales.smugmug.com.
Sperry 666k Sperry (AS-12) moored in the harbor at San Diego CA., in 1962 with submarines on her port side, from outboard to inboard,
Bugara (SS-331)
Caiman (SS-323)
Ronquil (SS-396)
Charr (SS-328)
Sea Fox (SS-402) and
Menhaden (SS-377).		 Photo courtesy of Tommy Trampp.
Bugara 62k Bugara (SS-331) in Subic Bay, PI, 17 May 1966. Photo was taken from Fred T. Berry (DD-858). Visible in the photo are members of Berry's anchor watch. © Richard Leonhardt.
Bugara 46k Cover of Sperry (AS-12) Welcome Aboard pamphlet, circa 1968. Note she still carries MK 12/22 radar on her MK 37 gun director in this picture. Submarines alongside include, from inboard to outboard Atule (SS-403), Bugara (SS-331) and Sea Fox (SS-402). Photo courtesy of David Buell for his father CWO4 Benton E. Buell USN Ret. DCA USS Sperry 1968-69.
Bugara 439k Bugara (AGSS-331) circa 1969, location unknown. Courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Bugara 678k Bugara (SS-331) port side view underway, circa 1969, location unknown. USN photo courtesy of Electric Boat & ussubvetsofwwii.org.
Bugara 496k Bugara (SS-331) possibly off San Diego, 11 June 1970. Photo courtesy of Cole Smith and atlanticfleetsales.smugmug.com.
Bugara 40k Bugara's (SS-331) final resting place, 1 October 1970. While under tow near Cape Flattery, WA, she swamped and sank accidentally.
Her commanders were:
Schade, Arnold Frederic, CDR, 15.11.1944 00.03.1946
Greenup, Francis Albert, CDR, 2 00.03.1946 00.10.1947
Gebhardt, Charles Robert, CDR, 3 00.10.1947 06.07.1949
Coulter, Frank John, LCDR, 4 06.07.1949 15.06.1950
Smith Jr., Harvey Jacob (Snuffy), CDR, 5 15.06.1950 05.09.1952
Godek, Martin, LCDR, 6 05.09.1952 25.02.1953
Rathbun Jr., Leon Herbert, CDR, 7 25.02.1953 16.02.1955
Bennett, George Osborne, LCDR, 8 16.02.1955 03.03.1957
Ettner, Edward Rudolph, LCDR, 9 03.03.1957 00.12.1958
Schulz, Quinley Robert (Dutch), LCDR, 10 00.12.1958 00.05.1960
Marsolais, Leonard Douglas, LCDR, 11 00.05.1960 23.06.1962
Johnson, Henry Biddle, LCDR, 12 23.06.1962 00.07.1964
Stoehr, Leonard Arthur, LCDR, 13 00.07.1964 00.05.1966
Platt, Grafton Steele (Whitney), LCDR, 14 00.05.1966 00.04.1968
Shrader, Ebert Fenn, LCDR, 15 00.04.1968 00.05.1970
Adams Jr., Samuel W., LCDR, 16 00.05.1970 01.10.1970 LDC 		Text courtesy of wikipedia.org., Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves (of blessed memory). View courtesy of Google Earth.
Fremantle 365k This plaque was unveiled 20 March 1995 by His Excellency Major General P.M. Jeffery OA MC, Governor of Western Australia to commemorate the sacrifices made by Allied submarines that operated out of Fremantle, Western Australia during WW II. Photo courtesy of Ron Reeves (of blessed memory).
Bugara672kBugara (SS-331) multibeam image.Photo courtesy of bathymetricresearch.com by Gary Fabian.
Bugara613kBugara (SS-331) 3D view.Photo courtesy of bathymetricresearch.com by Gary Fabian.
View the Bugara (SS-331)
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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