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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Patches contributed by Mike Smolinski

Carp (SS-338) (AGSS-338) (IXSS-338)

Radio Call Sign: November - Kilo - Charlie - Romeo

Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 23 December 1943, at the Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT.; Launched, 12 November 1944; Commissioned, USS Carp (SS-338), 28 February 1945; Converted to a Fleet Snorkel submarine in February 1952; Redesignated Auxiliary Submarine (AGSS-338) on March 18 1968; Redesignated Miscellaneous Submarine (IXSS-338) on Dec. 20 1971; Struck from the Naval Register, 20 December 1971; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping on July 26 1973 to Tug Leasing Co., New London, CT for $ 86,898.91. The conning tower pressure hull of the Carp still exists, and has been donated to Seawolf Park, Galveston TX. Carp earned one battle star for her World War II service.
Partial data submitted by Ron Reeves, HTC, USNR (ret.), Hal Taft & Bill Kyle ET1(SS) Retired.

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.

Size	Image Description	Source
17k	Commemorative postal cover marking the Carp's (SS-338) commissioning at the Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT., 28 February 1945.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
130k	The Carp (SS-338) slides down the building ways, 12 November 1944.	Electric Boat photo courtesy of Bill Gonyo.
90k	Stern view of Carp (SS-338) off Mare Island on 6 January 1947.	US Navy photo # 152-47, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
100k	Broadside view of Carp (SS-338) off Mare Island on 6 January 1947. She was under repair at the yard from 15 Oct 1946 until 17 Jan 1947.	US Navy photo # 154-47, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
107k	Bow on view of Carp (SS-338) departing Mare Island on 6 January 1947.	US Navy photo # 156-47, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
117k	Carp (SS-338) about to enter *ARD-11* at Mare Island on 23 April 1948. She was in dock until 7 Jun 1948. Nepanet (YTB-189) on her starboard side and *YTL-590* on her port side.	US Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
52k	Carp (SS-338), underway 1948, above the Arctic Circle.	US Navy photo courtesy of the US Navy Arctic Submarine Laboratory.
174k	The Carp (SS-338) is seen undocking from dry dock #1 at Mare Island on 30 March 1950. The photo was taken from building #164.	US Navy photo # 5823-3-50, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
81k	The former and new Commanding Officers of Carp (SS-338) read their orders during the change of command cermonies at Mare Island on 1 June 1950.	US Navy photo # 6322-6-50, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
27k	Carp (SS-338), after receiving her Fleet Snorkel conversion., circa post 1952.	Courtesy of George M. Arnold. Photo I.d. courtesy of David Johnston (USNR).
42k	Torsk (SS-423), Billfish (SS-286) & Carp (SS-338) moored together circa early 1950's.	USN photo.
49k	Carp (SS-338), about to tie up at Navy Pier in San Diego on 4-7-53 after returning from 6 months WesPac deployment.	Courtesy of Forrest J. Watson, ex ET- 2(SS)
151k	Carp (SS-338), at Navy Pier in San Diego on 4-7-53 after returning from 6 months WesPac deployment.	Courtesy of Forrest J. Watson, ex ET- 2(SS).
63k	Carp (SS-338) entering the Pearl Harbor Sub Base pens in December 1955.	Copyrighted photo courtesy of Captain J. Wood, USN (Retired),formerly of AM3 with VF-114 on the USS Kearsarge (CVA-33) & submitted by Jim Converse.
91k	Carp (SS-338) entering the Pearl Harbor Sub Base pens in December 1955.	Copyrighted photo courtesy of Captain J. Wood, USN (Retired), formerly of AM3 with VF-114 on the USS Kearsarge (CVA-33) & submitted by Jim Converse.
88k	The Carp (SS-338) is pictured here in 1956 being painted (reason for hull number not being visible). The Sabalo (SS-302) to left in photo & Diodon (SS-349) is to the right.	Courtesy of John Hummel.
154k	Starboard quarter view of the Carp (SS-338) about to tie up at North Wharf, Fremantle Naval Base - Australia in September 1956.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
182k	Carp (SS-338) undergoing a change of life.	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
241k	Under the hood. All these photos show induction and exhaust piping for the main engines. I will assume that these shots are of the Carp (SS-338). In several of these shots you can see the open after engine room hatch.	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Text i.d. courtesy of Dave Johnston (USNR). Photo added 01/03/10.
285k	Overhaul in March 1959.	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
201k	Clean hands on emerging from below.	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
177k	This lady definitely looks better fully dressed.	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
130k	This photo shows her sail and from aft to forward the masts are the snorkel exhaust, snorkel induction, and the electronic surveillance measures (ESM) mast that is topped with the AS-944/BLR array. The short mast with the wire loop is the radio directional finder (DF) loop that by this time was doubling as a VLF communications antennae. It could receive VLF signals while the boat was submerged.	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
118k	Three different bow views of fleet boats. Greenfish (SS-351) is the outboard boat in the photo. The boat with the sonar dome on the bow is the Fleet Snorkel boat Sterlet (SS-392). In 1955, she was fitted with a BQR-4A sonar similar to the SSK conversions, but she retained all six forward torpedo tubes (unlike the SSK conversions, which lost the upper two), was not silenced to the extent that the SSK's were, and retained all four engines. Sea Owl (SS-405) and Piper (SS-408) received similar installations. These three boats were never redesignated as SSK. They can be easily distinguished from the SSK conversions because the sonar dome was raised above the deck level. The SSK's dome was flush with the main deck. This is why they lost the upper two torpedo tubes. Carp (SS-338) is the next boat inboard.	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo & text i.d. courtesy of Dave Johnston (USNR). Photo added 01/03/10.
200k	Stern view of four boats tied up in Pearl Harbor about 1959. Inboard to outboard are the Sabalo (SS-302), Carp (SS-338), Sterlet (SS-392) & Greenfish (SS-351).	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
227k	Inverse of the above photo shows a partial bow view of Sabalo (SS-302),Carp (SS-338), Sterlet (SS-392) & Greenfish (SS-351).	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
146k	Pair of Carp's (SS-338).	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
117k	Broadside view of the Carp's (SS-338) crew dressed in whites passing a nest of DE's with the Savage (DE-386) in the foreground.	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
123k	Bow on view of the Carp (SS-338) passing O'Bannon (DD-450) in the foreground.	Photo courtesy of Ron Phillipi. Photo added 01/03/10.
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.
79k	Starboard side view of the Carp (SS-338), underway, circa 1960's, place unknown.	US Navy photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
50k	Sirago (SS-485) and Carp (SS-338), in June 1965, at D&S piers, Norfolk VA.	Courtesy of John Hummel.
42k	The pressure hull of the conning tower of the Carp (SS-338).	Courtesy of Len Mozey via Hal Taft.