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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patch on left courtesy of Cully Middleton & submitted by Gary Carlson, center left courtesy of Bill Hughes, on second right by Mike Smolinski, right by Y.M.Umar,CPO (Ret.),Turkish Navy.

Pomfret (SS-391)

Radio Call Sign: November - Kilo - November - Lima
Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 14 July 1943, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, on Seavey Island in Kittery, Maine. Launched, 27 October 1943; Commissioned USS Pomfret (SS-391), 19 February 1944; The 39th President of the United States, James "Jimmy" E. Carter qualified and served in Pomfret between 29 December 1948 and 1 February 1951. Decommissioned in April 1952 for GUPPY IIA upgrade at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA. Re-Commissioned on 5 December 1952 and operated locally from her home port of San Diego, CA and periodic Western Pacific deployments with the U. S. Seventh Fleet.
In April, 1971 Pomfret embarked the prospective Turkish Navy crew at San Diego for training and on 1 July 1971, she was transferred to the Republic of Turkey and renamed TCG Orucreis (S-337). After transiting the Panama Canal, she underwent an overhaul at the Philadelphia Navy Yard until January 1972. (Note: Orucreis was the name of an Ottoman Empire Admiral that, with his brother Hizar Reis, took control of Algeria from Spain in 1506).
Before departure for Turkey, Orucreis (S-337) participated in joint ASW exercises around Key West, FL. She arrived at Izmir, Turkey and was Commissioned into the Turkish Submarine Forces on 3 May 1972. Pursuant to the Foreign Military Sales Act of 1968, the ex-Pomfret was sold to the Republic of Turkey on 1 August 1973; concurrently struck from the U. S. Naval Vessel Registry and the title transferred. TCG Orucreis (S-337) was Decommissioned on 15 September 1986. Final Deposition and fate unknown. Pomfret received five battle stars for World War II service.
Researched by CTRC Donald J. Wagner, USN (Retired) for NavSource.

As built to the specifications: Displacement, Surfaced 1,526 t., Submerged 2,391 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 10 kts; Submerged Endurance, 48 hours at 2 kts; 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 single 40mm gun mount, one single 20mm gun mount, two .50 cal. machine guns; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear, four Fairbanks-Morse diesel engines, 5,400 HP, Fuel Capacity, 116,000 gal., four Elliot Motor Co. electric main motors with 2,740 shp, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.
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Pomfret
0839132		 3.95k Pomfret (SS-391) 4 page PDF Drawings. Record Group 19: Series: Alphabetical Series of Ship Engineering Drawings, 1789 - 1967
File Unit:Drawings for Pomfret (SS-391).
National Archives Identifier: 179020974
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Pomfret
0839126		 955k Pomfret (SS-391) was sponsored by Miss Marilyn Maloney, daughter of Senator Francis Maloney. She is seen here on her wedding day. Photo courtesy of findagrave.com
Pomfret
0839102		 691k Triple Sub Lunching
For the first time in ship launching history, three submarines were launched simultaneously. The scene was the Portsmouth, N. H yards. Pictured is one of the new submarines Pomfret (SS-391).		 Insert image and text provided by Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT.
Photo from Carbon County News. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1936-current, 12 November 1943, Image 6, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
International Soundphoto courtesy of David Wright.
Pomfret967kPomfret (SS-391) starts to slide down the launching ways on 27 October 1943.Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.
Piranha 902k Rear Admiral T. Withers, Senator Ralph Brewster, Senator Charles Tobey, ex-Governor Alvan Fuller, Congressman Charles Plumley, and Senator Frances Maloney, at the triple launch of the Pomfret (SS-391), the Sterlet (SS-392), and the Piranha (SS-389), 27 October 1943. National Archives Identifier: 12562959
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
Pomfret174kPomfret (SS-391) in original configuration.Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.
Pomfret13k Commemorative postal cover on the occasion of Pomfret's (SS-391) commissioning, 19 February 1944. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Pomfret76kPlankowner Officers and crew of the Pomfret (SS-391) celebrate at her commissioning party, 19 February 1944.Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.
Pomfret56kPlankowner Officers of the Pomfret (SS-391) celebrate at her commissioning party, 19 February 1944.Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.
Pomfret & Greenfish328kAfter refit and training, Pomfret (SS-391) reentered the same patrol area 1 November 1944 as part of a wolf pack. The next night Pomfret torpedoes and damages troop transport Atlas Maru, 7,347-tons, & passenger-cargo vessel Hamburg Maru, 5,271-tons, which is scuttled by an escort. The next day the Atlas Maru is beached off 20'18'N, 121?51'E Sabtang Island and declared a total loss.Text courtesy of DANFS & combinedfleet.com.
Photo courtesy of Tommy Trampp.
Pomfret93kOfficers of the Pomfret (SS-391) pose beneath one of the boat's 40-mm guns, circa August 1945, possibly at Guam. Partial text i.d. courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.
Pomfret44kThe crew of the Pomfret (SS-391) crowd the boat's rails near their tender, possibly the Sperry (AS-12), circa August 1945, possibly at Guam.
Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.
Pomfret509kPomfret (SS-391) crew pose for a group shot, unknown date & location.Photo courtesy of Wayne Shepherd.
Unknown Photos 1.18k The table below lists the location of submarines at Mare Island on 20 September 1945. This information was pulled from microfiche copies of the hand written shipyard journals. I'm surprised that both the clipping and my table show 21 subs at the yard on the date in question. The photo is looking north and berth 3 is at the top of the photo and then the berths run down or south.
Berth 3 - Springer (SS-414) & Spadefish (SS-411)
Berth 4 - Guavina (SS-362) & Barbero (SS-317)
Berth 5 - Hammerhead (SS-364), Tinosa (SS-283), Mapiro (SS-376) & Moray (SS-300)
Berth 6 - Bream (SS-243), Seahorse (SS-304), Batfish (SS-310) & Aspro (SS-309)
Berth 7 - Pomfret (SS-391), Parche (SS-384) & Sunfish (SS-281)
Berth 8 - Queenfish (SS-393)
Berth 9 - Lionfish (SS-298) & Plaice (SS-390)
Dry Dock 1 - Bashaw (SS-241) & Mingo (SS-261)
Berth 12 - Guitarro (SS-363).		 Photo i.d. & text courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Photo courtesy of Ron Reeves (of blessed memory).
Pomfret & Greenfish174kStern view of the Pomfret (SS-391) entering Pearl Harbor, circa late 40's, early 50's. The Greenfish (SS-351) is off to Pomfret's port side. Text courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
Pomfret117kPomfret (SS-391), underway in 1951, prior to her "Guppy IIA" modernization. Official USN photo # 80-G-1042402, courtesy of the USNHC.
Pomfret863kFlag raising ceremony during the re-commissioning of Pomfret (SS-391) at Mare Island after her Guppy IIA conversion on 5 December 1952. USN photo # 15538-12-52 from the collection of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum via Darryl L. Baker.
Pomfret165kBroadside view of Pomfret (SS-391) off Mare Island after her Guppy IIA conversion on 27 January 1953. She was under conversion at the yard from 15 April 1952 to 4 March 1953.USN photo # 16009-1-53, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Pomfret81kPomfret (SS-391) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, in January 1953, following her "Guppy IIA" modernization.Official USN photo # NH 90865, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Photo courtesy of Jack Howland, 1980.
Pomfret78kPomfret (SS-391) off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, on 27 January 1953, following her "Guppy IIA" modernization.Official USN photo, # NH 90867, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Photo courtesy of Jack Howland, 1980.
Pomfret94kThe Pomfret (SS-391) in 1955 between coastal operations out of San Diego and WestPac deployments. USN photo.
Text courtesy of DANFS.
Pomfret272kAerial view of Pomfret (SS-391) off Mare Island on 23 May 1957. She was in overhaul at the yard from 5 January to 27 May 1957. USN photo # 24425-5-57, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Pomfret368kPomfret (SS-391) probably off Mare Island.USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Pomfret456kPomfret (SS-391) on October 1957.USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Pomfret63kPomfret (SS-391), off the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California, on 9 August 1962.Official USN photo # NH 98634, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Pomfret1.30kPomfret (SS-391) off Mare Island on 23 August 1962. YRB-18 is in the background along with the sterns of two decommissioned submarines, the Pampanito (SS-383) inboard & Sunfish (SS-281), with her after deck being removed.Photo # 55846-8-62 TH from the collection of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum via Darryl L. Baker.
Photo i.d. & text courtesy of Ric Hedman, Dave Johnston & Robert Morgan.
Pomfret259kPomfret (SS-391), underway during the 1960s.USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
Pomfret240kStarboard side view of the Pomfret (SS-391), underway during the 1960s.USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
Pomfret82kPomfret (SS-391) underway during the 1960s.Official USN photo, # NH 78984, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Courtesy of Commander Donald J. Robinson, USN(MSC), 1974.
Pomfret259kArticle from the 12 November 1965 edition of the Grapevine-Drydocker newspaper (Combined newspaper of Mare Island & Hunters Point Naval Shipyards) concerning the Ronquil (SS-396) donating her bow to the Pomfret. PDF courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
Pomfret87kPomfret (SS-391), underway in the Pacific, 18 October 1968. Photographed by PHC R.G. Dawson, of squadron VC-3.Official USN photo # NH 98635,from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
TCG Orucreis (S-337)
Pomfret 135k The ex-Pomfret (SS-391), now the crew of the Orucreis (S-337) salute the flagship.Photo courtesy of Sait Kucuk, CPOS (Retired),Turkish Navy.
Pomfret62kThe Orucreis (S-337) in an undated photo.Photo courtesy of Sait Kucuk, CPOS (Retired),Turkish Navy.
Pomfret87kOrucreis (S-337) on trial, circa 1976.Photo courtesy of Sait Kucuk, CPOS (Retired),Turkish Navy.
View the Pomfret (SS-391)
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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