Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster.
Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patches on left & center courtesy of George M. Arnold, on right by Sait Kucuk, CPOS (Ret),Turkish Navy.

Sea Fox (SS-402)
U.S. Service

Radio Call Sign: November - Kilo - Papa - Echo
To Additional Pages

Decommissioning Ceremony
Turkish Service
Balao Class Submarine: Laid down, 2 November 1943, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, New Hampshire; Launched, 28 March 1944; Commissioned USS Sea Fox (SS-402), 13 June 1944; Decommissioned on 15 October 1952 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA for GUPPY IIA conversion. Re-Commissioned on 5 June 1953. After more than 25 years of alternating Western Pacific deployments with the U. S. Seventh Fleet and local operations and training, Sea Fox (SS-402) returned from her final deployment to her homeport of San Diego on 11 October 1970. In November, she embarked the prospective Turkish Navy crew for training and departed for Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard at San Francisco pursuant to the provisions of the Foreign Military Sales Act of 1968.

On 14 December 1970, (Sea Fox Decommissioned from the United States Navy; struck from the Naval Vessel Registry; transferred to the Republic of Turkey and concurrently Commissioned TCG Burakreis(S-335) (Note: Burak Reis was the 2nd submarine of the Turkish Navy to bear the name of the 15th century Commander of the Western Fleet of the Ottoman Empire Navy). On 1 July 1996, TCG Burak Reis, (ex-Sea Fox(SS-402) Decommissioned from Turkish Navy and reportedly acted as a "charging boat" for other GUPPY submarines at Golcuk Navy Yard, Turkey until cannibalized for parts and the hulk discarded for scrap in 2003.
Sea Fox (SS-402) was awarded four battle stars for WWII service and another four stars for service in Vietnam.
Researched by CTRC Donald J. Wagner, USN (Ret) for NavSource.

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, 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.
Click On Image
For Full Size Image		Size Image Description Source
Sea Fox 32k Alopias vulpinus, known as the long-tailed thresher shark, or "fox shark", & "sea fox", among others. Courtesy of Evgeny V. Romanov & fishbase.org.
Sea Dogs482kDouble Dog Launching: Sea Dog (SS-401) & Sea Fox (SS-402).
From left to right: Mrs. O.C. Robbins, Matron of Honor, Mrs. Robert N. Robertson, Sponsor for Sea Fox (SS-402), Rear Admiral Thomas Witner, Mrs. Vernon L. Lowrance; Sponsor, & Mrs. James P. Lynch; Matron of honor for Sea Dog (SS-401) at double launching in submarine basin at Portsmouth Navy Yard, New Hampshire on 28 March 1944. 		Photo courtesy of Lt. Francis Doerfler via Joe Pace.
Sea Fox 29k Commemorative postal cover marking the launching of the Sea Fox (SS-402), 28 March 1944 at Portsmouth Navy Yard, New Hampshire Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Sea Fox 21k Commemorative medallion on the occasion of the launching of the Sea Fox (SS-402), 28 March 1944. Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Sea Fox 52k One month before commissioning, the Sea Fox (SS-402) lies out in Portsmouth (N.H.) Navy Yard, 16 May 1944.
 US Navy photo.
Spot524kSpot (SS-413), Sea Fox (SS-402) & Queenfish (SS-393) & friends at Saipan, March 45. USN photo by Paul D. Guttman, courtesy of Robert Guttman.
Sea Fox 144k Sea Fox (SS-402) & Bumper (SS-333) nested at Subic Bay, Philippines, in Sept '45. Photo courtesy of Dan Goodell.
Sea Fox 145k A closeup of the Sea Fox's (SS-402) sail showing her battle record (3 ships sunk, 11 aviators rescued) and the fox riding a torpedo. Photo courtesy of Dan Goodell.
Sea Fox 99k AAF Crew join the Sea Fox (SS-402). Photo courtesy of Y.M.Umar,CPO (Ret.),Turkish Navy.
402400kView forward looking amidships showing alterations at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard on 17 May 1946.U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com
402296kView forward looking amidships showing alterations at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard on 17 May 1946.U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com
402666kStarboard side view of the Sea Fox (SS-402) underway on 17 May 1946 off Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, San Francisco, CA.US National Archives photo # 80-G-1041911, from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
402909kA sea of scopes on the Sea Fox (SS-402) (somewhere)
Note the scaffolding on what might be a GUPPY in the background. 		US National Archives photo # 80-G-1036029, from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
Sea Fox 20k Sea Fox (SS-402), circa 1948, place unknown. US Navy photo courtesy of George M. Arnold.
Ganyard 55k Cmdr Bricker Mcdowell Ganyard was the commanding officer of the Sea Fox (SS-402) from July 1949 to July 1950. US Navy photo courtesy of Lucky Bag yearbook via Bill Gonyo.
Sea Fox 92k Sea Fox (SS-402), as a "Guppy IIA" submarine, underway at San Diego, CA., May 1953.
 US Navy photo courtesy of George M. Arnold.
Sea Fox 109k A view of the commissioning ceremonies for Sea Fox (SS-402) at Mare Island on 5 June 1953. She was under conversion at the yard from 1 Oct. 52 to 5 Aug. 1953. USN photo # 17774-6-53, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Sea Fox 146k LCDR George S. Bennett, Jr. reads his orders as he assumed command of the Sea Fox (SS-402), at Mare Island on 5 June 1953.
USN photo # 17777-6-53, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Sea Fox 358k The Sea Fox (SS-402) is seen off Mare Island on 13 August 1953. USN photo # 18358-8-53, courtesy of Darryl Baker.
Sea Fox 60k Sea Fox (SS-402) moored, Sub Base Pearl Harbor, HI, 1955. US Navy photo courtesy of George M. Arnold.
402316k Sea Fox (SS-402) underway on 10 April 1961. She continued to rotate between training operations out of San Diego and duty with the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific. Text courtesy of DANFS.
U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com
402359k Sea Fox (SS-402) underway on 10 April 1961.U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com
402474kOverhead stern view of Sea Fox (SS-402) underway on 10 April 1961.U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com
402594kSee Sea Fox (SS-402) at sea on 1 November 1963.U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com
402212kSea Fox (SS-402) battleflag. U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com
Photo added 04/17/12.
4023.82kSea Fox (SS-402) gets drydocked somewhere & sometime in this 14 photo PDF.U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com
Chopper 249k Change of command at Subron 12 Key West Fla. in the 1960's aboard the Bushnell (AS-15). Barracuda (SST-3) upper right. Other boats there are Sea Cat (SS-399), Picuda (SS-382), Atule (SS-403), Sea Fox (SS-402), Threadfin (SS-410) & Chopper (SS-342). Photo courtesy of John Hummel.
Sea Fox 109k Sea Fox (SS-402) underway, circa 1960s, and place unknown. US Navy photo courtesy of George M. Arnold.
402359kSea Fox (SS-402) is spelled with a large E during 1965.U.S. Navy Photograph courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com
Sea Fox 70k Sea Fox (SS-402) underway, circa late 1960's. US Navy photo courtesy of George M. Arnold.
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.
View the Sea Fox (SS-402)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
USS Sea Fox SS-402
Fleet Reserve Association
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
USS Sea Fox SS-402 web site by Gary Webb
Guppy Submarines
Ep-21 (1) - Victory At Sea ~ Full Fathom Five - HQ
Back To The Main Photo Index Back To the Submarine Index
Problems and site related matters, E-mail Webmaster.
This page is created by Gary Priolo, and maintained by Michael Mohl
© 2012, Michael Mohl © 2012, NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.