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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive


Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Runner (SS-476) (AGSS-476)

Radio Call Sign: November - Yankee - Delta - Kilo
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal
Tench Class Submarine: Laid down, 10 July 1944, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, on Seavey Island in Kittery, Maine. Launched, 17 October 1944; Commissioned USS Runner (SS-476), 6 February 1945; Converted to a Fleet Snorkel Submarine at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia, PA. in 1952; from July 1958 to July 1959, she operated in the Caribbean Sea as a Regulus missile guidance submarine, Decommissioned, 25 January 1969; Re-designated Auxiliary Submarine (AGSS-476) on 1 February 1969. Towed to Chicago, IL August 1969 by civilian tug Laurence C. Turner and USS Keywadin(ATA 213) to replace Silversides (AGSS 236) as reserve training ship. Reclassified as an Unclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary Submarine, IXSS-476, 30 June 1971. Placed in service in 1969 as a Naval Reserve Training Vessel, at Great Lakes Naval Training Station; Placed out of service and struck from the Naval Register, 15 December 1971; Final Disposition, sold for scraping 19 June 1973 to Diamond Scrapyards, Waukegan, IL for $ 108,000.00. Runner received one battle star for World War II service.
Partial data submitted by Ron Reeves (of blessed memory) & Yves Hubert.

As built to the specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,570 t., Submerged: 2,414 t.; Length 311' 8"; Beam 27' 4"; 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 7 Officers 69 Enlisted; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 5"/25 deck gun, two 20mm guns, two .30 cal. machine guns; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Propulsion, diesel-electric reduction gear with four Fairbanks Morse main generator engines, 5,400HP, Fuel Capacity, 113,510 gal., two Elliot Motor Co. main motors with 2,740HP, two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers.
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Runner62kRunner (SS-476), underway, March 1945.USN photo, Image from "U.S. Warships of World War Two", courtesy of Mike Green.
Runner135kAfter shakedown and preliminary training off the Atlantic coast, Runner (SS-476) departed New London 5 April 1945, and arrived at Pearl Harbor 21 May 1945, after intensive training at Key West and Balboa. Her first war patrol was off the east coast of Honshu, Japan, where her primary mission was to scout for the presence of defensive minefields guarding the Japanese home islands. On 10 July while on patrol in the Sea of Japan, she intercepted two worthwhile targets, a tanker and a minesweeper. The tanker and her two escorts escaped the spread of torpedoes fired at them, but the minesweeper W-27, was splintered by three of Runner's torpedoes. Text courtesy of DANFS.
Photo courtesy of combinedfleet.com.
Runner538kRunner (SS-476), one of the last submarines to go on patrol before the surrender of Japan, shown here anchored off Guam, Marianas Islands, 12 August 1945.
Capt. E.W. Grenfell, USN, coming aboard.		USN photo # 80-G-1156 by Lt. Dewey Wrigley, from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
Runner559kRunner (SS-476), one of the last submarines to go on patrol before the surrender of Japan, shown here anchored off Guam, Marianas Islands, 12 August 1945.
L to R: Captain E.B. McKinney, USN, & Capt. E.W. Grenfell.
Captain E.B. McKinney, USN, coming aboard. 		USN photo # 80-G-1157 by Lt. Dewey Wrigley, from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
Runner34kRunner (SS-476), in August 1945 wearing Ms 32/9SS camouflage scheme.Courtesy of The Floating Drydock, "Fleet Subs of WW II", by Thomas F. Walkowiak.
Archerfish 95k Proteus (AS-19) with submarines of Submarine Squadron 20 alongside in Tokyo Bay, on VJ-Day, 2 September 1945. Names of the submarines present, their commanding officers and the commanding officers of SubRon20 and Proteus (AS-19) are printed at the bottom of the image: Archerfish (SS-311), Cavalla (SS-244), Gato (SS-212), Haddo (SS-255), Muskallunge (SS-262), Pilotfish (SS-386), Razorback (SS-394), Runner (SS-476), Segundo (SS-398), Sea Cat (SS-399), and Tigrone (SS-419).
USN photo # NH 95019, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Courtesy of Captain Joseph F. Enright, USN(Retired), 1979.
Cristobal, C.Z. 125k Several boats at berth at Cristobal, C.Z. Among the boats known to be based there in 1946-47, and what looks to be from left to right are the Conger (SS-477), Cutlass (SS-478), Runner (SS-476) & Amberjack (SS-522). Photo courtesy of Jim Carroll and submitted by Mike Keating.
Sennet 96k Several boats docked pier-side in 1948. From inboard to outboard:
Sennet (SS-408), Runner (SS-476), possibly the Cutlass (SS-478) inboard from the Sea Cat (SS-399). 		Photo courtesy of John Hummel, USN (Retired).
Runner13k Commemorative postal cover of the Runner (SS-476) with the boat's patch, 1957. Photo courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
Runner249kRunning Runner (SS-476) with a rear deck gun, circa post 1952.Text courtesy of DANFS.
USN photo # 45-46, courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Runner69kRunner (SS-476), 1 August 1960 where she operated with the fleet along the Atlantic coast for the next 3 years.
USN photo courtesy of Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory)
Text courtesy of DANFS.
Runner183kRunner (SS-476), underway, port-side view, as a Regulus missile guidance submarine, circa 1961.Official USN photo courtesy of Robert Hurst.
Sailfish 886k Orion (AS-18) at Naval Station Norfolk, VA. during a change of command ceremony with the following submarines alongside.
Inboard to outboard:
Sailfish (SSR-572),
probably Cutlass (SS-478),
Runner (SS-476),
Cobbler (SS-344),
Argonaut (SS-475),
unidentified,
Requin (SS-481) & Barbero (SSG-317).		 US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 92321 courtesy of Robert Hurst via Gary Priolo.
Redfin760kFrom R to L: Sealion (SS-315), Argonaut (SS-475), Requin (SS-481), Runner (SS-476) & Redfin (SSR-272).
Orion (AS-18) is on the other side of the pier together with other boats, end of year holidays in 1966.
Behind these five boats are four more Guppy diesel boats, and behind them at the end of the pier is a Skipjack class SSN moored next to the big nuclear boat Triton (SSN-586), formerly SSRN, and the flagship of the Submarine Force, Atlantic Fleet (SUBLANT). On the other side of the pier from Triton is another Skipjack class SSN and directly behind the tender are three more diesel Guppies.		Text I.d. courtesy of David Johnston
Photo courtesy of Richard Simpson via Authur Rebman IC1(SS).
Redfin, Runner, Requin & Argonaut44kRedfin (SSR-272) inboard of Runner (SS-476), Requin (SS-481) and Argonaut (SS-475) with other subs of SubRon 6, circa mid-late 1960's, at Norfolk pier #22 D&S. Photo courtesy of John Hummel, (USN) retired.
Runner146k On 25 January 1969, Runner (SS-476) was decommissioned at the Boston Naval Shipyard, and towed to the Great Lakes Naval Training Station, where she was redesignated AGSS 476 and served as a Naval Reserve Training vessel until stricken from the Navy list 15 December 1971. Text courtesy of DANFS.
AP Wire photo courtesy of Ron Reeves (of blessed memory).
Runner70kRunner (SS-476), docked at Great Lakes Naval Training Station.
Courtesy of Joseph M. Radigan (of blessed memory)
Runner433kThe year 1968 commenced with Runner (SS-476) providing services for UDT school at Little Creek, Va., and ASW training off the east coast. On 4 April 1968, Runner departed on her last Mediterranean deployment. She returned to Norfolk 31 July having visited ports in Spain and Portugal, and participating in NATO Exercise Dawn Patrol.
Runner is pictured at Genoa, Italy, on 29 June 1968.		Photo courtesy of Carlo Martinelli.
Runner75kThe Runner (SS-476) is stuck in traffic at the Chicago Naval Armory.Photo courtesy of Ray "Olgoat" Stone from submarinesailor.com.
View the Runner (SS-476)
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
Tench Class Submarines
Ep-21 (1) - Victory At Sea ~ Full Fathom Five - HQ
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