Chain of Events

Cold War Mission

  • Becuna - Great Barracuda - Tiger of the Sea.
    (Sphyraena Barracuda) 25 years of active service.
  • September 22, 1945 - Active service Pacific fleet
  • April 1949 - Transferred to Atlantic fleet. SUBRON8
  • August 1951 - Retrofit to Guppy 1A (enclosed periscopes, snorkel & improved battery.
  • Starting in 1951 participated in many Allied and fleet exercises.
    New Broom VIII
    Greenswing
    Medflexguard
    Springboard
    Canus Slamflex
    Longlook
    Minibex

1961-63 Arctic exercises
1962 - England
1963 - Med Cruise
1965 - Northern Europe

November 1964 - Philly overhaul
November 7, 1969 - Decommissioned
August 15, 1973 - Striken from naval register.
June 21, 1973 - Moved to Philadelphia, PA. Olympia Association (Museum)as a submarine memorial. Currently tied up inboard of the Olympia, a turn of the century cruiser. Dewey's flagship.

War History

I'll only make a few highlights here. Also visit the Independence Seaport Museum (Philly) site. This organization is taking care of the Becuna now. Just follow this link.
Becuna Seaport Museum

April 29, 1943 - Keel laid at Electric Boat, Groton, Conneticut.
January 30, 1944 - Launched
May 27, 1944 - Commissioned
July 29, 1944 - Pearl Harbor

Becuna made five war time patrols.

August 23, 1944 - First Patrol. Several torpedo hit but no confirmed sinkings.

November 16, 1944 - Second patrol. Sank 2 small coastal freighters.

February 22, 1944 - Third patrol. Sank Nichiyoko Maru (1945 tons)

May 22, 1945 - Fourth patrol. Lifeguard duty.

June 21,1945 - Fifth patrol

First & Third patrols crew members earned the submarine combat insignia.
At Submarine Memorial, Philly

War Patrol web site click on this link for detailed reports:

SUBMARINE WAR PATROL REPORTS

This is a drawing of New London, CN Sub Base

Here the Excape training tower was still there. I went through the training twice, once for the "Blow & Go" method and later for the better "Steinke Hood" method.

Now the training is done in a swimming pool, but now Sub School is taught on computers like a video game and no longer a school boat, like the Becuna was for many years (16 dives a day). On hands training is now done on simulators which Becuna vets got to try at the 2002 reunion Sub School Tour.