Tang-class submarine

USS Gudgeon
USS Gudgeon (the three distinctive shark-fin domes are the PUFFS sonar, one is just aft of the sail, below the flag).
Class overview
NameTang class
Builders
Operators United States Navy
Preceded byBarracuda class
Succeeded by
Built1949–1952
In commission1951–1983
Completed6
Retired6
Preserved2
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine
Displacement
  • 1,560–2,050 long tons (1,585–2,083 t) surfaced
  • 2,260–2,700 long tons (2,296–2,743 t) submerged
Length268 ft (82 m), extended to 277 ft (84 m), then to 292 ft (89 m)
Beam27 ft (8.2 m)
Draft17 ft (5.2 m)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 15.5 kn (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) surfaced
  • 18.3 kn (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) submerged[1]
Range11,500 nmi (21,300 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced[1]
Endurance1 hour at 17.5 kn (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) on battery
Test depth700 ft (210 m)
Complement8 officers, 75 enlisted
Armament8 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 forward, 2 aft), 26 torpedoes[1]

The Tang-class submarines were the first submarines designed (under project SCB 2) and built by the United States Navy after WWII. They incorporated the best features of the high-speed German Type XXI U-boat and the venerable U.S. Navy fleet submarine. The Tang-class, with the fleet submarines converted under the Greater Underwater Propulsion Power (GUPPY) program, had much higher submerged performance than their predecessors, but were quickly surpassed by the nuclear-propelled submarines that entered service beginning in 1954. Six units in total were built.

  1. ^ a b c d Friedman, Norman (1994). U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 16–28, 242. ISBN 1-55750-260-9.

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