Balao class submarine
From Free net encyclopedia
| Balao class attack submarine | |
|---|---|
| Image:USS Balao;0828502.jpg | |
| Class Overview | |
| Class Type | Fast Attack Submarine |
| Class Name | Balao (any one of several Halfbeaks) |
| Preceded By | Gato-class attack submarine |
| Succeeded By | Tench-class submarine |
| Ships of the Class: | See below for a complete list of Balao-class submarines |
The Balao class was a successful design of United States Navy submarine used during World War II. An evolutionary improvement over the earlier Gato class, the boats had slight internal differences. The most significant improvement was the use of higher strength steel in the pressure hull, which increased their test depth to 400 feet. There are 132 submarines in this class.
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General characteristics
- Displacement: 1826 tons surfaced, 2391 tons submerged
- Length: 312 ft
- Beam: 27 ft
- Draft: 15 ft
- Test depth: 400 ft
- Speed: 20.75 knots (38 km/h) surfaced, 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged
- Armament: 1 x 3 in (76 mm) 50 caliber gun, 2 x 40 mm cannon, 6 x 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes forward, four aft
- Crew: 75 – 80 officers and men
- Powerplant: 4 x 6500 hp (4.8 MW) diesel engines, 4 x 2740 hp (2.0 MW) electric motors
- Range: 11,800 nautical miles (21,900 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced