Little-Known Submarine Facts
Submitted by Ronald L Martini on June 12, 2008 and compiled by David Barth, October 19, 2008
- At the end of WWII, Japanese submarine I-14 was given to Commander John S. "Junior" McCain, son of the
carrier task force commander, Vice Admiral John S. "Slew" McCain (and father of Arizona Senator John S.
McCain, III).
- The George Washington sail on display at the Submarine Force Museum and Library outside the main gate at
Subase/Groton is NOT 100 percent 598! Some of it is from the Abraham Lincoln sail. The 598 hit a Japanese ship and
parts of the 602 was used in the repair.
- There was a Torpedo Factory in Washington DC in WWII. It is now an art museum of the same name in
Alexandria, VA and draws some 500,000 visitors each year.
- The U.S. sold 74 Diesel submarines to 13 foreign countries. Turkey and Brazil bought 26 and 11 respetively.
Little known was that Japan "borrowed" the Mingo which was eventually returned and sunk as a target.
- The initial Scorpion was cut apart to build the George Washington. This was the only boat cut to build a
boomer. However parts from other Skipjack Class boats went into the Patrick Henry and even some parts meant for the
Shark were diverted to the Robert E. Lee.
- A nuclear powered guided missile launching submarine (SSGN), was similar in concept to the Halibut, a
diesel-powered submarine, but with the S5W nuclear reactor power plant. SSGN 600 was to be one of these SSGNs.
Budgeted for in 1959, it was to have four hangers, each carrying one or more modified, liquid-fueled Jupiter missiles
in a configuration which had four missile tubes in an enlarged sail. This plan was ended in 1956 when the
Jupiter-equipped submarine program was scrapped and work turned to designing a solid-fueled missile that was to become the
Polaris.
- Workers at Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton, Connecticut christened the fifth
submarine of the Virginia class, the New Hampshire, during ceremonies at the General Dynamics Electric Boat shipyard
in Groton, Connecticut. Of the first four submarines in the Virginia class, three were late and over budget.
The New Hampshire, however, is eight months ahead of schedule and $120 million below budget.
- What ship is the only one with a bathtub installed? It was installed for FDR and his trip to French
Moroco in 1943 aboard the battleship USS Iowa BB-61.
- What submarine had a Steinway piano installed from 1961 to 1986? It was the Edison, SSBN 610.