Sailfish-class submarine

The Sailfish-class submarines of the United States Navy, launched in 1955–1956, were the first submarines to be built expressly for radar picket service and, at the time, were the largest conventionally powered submarines in the United States Navy. Only USS Argonaut and the Narwhal-class submarines from the 1920s were larger. The Sailfishes were initially equipped with large BPS-2 and BPS-3 radars in and aft of the sail. They were designed under project SCB 84 for a high surface speed; however, their speed achieved was not significantly faster than converted World War II radar picket submarines.^[2] Commissioned in 1956, they served in the radar picket role until early 1961, when the submarine radar picket mission ended fleetwide. Airborne radar had superseded it with the deployment of the Grumman WF-2 Tracer. Modernized under the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization II (FRAM II) program 1964–1966, both submarines served until decommissioning in the late 1970s.

USS Sailfish (SSR-572)
Class overview
Builders	Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
Operators	United States Navy
Built	1953–1956
In commission	1956–1978
Planned	2
Completed	2
Retired	2
General characteristics
Type	Radar picket submarine
Displacement	1,990 long tons (2,022 t) light 2,334 long tons (2,371 t) surfaced 3,168 long tons (3,219 t) submerged[1]
Length	350 ft 6 in (106.83 m)
Beam	29 ft 1 in (8.86 m)
Draft	16 ft 4 in (5 m)
Propulsion	4 × Fairbanks-Morse Diesel engines (total 6,000 shp (4,500 kW)), 2 × Elliott electric motors (total 8,200 shp (6,100 kW)), 2 × 126-cell Sargo II batteries, 2 shafts[2]
Speed	20.5 knots (38.0 km/h; 23.6 mph) surfaced 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) submerged
Complement	95 officers and men
Armament	6 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (bow), 18 torpedoes[2]

Design

This class was an attempt to improve on the speed and surfaced seakeeping qualities of the converted World War II submarines previously used as radar pickets. They were equipped with a BPS-2 air search radar in the sail and a BPS-3 height finder on a pedestal aft of the sail.^[2] Despite a 6,000 shp (4,500 kW) diesel plant, their surfaced speed was only a few knots more than the effective speed of their smaller predecessors, so they were incapable of effectively escorting carrier task forces.^[2] After the submarine radar picket role ended in 1961, they were reclassified as attack submarines (SS). In 1964-66 they were modernized under the FRAM II program, with Salmon temporarily receiving Regulus missile guidance equipment. Both received BQG-4 PUFFS fire control sonar at this time.^{[citation needed]}

Ships in class

^{[citation needed]}

Name	Hull number	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Period of service	Fate
Sailfish	SSR-572	Portsmouth Naval Shipyard	8 December 1953	7 September 1955	14 April 1956	29 September 1978	22.4	Redesignated SS-572 3 February 1962, expended as a target May 2007
Salmon	SSR-573		10 March 1954	25 February 1956	30 August 1958	1 October 1977	19.1	Redesignated SS-573 1 March 1961, expended as a target 5 June 1993