View source for USS Threadfin

{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USS Threadfin;0841003.jpg|300px|Threadfin's sailors line the deck, possibly at the naval base at Staten Island, N.Y., 22 September 1945.]]
|Ship caption=''Threadfin''{{'}}s sailors line the deck, possibly at the naval base at Staten Island, N.Y., 22 September 1945.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1972}}
|Ship name=USS ''Threadfin'' (SS-410)
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]], [[Kittery, Maine]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">{{cite book
  | last = Friedman
  | first = Norman
  | authorlink =
  | title = U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History
  | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]]
  | date = 1995
  | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]]
  | pages = 285–304
  | url =
  | doi =
  | isbn = 1-55750-263-3 }}</ref>
|Ship laid down=18 March 1944<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship launched=26 June 1944<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=30 August 1944<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship decommissioned=10 December 1952<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship recommissioned=7 August 1953<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship decommissioned=18 August 1972<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=1 August 1973<ref name="Register">{{cite book
  | last = Bauer
  | first = K. Jack
  | authorlink =
  |author2=Roberts, Stephen S.
   | title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants
  | publisher = Greenwood Press
  | date = 1991
  | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]]
  | pages = 275–280
  | url =
  | doi =
  | isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}</ref>
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=Transferred to [[Turkey]], 18 August 1972, sold to Turkey 1 August 1973<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship status=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Turkey
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Turkey|naval}}
|Ship name=TCG ''1. İnonu'' (S 346)
|Ship namesake=[[First Battle of İnönü]], And [[İsmet İnönü]]
|Ship acquired=18 August 1972
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship still in active service
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship fate=
|Ship status=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(As completed)
|Ship class={{sclass|Balao|submarine|0}} [[diesel-electric]] [[submarine]]<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship displacement=*1,526&nbsp;[[long ton|ton]]s (1,550&nbsp;[[tonne|t]]) surfaced<ref name="Register"/>
*2,401&nbsp;tons (2,440&nbsp;t) submerged<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship length={{convert|311|ft|8|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship beam={{convert|27|ft|3|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship draft={{convert|16|ft|10|in|abbr=on}} maximum<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship propulsion={{Fleet-boat-propulsion-late-FM-2-E}}
|Ship speed=*{{convert|20.25|kn|km/h|0|lk=in}} surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 305-311</ref>
*{{convert|8.75|kn|km/h|0}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship range={{convert|11000|nmi|km}} surfaced at 10 knots (19 km/h)<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship endurance=*48 hours at {{convert|2|kn|km/h}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
*75 days on patrol
|Ship test depth={{convert|400|ft|m|-1|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship complement=10 officers, 70–71 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Fleet-boat-armament-5-inch}}
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=(Guppy IIA)
|Ship class=none
|Ship displacement=*1,848&nbsp;tons (1,878&nbsp;t) surfaced<ref name="FriedmanSubs2-chap2">{{cite book
  | last = Friedman
  | first = Norman
  | authorlink =
  | title = U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History
  | publisher = [[United States Naval Institute]]
  | date = 1994
  | location = [[Annapolis, Maryland]]
  | pages = 11–43
  | url =
  | doi =
  | isbn = 1-55750-260-9 }}</ref>
*2,440&nbsp;tons (2,479&nbsp;t) submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs2-chap2"/>
|Ship length={{convert|307|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs2-specs">''U.S. Submarines Since 1945'' pp. 242</ref>
|Ship beam={{convert|27|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs2-specs"/>
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|17|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs2-specs"/>
|Ship propulsion=*[[Submarine snorkel|Snorkel]] added<ref name="FriedmanSubs2-chap2"/>
*One diesel engine and generator removed <ref name="FriedmanSubs2-chap2"/>
*Batteries upgraded to ''Sargo'' II <ref name="FriedmanSubs2-chap2"/>
|Ship speed=*Surfaced:
*{{convert|17.0|kn|mph km/h|1}} maximum
*{{convert|13.5|kn|mph km/h|1}} cruising
*Submerged:
*{{convert|14.1|kn|mph km/h|1}} for ½ hour
*{{convert|8.0|kn|mph km/h|1}} snorkeling
*{{convert|3.0|kn|mph km/h|1}} cruising <ref name="FriedmanSubs2-chap2"/>
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth=
|Ship complement=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*10 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s
*&nbsp;(six forward, four aft)<ref name="FriedmanSubs2-specs"/>
*all guns removed<ref name="FriedmanSubs2-chap2"/>
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Threadfin'' (SS-410)''', a {{sclass|Balao|submarine}}, was the only vessel of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for the [[threadfin]].

''Threadfin'' was laid down on 18 March 1944 at the [[Portsmouth Navy Yard]] in [[Kittery, Maine]]. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 26 June 1944 sponsored by Mrs. Frank G. Fox, and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 30 August 1944.

Training and trials out of Portsmouth followed her final completion late in September. After transiting the [[Panama Canal]] in mid-November, the submarine reached [[Pearl Harbor]] early in December and conducted intensive training in preparation for her first war patrol.

== First war patrol ==

''Threadfin'' stood out of Pearl Harbor on 25 December. Early in January 1945, she reached her assigned patrol area in the waters just south of [[Kyūshū]]. There, she spent 30 of her 54 days at sea. She encountered numerous enemy aircraft, patrol craft, and fishing vessels, but only six targets worthy of a [[torpedo]].

On 30 January, ''Threadfin'' sighted a large enemy patrol craft, but prudently allowed her to pass unmolested in the hope of drawing a bead on any merchant vessels for which she might be running interference. Presently, a 2000-ton coastal freighter escorted by two patrol vessels and a plane crossed her path. ''Threadfin'' fired a spread of six torpedoes from a range of about {{convert|2900|yd|m}}. At least one of them struck home, obscuring the target in smoke and steam. The cargoman probably sank; but ''Threadfin'' could not verify that result visually because the escorts drove her deep with a persistent, though ineffective, [[depth charge]] attack.

Two days later, the submarine encountered a Japanese {{sclass|Ro-60|submarine|2}}. However, the enemy's course changes kept ''Threadfin'' from gaining an advantageous attack setup, and the Japanese "pig-boat" disappeared in the distance.  ''Threadfin'' next happened upon two freighters escorted by three patrol craft. This time, the small convoy's position close inshore defied the American submarine's efforts to attack.

The following day, she mistook another patrol vessel for a cargo ship and discovered her mistake in just enough time to make a deep dive to safety. That escapade also robbed her of a chance at a small convoy consisting of two small cargomen and two escorts. She sighted the convoy later when she returned to [[periscope depth]]; but, by then the ships had passed out of range. A week later, she launched six torpedoes at a [[minesweeper (ship)|minesweeper]] {{convert|2500|yd|m}} distant. In spite of an excellent fire-control solution, all six missed.  They apparently ran too deeply. Three days later, she concluded a somewhat discouraging, but still successful, first war patrol at [[Midway Island]].

== Second war patrol ==

Following a month there for refit and training, ''Threadfin'' embarked upon her second war patrol on 14 March.  She initially joined a coordinated attack group composed of herself, and submarines {{USS|Sea Dog|SS-401|2}} and {{USS|Trigger|SS-237|2}}. During her five-day tour with that [[wolf pack (submarines)|wolf pack]], ''Threadfin'' made two attacks on enemy shipping. On the afternoon of 28 March, she came across two Japanese [[destroyer escort]]-type warships and apparently dispatched one with a single hit from a spread of six torpedoes. The stricken warship's screws stopped while her colleague's [[depth charge]] attack deprived ''Threadfin'' of definite knowledge of the ultimate result. That evening, the submarine tangled with a convoy composed of two small trawlers and four luggers. During the ensuing surface gun engagement, the submarine inflicted serious damage on two of the luggers, moderate damage on the trawlers, and minor damage on the remaining pair of luggers. Though disconcerting, the Japanese return fire proved ineffectual.

On 31 March, that group was dissolved, and ''Threadfin'' received orders to join {{USS|Hackleback|SS-295|2}} and {{USS|Silversides|SS-236|2}} near [[Bungo Suido]], the primary entrance to the [[Seto Inland Sea]] which separates [[Honshū]] from [[Kyūshū]] and [[Shikoku]]. The new attack group's primary assignment was to guard against an undetected sortie of the remainder of Japan's fleet during the Allied assault on [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]]. On the evening of 6 April, ''Threadfin'' made radar contact with what later proved to be an [[Operation Ten-Go|enemy task force]] built around Japan's super [[battleship]], {{ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}}. Passing up a tempting opportunity in order to carry out her prime directive, ''Threadfin'' flashed the warning to [[United States Fifth Fleet|Fifth Fleet]] headquarters afloat off Okinawa.

Completing that phase of her mission, the submarine tried desperately to regain attack position on the force, but its speed denied her a second chance. On the whole, however, her radio was probably more valuable than her torpedoes would have been. Her timely warning enabled the planes of Task Force 58 to ambush and sink ''Yamato'' and to destroy most of her consorts as well.

A second mission of the submarine consisted of lifeguard duty to rescue downed American airmen. Her first war patrol afforded her no opportunity to pursue such a humane mission; but, near the end of the second she rescued a half-drowned [[P-51 Mustang]] pilot. Though he had swallowed large quantities of water, artificial respiration soon brought him around. That proved to be the last noteworthy event of the patrol; and, after a refueling stop at Midway on 30 April, ''Threadfin'' concluded her second war patrol at Pearl Harbor on 4 May.

== Third war patrol ==

At Pearl Harbor, she underwent refit followed by a brief four-day training period before departing on her third and final war patrol. She stopped briefly at Guam for voyage repairs; then continued on to her assigned area in the [[Yellow Sea]] and the [[East China Sea]]. She closed her first victim, a three-masted [[schooner]], to inspect her and determine her nationality. Finding her to be enemy-operated and worthy of attack, the submarine opened up with her five-inch (127&nbsp;mm) deck gun. Fifteen hits later, the schooner vanished beneath the waves. ''Threadfin'' rescued nine crewmen from the schooner and learned that her victim had been bound for [[Dairen]] laden with [[coal]]. The next day, the submarine encountered a freighter sunk in shallow water and surrounded by small boats, apparently conducting some variety of salvage operations. She fired a single torpedo which caused the wreck to settle a further ten feet and which she hoped would suspend the suspected salvage operations. Closer inspection, however, indicated that the boats were fishing, not conducting salvage operations.

Soon thereafter, ''Threadfin'' sighted a four-masted cargo schooner and sank her in a gun attack. The following afternoon, her deck gun accounted for another cargo schooner. On the 19th, <!-- June or July? --> she stopped a group of five two-masted cargo junks for inspection but allowed them to continue their voyage after identifying them as friendly Chinese. The next night, she made a surface radar torpedo attack on an enemy ship shrouded by heavy fog. She loosed a spread of five torpedoes, of which two found their mark.  The target sank within five minutes without ever being visually sighted from ''Threadfin''.

The submarine concluded her offensive operations near the [[Strait of Tsushima]]. After a day of submerged patrolling without sighting a worthwhile target, she received word that night that submarine {{USS|Sea Robin|SS-407|2}} had come upon a patrol craft heading north and four small cargomen heading south. While ''Sea Robin'' took on the patrol craft, ''Threadfin'' hit the small convoy. During the ensuing night gun action, she sank two of the four tiny merchantmen and forced the other two into ''Sea Robin''’s path.  The two American submarines dispatched all four. On the return trip from her final war patrol, ''Threadfin'' rescued three survivors from a downed American flying boat and took them to Guam where she arrived on 27 July.

== Post-war activities ==

From 27 July to 12 August, the submarine refitted at Guam in preparation for her fourth war patrol, but that patrol never occurred. While she conducted post-refit training, the Japanese capitulation ended hostilities. On 18 August, she got underway from Guam to return to the [[United States]]. She transited the [[Panama Canal]] on 16 September and reported for duty with the [[United States Atlantic Fleet|Atlantic Fleet]].  Six days later, she tied up at the naval base at [[Staten Island, New York]].

The balance of ''Threadfin''’s 28-year career proved to be routine in nature. Initially, she operated out of [[New London, Connecticut]], serving as a training platform for the officers and men learning the ropes at the Submarine School.  That duty apparently lasted until December 1952, at which time the submarine was decommissioned to enter the [[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]] for an extended conversion overhaul.

Over the next eight months, ''Threadfin'' received extensive modifications in an effort to make her more effective in underwater operations—more truly a submarine than simply a submersible. When she emerged from the shipyard the following summer, her hull had been streamlined and her sail modified. In addition, she lost one of her four diesel engines to make room for auxiliary equipment displaced by an expanded sonar facility. Finally, her underwater performance was boosted by the installation of two "greater capacity" [[battery (electricity)|batteries]]—they actually produced the same power as the old style batteries but in a smaller, lighter physical plant—and a [[Submarine snorkel|snorkel]] for extended submerged cruising.

At the completion of her [[Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program]] (GUPPY) conversion, ''Threadfin'' was recommissioned at Portsmouth on 7 August 1953. In October, she conducted her post-conversion shakedown cruise and, early the following month, reported for duty as a unit of Submarine Squadron 4 at [[Key West, Florida]].

Over the remaining 19 years of her career, ''Threadfin'' operated off the East Coast. She participated in several exercises each year and frequently conducted summer training cruises for [[United States Naval Academy]] and N[[ROTC]] midshipmen. Though based in Key West, she made visits to ports on the [[Gulf of Mexico]] such as [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], and often ventured north to [[New London, Connecticut]]. In October 1962, she participated in [[President of the United States]] [[John F. Kennedy]]'s quarantine of [[Cuba]] during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]. The following summer, the submarine made what, on the basis of sparse records, appears to be her only post-war overseas deployment with the [[U.S. 6th Fleet|Sixth Fleet]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]].  Actually, Threadfin made two 6th Fleet deployments of about 4 months each in 1970 and 1972.  At the end of the 1972 deployment she was loaned to Turkey and did not return to the USA.  The turnover occurred in Izmir.

==Turkish Navy service==
{{other ships| TCG Birinci İnönü}}
After successive years of routine operations in the [[Caribbean Sea]] and [[Atlantic Ocean]], ''Threadfin'' was placed out of commission on 18 August 1972 and transferred to [[Turkey]] that same day. She served in the [[Turkish Navy]], on loan, as '''TCG ''Birinci İnönü'' (S346)''' ("First Inonu") until the following summer. She was the third submarine of that name and commemorated the Turkish victory at the [[First Battle of İnönü]] in January 1921. On 1 August 1973, her name was struck from the American [[Naval Vessel Register]]. Two weeks later, the loan expired, she was returned to the [[United States Navy]], and sold to [[Turkey]].<ref>Gardiner, Robert, '' Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1982, Pt I: The Western Powers'' (1982) Naval Institute Press, Annapolis {{ISBN|978-0851772257}} p121</ref> In mid-1998 she was still in active service in the Turkish Navy. She has reportedly been decommissioned since then.

==Honors and awards==
''Threadfin'' was awarded three [[battle star]]s for [[World War II]] service.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/threadfin.html}}
{{refend}}

{{Balao class submarine|others}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Threadfin (SS-410)}}
[[Category:Balao-class submarines]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kittery, Maine]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Turkish Navy]]
[[Category:Balao-class submarines of the Turkish Navy]]