USS Narwhal (SS-167)

USS Narwhal (SS-167)
Ship name	USS Narwhal
Ship caption	USS Narwhal (SS-167)
Ship country	United States
Ship builder	Electric Boat Company
Ship laid down	26 March 1927
Ship launched	20 March 1929
Ship commissioned	3 May 1930
Ship decommissioned	16 December 1945
Ship fate	Sold for scrap 1946
Ship class	Narwhal-class submarine
Ship displacement	2,800 long tons (surfaced)
Ship length	379 ft 6 in (115.7 m)
Ship beam	33 ft 8 in (10.3 m)
Ship draft	16 ft 6 in (5.0 m)
Ship speed	20.5 kn (surface)
Ship range	12,000 nmi at 12 kn
Ship complement	79 officers and enlisted
Ship armament	6 × 21 in torpedo tubes, 4 × 3 in/50 cal guns
Ship propulsion	Diesel-electric with auxiliary Diesel for surface, electric motors submerged

USS Narwhal (SS-167) was a pioneering United States Navy submarine commissioned in 1930 and serving through World War II. Built by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut, she was the lead of her experimental class and notable for large size, significant range, and extensive battery capacity that influenced later fleet submarine development. Narwhal conducted prewar patrols, wartime combat operations in the Pacific Ocean, and postwar decommissioning that reflected rapid technological change in submarine design.

Design and Construction

Narwhal was designed during the interwar period when the United States Navy pursued long-range cruiser submarines to operate with the battle fleet and in distant stations such as the Philippine Islands and Cavite Navy Yard. The contract with Electric Boat Company produced a vessel incorporating innovations tested on earlier large submarines including the V-boat program and lessons from the London Naval Treaty. She featured an internal hull arrangement influenced by design work at Naval Research Laboratory and consultations with the Bureau of Construction and Repair and Bureau of Engineering. Laid down at Groton, Connecticut and launched in 1929, her trials involved coordination with Submarine Division 12 and evaluations at New London, Connecticut.

Specifications

Narwhal displaced roughly 2,800 long tons surfaced and had a length of about 379 ft, beam 33 ft, and draft 16 ft. Propulsion combined large diesel engines by General Motors subsidiaries and electric motors for submerged runs, with an auxiliary diesel-generator arrangement reminiscent of concepts from Admiral Thomas Hart’s era. She carried six 21-inch torpedo tubes and deck guns, with magazines sized for long deployments to locations such as Wake Island, Midway Atoll, and Guadalcanal. Her batteries were among the largest in US practice, reflecting lessons from experiments at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and testing protocols developed by Naval Submarine School. Crew accommodations and command facilities were planned to support extended patrols linked to Fleet Problem exercises and Asiatic Fleet operations.

Service History

After commissioning in May 1930 under Commander leadership, Narwhal joined peacetime operations in the Atlantic and Pacific, participating in fleet problems and war games with ships from Battle Fleet and squadrons of Scouting Force. She operated from bases including San Diego Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, and forward stations in the Philippines. During the 1930s she conducted training and goodwill visits to ports such as Panama Canal Zone, Honolulu, and Apra Harbor, Guam, contributing to US presence in the Western Pacific amid rising tensions involving Imperial Japan and regional incidents like the Second Sino-Japanese War.

World War II Operations

With the outbreak of hostilities in the Pacific War following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Narwhal performed war patrols, reconnaissance, and lifeguard duties, operating from forward bases such as Cavite Navy Yard and operating areas near Dutch East Indies, Solomon Islands, and the Philippine Sea. She conducted offensive patrols targeting Japanese shipping and provided support during actions connected to operations around Corregidor, Bataan, and later campaigns including Guadalcanal Campaign and Marianas operations. Narwhal’s range enabled long-duration patrols supporting logistical interdiction against convoys servicing Imperial Japanese Navy forward bases. Throughout wartime service she worked in concert with other submarine units such as Submarine Squadron 2 and coordinated with surface forces including elements of the United States Pacific Fleet.

Postwar Fate and Decommissioning

Following Japan’s surrender after the Surrender of Japan in 1945, Narwhal returned to US ports for inactivation. Declared surplus amid rapid demobilization and advancing Gato-class submarine and Balao-class submarine technology, she was decommissioned in December 1945 and struck from the list prior to sale. The vessel was sold for scrap in 1946, concluding a career emblematic of interwar experimentation and wartime adaptation. Her decommissioning paralleled postwar reorganizations such as establishment of the United States Maritime Commission’s peacetime disposal programs.

Legacy and Preservation

Although not preserved as a museum ship, Narwhal influenced subsequent United States submarine development through lessons in long-range endurance, battery capacity, and habitability that informed designs like the Gato-class submarine, Balao-class submarine, and later Tench-class submarine. Records of her service are found in archives maintained by institutions such as the Naval History and Heritage Command, the Smithsonian Institution, and naval museums at Newport News, San Diego, and Groton. Her operational history is referenced in studies of submarine warfare involving the Asiatic Fleet, analyses of the Pacific Theater (World War II), and biographies of commanders who served in the interwar submarine force. Narwhal remains a subject of interest for historians tracking the evolution of US undersea warfare doctrine during the 20th century.

Category:United States Navy submarines Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut Category:1929 ships Category:World War II submarines of the United States