Submarine Squadron 4 ( SUBRON 4, also known as CSS-4) is a

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

unit of submarines. Raised by the United States Navy in 1930, since 9 July 1997, the squadron has been based at the

Naval Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary United States Navy East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in Groton, Connecticut directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New L ...

Groton, Connecticut Groton ( ) is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located on the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River. It is the home of General Dynamics Electric Boat, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United St ...

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

Composition

The current submarines assigned to the squadron include: *

Los Angeles-class submarine The ''Los Angeles'' class of submarines are nuclear-powered fast attack submarines ( SSN) in service with the United States Navy. Also known as the 688 class (pronounced "six-eighty-eight") after the hull number of lead vessel , 62 were built ...

s **

USS Hartford (SSN-768) USS ''Hartford'' (SSN-768), a , is the second ship of the Navy to be named for Hartford, Connecticut. The contract to build her was awarded to the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation in Groton, Connecticut on 30 June 1988 and ...

* Virginia-class submarines ** USS California (SSN-781) ** USS North Dakota (SSN-784) ** USS Colorado (SSN-788) ** USS Indiana (SSN-789) ** USS South Dakota (SSN-790) ** USS Delaware (SSN-791) – Commissioned 4 April 2020 ** USS Vermont (SSN-792) – Commissioned 18 April 2020 ** USS Oregon (SSN-793) – Commissioned 28 May 2022

History

Pearl Harbor 1930 to 1945

In 1930, the squadron was raised at the

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

submarine base. Its commanding officers to 1945 included the following captains: * W. K. Wortman (1930 - 1932), * H. W. Osterhas (1932 - 1934), * R. A. Kock (1934 - 1936), * R. S. Culp (1936 - 1938), * Francis W. Scanland (1938 - November 1940), * Worrall R. Carter (November 1940 - 7 December 1941), * Freeland A. Daubin (7 December 1941 - 6 February 1942), * Robert H. English (19 March 1942 - 10 May 1942), * John M. Haines (18 May 1942 - 24 June 1942), * John H. Brown Jr. (14 July 1942 - 4 November 1943), * Charles D. Edmunds (12 May 1943 - 31 August 1943), * Leon J. Huffman (11 September 1943 - 27 September 1943), * Charles B. Momsen (12 November 1943 - 2 July 1944), * Clarence E. Aldrich (1 December 1943 - 27 December 1943), * Charles F. Erck (July 1944 - 12 October 1944) * William V. O'Regan (15 October 1944 - 24 May 1945) It was Captain Freeland Allan Daubin who was in command during the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

on 7 December 1941. While stationed there, the squadron comprised * Submarine Squadron 4 Headquarters, at Pear Harbour Submarine Base ** USS Litchfield (DD-336), underway south of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

– Tactical Flagship ** USS Widgeon (ASR-1) ** Submarine Division 41, at

Naval Base San Diego Naval Base San Diego is a United States Navy base in San Diego, California. It is the world's second largest surface ship naval base. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the United States Pacific Fleet, consisting of over 50 ships ...

, under

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

Forrest Marmaduke O'Leary *** USS S-18 (SS-123) (F) *** USS S-23 (SS-128) *** USS S-27 (SS-132), being overhauled at

Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...

*** USS S-28 (SS-133), being overhauled at Mare Island Naval Shipyard *** USS S-34 (SS-139) *** USS S-35 (SS-140) ** Submarine Division 42, at Pear Harbour Submarine Base, Commander Clifford Harris Roper *** USS Argonaut (SM-1) (F), on patrol in the vicinity of

Midway Atoll Midway Atoll (colloquialism, colloquial: Midway Islands; ; ) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the United States and is an Insular area#Unorganized unincorporated territories, unorganized and unincorpo ...

*** USS Narwhal (SS-167) (F) *** USS Nautilus (SS-168), at Mare Island Naval Shipyard ***

USS Dolphin (SS-169) USS ''Dolphin'' (SF-10/SC-3/SS-169), a submarine and one of the "V-boats", was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for that Dolphin, aquatic mammal. She also bore the name ''V-7'' and the classifications SF-10 and SC-3 prior t ...

*** USS Cachalot (SS-170) *** USS Cuttlefish (SS-171), being overhauled at Mare Island Naval Shipyard ** Submarine Division 43, at Pear Harbour Submarine Base, commanded by Commander Norman Seaton Ives *** USS Plunger (SS-179) (F), underway en-route from Mare Island Naval Shipyard *** USS Pollack (SS-180), underway en-route from Mare Island Naval Shipyard *** USS Pompano (SS-181), underway en-route from Mare Island Naval Shipyard On 13 January 1943, the command of Submarine Base Pearl Harbor and Submarine Squadron 4 were separated, due to the demands on each command by war time operations. As a result, Captain C. D. Edmunds relieved Captain J. H. Brown, Jr., as commanding officer of the submarine base. Captain Brown retained the command of the squadron. The commanding officer of the submarine base continued under the squadron commander until October 1945. At that time, the submarine force was reorganised and the base commander came directly under command of the Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

Key West 1945 to 1959

In about August 1945, the squadron began operations from

Key West, Florida Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...

, as part of the

U.S. Atlantic Fleet The United States Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) is a service component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U.S. forces. The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United Sta ...

. Commanding officers at Key West were Captains Edward S. Hutchinson (October 1945 to 12 March 1947) and Lawrence Randall Daspit (12 March 1947 to 1949). In December 1947, during Daspit's command, President

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

visited the base. While at Key West, the squadron included USS ''Howard W. Gilmore'' (AS-16), and USS ''Petrel'' (ASR-14). Submarines assigned to the squadron included the USS ''Clamagore'' (SS-343) which was the squadron flagship from January 1946 to 1 August 1959. The USS ''Sea Poacher'' (SS-406) was with the squadron from 1 June 1949 to 20 October 1969. The USS ''Thornback'' (SS-418) joined the squadron on 2 October 1953. She remained until she was reassigned to the Charleston Naval Base in 1959. Other submarines were the USS ''Quillback'' (SS-424); USS ''Trumpetfish'' (SS-425) (1953); USS'' Medregal ''(SS-480), which joined after the end of World War II; the USS ''Requin'' (SS-481) (joined 6 January 1946); USS'' Irex ''(SS-482) (1945 to 1947); USS ''Odax'' (SS-484); and USS ''Amberjack'' (SS-522). The ''Amberjack'' arrived in January 1948, and operated along the East Coast and in the West Indies for 11 years. On 23 April 1947, the former German USS U-3008 reported for duty at Key West with Submarine Squadron 4 and began working with the Operational Development Force. That duty involved the development of submarine and antisubmarine tactics and lasted until October 1947 when she returned to New London.

Charleston 1959 to 1995

In 1959, the squadron was moved to the Charleston Naval Base,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. Its new home port was Pier Mike. The move was part of a plan to disperse the Atlantic Fleet so it would be less vulnerable to

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

attack. The squadron soon came to be known as the ''Swamp Fox'' squadron. This was in reference to

Francis Marion Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General Francis Marion ( 1732 – February 27, 1795), also known as the "Swamp Fox", was an American military officer, planter, and politician who served during the French and Indian War and t ...

, an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

general nicknamed the ''Swamp Fox''. The squadron commanders at Charleston included: * Richard C. Latham (August 1959 - 27 October 1960) * Morton H. Lytle (27 October 1960 - TBD) * Phillip A. Beshany (TBD - 10 August 1962) * Murray F. Frazee, Jr. (10 August 1962 - July 1963) * Raymond W. Alexander (July 1963 - TBD) * George F. Morin (TBD - 5 July 1966) * Henry Hanssen (5 July 1966 - TBD) * R. G. Black (TBD - 11 October 1966) * Max C. Duncan (11 October 1966 - TBD) * William R. Banks (TBD - 11 October 1970) * John A Walsh (11 October 1970 - 1972) * Stan Anderson (1972 - 1974) * Al Baciocco (1974 - 1976) * Larry Burkhart (1976 - 1978) * Claude C. Cross (TBD-1980) * Thomas C. Maloney (TBD - 1980s) * James E. Collins (July 1982 - 8 August 1984) * William A. Owens (8 August 1984 - TBD) * Mario P. Fiori (July 1986 - June 1987) * John Jordan (June 1987 - August 1989) * Dennis Napior (July 1991 - July 1993) * Stanley R. Szemborski (July 1993 - Late 1995). Squadron tenders while at Charleston included USS ''Howard W. Gilmore'' (AS-16), USS'' Orion'' (AS-18), USS ''Frank Cable'' (AS-40), USS ''Canopus'' (AS-34), USS ''Ortolan'' (ASR-22), and USS ''Petrel'' (ASR-14). Submarines included USS ''Woodrow Wilson'' (SSBN-624), USS ''Tecumseh'' (SSBN-628), USS'' Sturgeon'' (SSN-637), USS'' Grayling ''(SSN-646), USS ''Ray'' (SSN-653), USS ''Sand Lance'' (SSN-660), USS ''Sea Devil'' (SSN-664), USS ''Seahorse'' (SSN-669), USS ''Narwhal'' (SSN-671), USS ''Bluefish'' (SSN-675), USS ''Billfish'' (SSN-676), USS'' Batfish'' (SSN-681), USS L.'' Mendel Rivers'' (SSN-686), USS ''Sunfish'' (SSN-649), and the

Barbel-class submarine The ''Barbel''-class submarines, the last diesel-electric propelled attack submarines built by the United States Navy, incorporated numerous, radical engineering improvements over previous classes. They were the first production warships built ...

USS'' Bonefish ''(SS-582). The

Base Realignment and Closure Commission Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was a process by a Federal government of the United States, United States federal government commission to increase the efficiency of the United States Department of Defense by coordinating the realignment and ...

announced on 26 February 1993 that the

Charleston Naval Shipyard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. ...

would be closed. The squadron was deactivated in late 1995 just prior to the official closure of Charleston Naval Shipyard on 1 April 1996.

Reactivation at Groton, Connecticut

On 9 July 1997, the squadron was reactivated at Naval Submarine Base Groton in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. From July 1997, commanders included: * Carl V. Mauney (9 July 1997 - 16 April 1999) * Melvin G. Williams, Jr. (16 April 1999 - 8 September 2000) * George E. Manaskie (8 September 2000 - 26 July 2002) * David E. Eyler (26 July 2002 - 29 April 2004) * Robert H. Perry (29 April 2004 – July 2006) * Richard P. Breckenridge (July 2006 - 27 June 2008) * Robert E. Clark II (27 June 2008 - 9 April 2010) * Mike Bernacchi (9 April 2010 - 13 January 2012) * Michael Holland (13 January 2012 - 30 August 2013) * Jim Waters (30 August 2013 - 31 July 2015) * John McGunnigle (31 July 2015 - June 2021) * John Stafford (June 2021 – Present) From 1997, boats assigned to the squadron included USS ''Trepang'' (SSN-674), USS ''Billfish'' (SSN-676), USS ''City of Corpus Christi'' (SSN-705), USS ''Providence'' (SSN-719), USS ''Miami'' (SSN-755), USS ''Annapolis'' (SSN-760), USS ''Springfield'' (SSN-761), USS ''Hartford'' (SSN-768), USS ''New Hampshire'' (SSN-778), USS ''New Mexico'' (SSN-779), USS ''Missouri'' (SSN-780), and the USS ''Mississippi'' (SSN-782).

References

External links

Submarine Squadron Four official homepage.
United States Navy.

United States Navy.
''All Hands'' magazine archive (1922-2013).
{{United States Navy Submarine squadrons Submarine squadrons of the United States Navy Military units and formations established in 1930