USS ''Trumpetfish'' (SS-425), a , was the only ship of the

United States 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 ...

to be named for

trumpetfish The trumpetfishes are three species of highly specialized, tubularly-elongated marine fishes in the genus ''Aulostomus'', of the monogeneric family Aulostomidae. The trumpetfishes are members of the order Syngnathiformes, together with the Syngn ...

, any of several fishes so-called for their deep, compressed body and long, tubular snout. Her keel was laid down on 23 August 1943 at

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

by the Cramp Shipbuilding Company. She was launched on 13 May 1945 sponsored by Mrs. Oswald S. Colclough, and commissioned on 29 January 1946. ''Trumpetfish'' and are erroneously listed with the ''Tench'' class in some sources, as their hull numbers are in the sequence assigned to that class.

Pacific Fleet service

A combined shakedown and goodwill cruise to ports in the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

in the early spring of 1946 preceded the submarine's westward cruise to

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 ...

. Highlighting the ship's training operations in Hawaiian waters was her intentional torpedoing of the large s which had been captured at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Atlantic Fleet service

''Trumpetfish'' returned to the East Coast for local operations out of New London, Connecticut, and, late in 1946, was briefly based at Annapolis to conduct training cruises for

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

midshipmen. In the summer of 1947, as the ship underwent a

Greater Underwater Propulsive Power Program The Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program (GUPPY) was initiated by the United States Navy after World War II to improve the submerged speed, maneuverability, and endurance of its submarines. (The "Y" in the acronym was added for pronouncea ...

(GUPPY) conversion, her hull was streamlined, a snorkel system was added, and higher capacity batteries were installed. The net result of the conversion enhanced the ship's offensive capabilities and increased her maximum submerged speed. Attached to Submarine Squadron 4, based at

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 ...

, ''Trumpetfish'' conducted local operations and training exercises off the East Coast. In September 1953, she participated in

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

Exercise "Mariner" and then was deployed to the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

with the

Sixth Fleet The Sixth Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy operating as part of United States Naval Forces Europe and Africa. The Sixth Fleet is headquartered at Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. The officially stated mission of the Sixt ...

. After returning home, the ship operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean through 1955. Following duties out of Key West in January and February 1956, ''Trumpetfish'' proceeded to Guantanamo Bay for service with the Fleet Training Group. In July, the ship took part in midshipmen training cruises from

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, to Guantanamo Bay and back. In the fall of 1956, the ship joined a hunter-killer group for a deployment to Europe and the Middle East. Departing Norfolk on 1 October 1956, ''Trumpetfish'' sailed for European waters and participated in training exercises as she crossed the Atlantic. After calling at

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port, port city in the Finistère department, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of a peninsula and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an impor ...

, ''Trumpetfish'' suddenly received word of a crisis in the

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

Middle East deployment

President of Egypt The president of the Arab Republic of Egypt () is the executive head of state of Egypt and the de facto appointer of the official head of government under the Egyptian Constitution of 2014. Under the various iterations of the History of the Egypt ...

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...

had nationalized the previously British-owned

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

, and prevailing Arab-Israeli tensions had erupted into warfare while British and French troops attacked Egyptian positions. ''Trumpetfish'' made her best speed for

Suda Bay Souda Bay () is a bay and natural harbour near the town of Souda on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Crete. The bay is about 15 km long and only two to four km wide, and a deep natural harbour. It is formed between the Akrot ...

and joined the Sixth Fleet in peace-keeping missions in the eastern Mediterranean. With the cessation of hostilities, ''Trumpetfish'' resumed her Mediterranean cruise operating briefly with the Italian fleet before returning to Key West on 28 January 1957. The submarine conducted local operations out of her home port until 29 August, when she got underway for European waters and fall NATO exercises. Air, surface, and submarine forces of NATO nations engaged in tests and exercises to hone their capabilities to defend the NATO nations against possible aggression. After returning to Key West on 25 October, ''Trumpetfish'' operated out of that base conducting training and exercises into 1959. During her next Mediterranean deployment, she snorkeled through the

Strait of Bonifacio The Strait of Bonifacio (; ; ; ; ; ; ) is the strait between Corsica and Sardinia, named after the Corsican town Bonifacio. It is wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea from the western Mediterranean Sea. The strait is notorious among sailors for i ...

between

Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...

and

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

. In August 1959, as part of Atlantic Fleet dispersal plans, ''Trumpetfish''’s home port was changed to

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. During January and February 1960, the submarine took part in operations in the North Atlantic before briefly visiting

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. She subsequently participated in exercises in the western

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

, before a major refit at Charleston during 1961 modernized the ship to a

(GUPPY) III configuration. The alterations increased her capabilities by adding to her length, by giving her better weapons and electronics, and by extending her range.

Cuban Missile Crisis

''Trumpetfish'' resumed a schedule of local antisubmarine warfare operations out of Charleston, alternating deployments to the Mediterranean and duty with the Sixth Fleet. She participated in emergency operations during the tension precipitated by the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis () in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis (), was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of Nuclear weapons d ...

in October 1962. The submarine later participated in several inter-type fleet exercises in home waters and in the Caribbean. ''Trumpetfish'' underwent a routine yard period at Charleston before taking part in Exercises "Plumb Bob I" and "Minibox" in 1965. After a Mediterranean deployment in early 1966, the ship took part in "Plumb Bob II" and provided services for the

David Taylor Model Basin The David W. Taylor Model Basin (DTMB) is one of the largest ship model basins—test facilities for the development of ship design—in the world. DTMB is a field activity of the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center. History ...

Post Cuban Missile Crisis

Subsequently, assigned the primary mission of providing services for antisubmarine warfare forces, ''Trumpetfish'' stood ready to conduct

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

and reconnaissance missions as well. On 12 January 1970, the submarine departed Charleston for

Cape Kennedy Cape Canaveral () is a cape in Brevard County, Florida, in the United States, near the center of the state's Atlantic coast. Officially Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973, it lies east of Merritt Island, separated from it by the Banana River. It i ...

, provided services en route to submarine , and conducted type training exercises. A port visit to Cape Kennedy occupied 16 January to 18 January, before the submarine got underway for

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

, to provide services for the

Naval Ordnance Laboratory Test Facility A map of Naval Amphibious Training Base Solomons Naval Amphibious Training Base Solomons also called Naval Amphibious Training Base Solomons Island was a US Amphibious Training Base at Solomons, Maryland, on the Dowell Peninsula, from 1942 to 1 ...

(NOLTF) there. Ten days of local operations at the NOLTF preceded the ship's providing services for during the nuclear ballistic missile submarine's sea trials off the

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

coast from 6 February to 8 February. Subsequently, taking part in Operations "Springboard" and "Exotic Dancer III," ''Trumpetfish'' headed for

, and a yard overhaul which would last through the summer and fall and into December 1970. After the long overhaul, the submarine participated in type and refresher training off the East Coast before she headed for the Caribbean in the spring. Among her activities were those which provided services for the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen constituent states have a total population of over 84 ...

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

between 7 May and 14 May. The exchange of several crew members with the

Bundesmarine The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...

ship during this time provided a valuable and enlightening experience. On 5 June, after participating in a fleet

naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...

test, ''Trumpetfish'' commenced six weeks of pre-deployment upkeep, with sea trials from 12 July to 16 July. On 23 July, the submarine departed for South American waters and Operation "Unites XII." Joining Task Force (TF) 86, ''Trumpetfish'' arrived at

Cartagena, Colombia Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past role as a link in the route ...

, on 6 August, prior to transiting the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...

to proceed down the Pacific coast of South America. She crossed the equator on 20 August and made port at

Callao, Peru Callao () is a Peruvian seaside city and region on the Pacific Ocean in the Lima metropolitan area. Callao is Peru's chief seaport and home to its main airport, Jorge Chávez International Airport. Callao municipality consists of the whole Cal ...

, on 30 August. The ship operated with TF 86 for two weeks after the four-day port visit at Callao, before arriving at

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

, on 17 September. The submarine traversed the inland waterway and the

Strait of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and the Tierra del Fuego archipelago to the south. Considered the most important natura ...

and arrived at

Punta Arenas, Chile Punta Arenas (, historically known as Sandy Point in English) is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chilena. Although officially renamed as Magallanes in 1927, the name was changed back to Punta Arenas ...

, on 4 October. She conducted operations during "Unites XII" off the Atlantic coast of South America, with visits to March Del Plata, Argentina, and

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city wa ...

, before rejoining TF 86 at

La Guaira, Venezuela La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port, founded in 1577 as an outlet for nearby Caracas. The city hosts its own professional baseball team in the Venezuela ...

, on 2 December. Bidding farewell to the task force four days later, the ship sailed for Charleston and arrived at her home port on 17 December 1971. ''Trumpetfish'' remained with SubRon 4, operating out of Charleston through 1972. She deployed to the Caribbean again on 25 January 1973. Later conducting torpedo tests off

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

, the submarine operated with British

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

off

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...

, in May, before returning to Charleston on 30 January. Upkeep, type training, and services for Patrol Wing 11 in the

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, area preceded the ship's arrival at Charleston on 15 August to prepare for decommissioning.

Transfer to Brazilian Navy

On 15 October 1973, at Charleston, ''Trumpetfish'' was decommissioned, stricken from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

, and turned over to the Brazilian government. She was commissioned into the

Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...

as ''Goias'' (S-15) (named for Goias, the Brazilian state) with Commander Edouardo Russo her first commanding officer. ''Goias'' was deleted from the ''Marinha do Brasil'' on 16 April 1990.

References

External links

Maritimequest USS Trumpetfish SS-425 Photo Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trumpetfish (SS-425) Balao-class submarines Ships built by William Cramp & Sons 1945 ships World War II submarines of the United States Cold War submarines of the United States Balao-class submarines of the Brazilian Navy