"Carbonero" 
 A salt water fish occuring on both sides of the North Atlantic;
 in the Northwest Atlantic, they are most abundant on the western
Scotian Shelf and in the Gulf of Maine.


Pollachius virens
Commonly known as pollock

     Displacement 1,526 tons; 1ength 311'9"; beam 27'3"; draft 15'3"; speed. 20k.; original armament. 1 5" deck gun, 10 21" torpedo tubes; class "BALAO" 

     Carbonero (SS-337) was launched 19 October 1944 by Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn., sponsored by Mrs. S S. Murray and commissioned 7 February 1945, Commander C. L. Murphy in command. 

     Sailing from New London 21 March 1945, Carbonero served with the Fleet Sonar School at Key West, and conducted torpedo exercises at Balboa, C.Z., before arriving at Pearl Harbor 9 May. Her first war patrol conducted off Formosa from 26 May to 8 July, was devoted to lifeguard duty, standing by for possible rescue of aviators downed in carrier strikes. After refitting at Subic Bay, Carbonero cleared for the Gulf of Siam on 4 August, and cruising off the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, sank four schooners, two sampans, and two junks, some of the small remnants of the Japanese merchant fleet. This second war patrol ended with the cease fire order on 15 August, and Carbonero put back to Subic Bay. 

     Carbonero reported at Seattle, Wash., 22 September 1945 for operations on the west coast. After a simulated war patrol to the Far East early in 1947, she was assigned to the guided missile program, as a control vessel operating out of San Diego and Port Hueneme, Calif. Fitted to launch missiles in May 1949, and with a snorkel in 1951, Carbonero operated off Southern California, and occasionally in the Hawaiian Islands. From 1952 to 1957, the submarine performed important service in the evaluation of the "Regulus" missile. On 13 May 1957, her home port shifted to Pearl Harbor. From this base she made an Arctic familiarization cruise in 1957; and in 1958 and 1959-60, cruised to the Far East. She assisted in the training of forces of the Republic of Korea and of Japan, and called at ports of Japan and the Philippines during those deployments. 

     Carbonero received one battle star for service in World War II. One of her two war patrols was designated as "successful." 

    The USS Carbonero SS337 was a typical World War II type diesel submarine that was later modernized and equipped with a streamlined superstructure and a snorkle. Her keel was laid at Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut on December 16, 1943. She was launched on October 15, 1944, and commissioned on February 7, 1945. During the remaining months of World War II Carbonero participated in two successful war patrols. No major Japanese shipping was sighted in either the Gulf of Siam or the Formosan waters patrolled but a number of smaller craft were destroyed by Carbonero with gunfire.  
     When the war ended Carbonero was ordered to Seattle, Washington for training and upkeep. In the following months she participated in a variety of operations including two trips to the Orient.  

     In April 1947, Carbonero was ordered into the Submarine Guided Missile Program, joining her sister ship the USS Cusk SS348. Carbonero was fitted with control equipment which enabled her to guide a missile once is passed beyond the range of the firing ship. She performed in various phases of this program including the launching of Loon missiles and the evaluation of Regulus guidance equipment.  

     Late in 1951 Carbonero entered the Mare Island Naval shipyard and was converted to a streamlined snorkle equipped submarine. A snorkle is a retractable breathing tube that permits a submarine to take in and exhaust fresh air while submerged. This allows the ship to operate her diesel engines and to receive fresh air for prolonged periods while underwater.

       In 1953 guidance equipment for the Regulus I was installed so Carbonero could perform as a control platform.

     In May 1957 the Carbonero was transferred to Pearl Harbor where she became a part of Submarine Division 91. During July 1959, Submarine Division 91 was dissolved and Carbonero became the flagship of Submarine Division 12. From that time forward Carbonero took part in local operations in Hawaiian waters plus deployments to the Western Pacific, trips to the South Pacific and mainland United States.  

     Early in 1962 the Regulus missile guidance equipment was removed from Carbonero returning her to the standard "Fleet Snorkle" (GUPPY) configuration.  

     Carbonero participated in the 1962 Nuclear Tests in the Central Pacific off Christmas Island and Johnston Island entitled “Operation Dominic.” She specifically was on hand for the detonation of a warhead from a Polaris missile fired from the USS Ethan Allen SSBN608. Carbonero and the USS Medregal SS480 were at a range of about 30 miles from the detonation.  

     During the Vietnam War she again performed aviator lifeguard duties during trips to the Far East. 

     The USS Carbonero was decommissioned on December 1, 1970. On April 27, 1975, she was taken to sea for one last time and used as a test target for a Mark 48 torpedo fired by the USS Pogy SSN647. The Carbonero rests in Hawaiian waters at a depth of 2340 fathoms.  

     The USS Carbonero was 311 feet long and 27 feet wide with a displacement of 1880 tons. Her normal peacetime complement was eight officers and seventy-four enlisted men.