View source for USS Argonaut (SS-475)

{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
{{other ships|USS Argonaut|HMCS Rainbow}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=May 2010}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Argonaut (SS-475) 22 July 1963.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''Argonaut'' off the [[United States East Coast]] on 22 July 1963.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1968}}
|Ship name=USS ''Argonaut''
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]], [[Kittery, Maine]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History|publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]]|year=1995|location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]]|pages=285–304|isbn=1-55750-263-3}}</ref>
|Ship laid down=28 June 1944<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship launched=1 October 1944<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship commissioned=15 January 1945<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship decommissioned=2 December 1968<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Ship identification=SS-475
|Ship struck=2 December 1968<ref name="Register">{{cite book|last=Bauer|first=K. Jack|author2=Roberts, Stephen S. |title=Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=1991|location=[[Westport, Connecticut]]|pages=280–282|isbn=0-313-26202-0}}</ref>
|Ship fate=Transferred to [[Canada]], 2 December 1968<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=HMCS Rainbow (SS-75).jpg
|Ship caption=HMCS ''Rainbow''
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Canada
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Canada|naval}}
|Ship name=HMCS ''Rainbow''
|Ship acquired=1968
|Ship commissioned=2 December 1968
|Ship decommissioned=31 December 1974
|Ship identification=SS 75
|Ship fate=Scrapped in 1977
|Ship badge=Argent, a rainbow trout proper issuant from waves of water<ref>Arbuckle, p. 100</ref>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Ship class={{sclass|Tench|submarine|0}} [[Diesel-electric transmission|diesel-electric]] [[submarine]]<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship displacement={{convert|1,570|long ton|t|lk=on}} surfaced,<ref name="Register"/> 2,414 tons (2,453 t) submerged<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship length={{convert|311|ft|8|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship beam={{convert|27|ft|4|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship draft={{convert|17|ft|0|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=on}} 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 {{convert|10|kn|km/h|abbr=on}}<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, 71 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Fleet-boat-armament-5-inch-28-torps}}
}}
|}
'''USS ''Argonaut'' (SS-475)''' was a {{sclass|Tench|submarine}} operated by the [[United States Navy]] (USN). Constructed at [[Portsmouth Navy Yard]] during the second half of 1944, ''Argonaut'' was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] into the USN in 1945 and operated against [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] during the final year of [[World War II]], although her only contact with the Japanese was when she sank a [[junk (ship)|junk]] in August. During the 1950s, the submarine was modified for greater underwater endurance, and to guide the [[Regulus I missile]]. From 1963 to 1965, ''Argonaut'' operated in the Mediterranean Sea.

The submarine was sold to Canada in 1968, commissioned into [[Royal Canadian Navy|Maritime Command]] as '''HMCS ''Rainbow'' (SS 75)''', and operated until the end of 1974. The submarine was returned to the United States, and scrapped in 1977.

==US service==
''Argonaut'' was [[Keel laying|laid down]] at [[Portsmouth Navy Yard]] at [[Kittery, Maine]] on 28 June 1944. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 1 October 1944 sponsored by Mrs. Allan R. McCann and commissioned on 15 January 1945, [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] John S. Schmidt in command.

[[File:USS Argonaut (SS-475) May 1945.jpg|thumb|left|USS ''Argonaut'' as she originally appeared, seen at the [[Panama Canal Zone]] during training in May 1945.]]''Argonaut'' held shakedown in the Portsmouth area and in [[Narragansett Bay]] and returned briefly to Portsmouth on 27 March for post-shakedown availability. She then sailed on 14 April for [[Key West, Florida]], where she conducted special tests for lighter-than-air craft and training operations with the Fleet Sound School. ''Argonaut'' departed the [[Florida]] coast on 13 May to transit the [[Panama Canal]] en route [[Hawaii]]. Reaching [[Pearl Harbor]] on 11 June, the submarine spent two weeks in repairs and training exercises before beginning her first war patrol on 28 June.

She made a fuel stop at [[Saipan]] on 10 July and then proceeded to the [[Formosa Strait]] and the East China and Yellow Seas to search for enemy shipping. On 16 July, ''Argonaut'' spotted a downed aviator, picked him up, and later transferred him to {{USS|Quillback|SS-424|2}}. Her only contact with Japanese vessels during the patrol came on 12 August, when ''Argonaut'' sank a 25-ton [[junk (ship)|junk]] with fire from her 40&nbsp;mm and 20&nbsp;mm guns, her only combat action. She terminated her patrol at [[Guam]] on 21 August, six days after Japan capitulated, ending World War II.

===Post-war===
''Argonaut'' departed [[Guam]] on 1 September and proceeded, via Pearl Harbor and the Panama Canal, to the Naval Frontier Base at [[Tompkinsville, New York]]. She arrived in New York on 4 October but continued on to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for an overhaul. Early in 1946, ''Argonaut'' was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and was based at Panama. While en route to Panama, ''Argonaut'' collided with [[light cruiser]]  {{USS|Honolulu|CL-48|2}} off the [[United States East Coast]] between [[New York City]] and [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]] during a heavy fog. ''Honolulu'' sustained minor damage but ''Argonaut'' sustained major damage; with {{convert|40|ft|m}} of the bow bent completely around and facing aft. The submarine was in for major repairs for many months at [[New London, Connecticut]]. Later in 1946, ''Argonaut'' became a unit of Submarine Squadron 2 (SubRon 2) based at [[New London, Connecticut]].

In July 1952, ''Argonaut'' underwent a major conversion as part of the [[Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program#Fleet Snorkel Program|Fleet Snorkel program]] at the [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]], during which she received a [[Submarine snorkel|snorkel]] system and a streamlined sail. These changes gave the submarine greater submerged speed and range. ''Argonaut'' was one of the few Fleet Snorkel submarines to retain her 5-inch deck gun, until it was removed by 1957.

''Argonaut'' operated from New London until July 1955, when she was reassigned to SubRon 6 at [[Norfolk, Virginia]]. Following this move, ''Argonaut'' was converted to a guided missile submarine armed with a [[Regulus I missile]].

In 1958, ''Argonaut''{{'}}s home port was changed to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]], where she remained for a year, engaged primarily in missile operations as guidance submarine for [[Regulus missile]]s. The submarine returned to Norfolk, Virginia in 1959. During an overhaul in early 1960, ''Argonaut''{{'}}s missile equipment was removed. When the alterations were completed, the submarine resumed her routine of supporting antisubmarine warfare (ASW) training operations out of Norfolk.

On 15 October 1962, ''Argonaut'' performed duties in conjunction with the [[United States embargo against Cuba|naval quarantine of Cuba]]. She then had a routine overhaul at the [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard]]. The yard work was completed on 13 May 1963, and the submarine sailed to the New London area for refresher training. After further training in the [[Virginia Capes]] area, she got underway on 19 August for the Mediterranean and service with the [[United States Sixth Fleet|6th Fleet]]. Her ports of call during the deployment included [[Gibraltar]]; [[Suda Bay|Suda Bay, Crete]]; [[Rhodes (city)|Rhodes]], Greece; [[İzmir]], Turkey; [[Toulon]], France and [[Marseille]], France; [[Sanremo]], Italy and [[Naples]], Italy. The submarine returned to home port on 15 December.

''Argonaut'' continued her routine of operations along the U.S. east coast with periodic deployments to the Mediterranean. On 1 December 1965 ''Argonaut'' commenced overhaul at the [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard]]. ''Argonaut'' left the shipyard on 10 June 1966 for sea trials, and on 20 January headed for New London for refresher training. She then provided services to the submarine school at New London through the remainder of 1966.

The submarine moved to Norfolk early in 1967, but left the Virginia Capes area on 9 January, bound for San Juan, Puerto Rico. ''Argonaut'' took part in Operation "Springboard" through the rest of January and most of February before leaving the Caribbean on 23 February to return to Norfolk, arriving there five days later. For the next two months, ''Argonaut'' prepared for a North Atlantic and Mediterranean cruise. She sailed on 26 May and made her first port call at [[Trondheim]], Norway. The submarine also visited [[Cuxhaven]], Germany; [[Leith]], Scotland; [[Rota, Andalusia|Rota]], Spain; Naples, Italy; and [[Valletta]], Malta, before returning to her home port on 20 September. She remained in the local operating area through the duration of the year.

The submarine traveled to New London on 6 February 1968 and was in drydock there from 9 to 26 February, returning to Norfolk on 27 February. She made a patrol in the [[Jacksonville, Florida]] operating area in mid-March and put in at [[Port Everglades, Florida]] on 22 March. Three days later the submarine got underway for her home port. Upon her arrival in Norfolk on 29 March, she assumed a schedule of local operations. This was interrupted by another cruise to Port Everglades in October. She returned that month to Norfolk and began preparations for deactivation. ''Argonaut'' was decommissioned on 2 December, and her name was struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] that same day.

==Canadian service==
In 1968 ''Argonaut'' was put up for sale by the United States. Offered to the Royal Canadian Navy, the US Navy gave Maritime Command five weeks to decide if they wanted the submarine.<ref name=ferguson273>Ferguson, p.273</ref> ''Argonaut'' was similar to the submarine {{HMCS|Grilse|SS 71|6}} already on loan from the United States, but significantly upgraded. The purchase was approved after Maritime Command said that ''Grilse'' was no longer fit for service and Canada needed a replacement for training purposes.<ref name=ferguson273/><ref>Milner, p.257</ref>

Canada purchased the hull outright for $153,000 and modernized the submarine at [[Esquimalt, British Columbia]] for $2.5 million.{{Clarify|date=July 2023|reason=US or Canadian dollars (here and elsewhere)?}} In November 1968 the submarine was prepared for departure from Norfolk, Virginia. ''Argonaut'' was in poor condition however, with only one of her four diesel engines in working condition, her electrical generator unusable and the boat was leaking.<ref name=ferguson273/>

The boat was commissioned on 2 December 1968 as HMCS ''Rainbow'' (SS 75) and sailed for Esquimalt with only two engines working.<ref name=ferguson273/><ref name=mac267>Macpherson and Barrie, p.267</ref> The submarine caught fire twice while ''en route'' to British Columbia, and upon arrival was refused entry into port due to unpaid taxes and customs duty on her purchase. Once the government had paid the $12,000 owing, ''Rainbow'' entered Esquimalt and began her refit. The modernization took eight months, after which ''Rainbow'' took up ''Grilse'''s anti-submarine warfare training on the West Coast.<ref name=ferguson273/>

''Rainbow'' was decommissioned on 31 December 1974 due to budget cuts and her need for a refit.<ref name=ferguson274>Ferguson, p.274</ref><ref>Milner, p.273</ref> Maritime Command kept the submarine in reserve, laid up until 1976, hoping to return her to service. However, in 1976, the boat was returned to the United States and scrapped at [[Portland, Oregon]] in 1977 for $213,687.<ref name=ferguson274/>

==Legacy==

There is a detailed 1/100 scale model of ''Argonaut'' in the [[Submarine Force Museum]] in [[Groton, Connecticut]].{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

==Awards==
*[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with one battle star
*[[World War II Victory Medal]]
*[[Navy Occupation Medal]] with "EUROPE" clasp
*[[National Defense Service Medal]] with bronze service star

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last=Arbuckle |first=J. Graeme |date=1987 |title=Badges of the Canadian Navy |publisher=Nimbus Publishing |location=Halifax, Nova Scotia |isbn=0-920852-49-1}}
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/argonaut-ii.html}}
* {{cite book |last=Ferguson |first=Julie H. |date=1995 |title=Through a Canadian Periscope: The Story of the Canadian Submarine Service |url=https://archive.org/details/throughcanadianp0000ferg |url-access=registration |publisher=Dundurn Press |location=Toronto |isbn=1-55002-217-2}}
* {{cite book |last=Macpherson |first=Ken |last2=Barrie |first2=Ron |date=2002 |title=The Ships of Canada's Naval Forces 1910–2002 |edition=Third |publisher=Vanwell Publishing |location=St. Catharines, Ontario |isbn=1-55125-072-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Milner |first=Marc |date=2010 |title=Canada's Navy: The First Century |edition=Second |publisher=University of Toronto Press |location=Toronto |isbn=978-0-8020-9604-3}}

{{Tench class submarine|others}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Argonaut (Ss-475)}}
[[Category:Tench-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:Tench-class submarines of the Canadian Forces]]