The USS Torsk: A Tench-class Submarine from War to Museum

In the city of Baltimore, the USS Torsk, a Tench-class submarine, rests at Pier 3 as part of the museum ship fleet of Historic Ships. Built for the United States Navy during World War II, the Torsk was part of a class of submarines that were incremental developments of the Gato-class. The vessel was laid down at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in June 1944, launched in September, and commissioned in mid-December 1944.

During World War II, Torsk made two war patrols off Japan. On 14 August 1945, it torpedoed a coastal defense frigate, which was the last enemy ship sunk by the United States Navy during the war. The submarine also sank a cargo vessel and a Kaibōkan. Following the war, Torsk operated primarily as a training vessel throughout the 1950s and 1960s, including deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and the Caribbean Sea to train elements of the Atlantic Fleet in anti-submarine tactics.

After being decommissioned in 1968, Torsk served as a training vessel at the Washington Naval Yard until 1971. It was then turned over to the state of Maryland for use as a museum ship. Today, it remains a preserved example of the Tench-class, the last submarine class to be built by the United States Navy during World War II. The vessel was named for the eponymous fish, the cod, and remains a significant piece of American naval heritage.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons