USS Blueback (SS-326)

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USS Blueback (SS-326) – Short Version

USS Blueback was a Balao-class submarine of the United States Navy, the first ship named for the blueback salmon. Built by Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, her keel was laid in July 1943, she was launched in May 1944, and she was commissioned in August 1944.

During World War II, Blueback carried out three war patrols in the South China Sea and Java Sea. She sank a 300-ton Japanese submarine chaser and eight smaller vessels, and performed lifeguard duties for Allied air strikes. She also rescued four airmen from a downed B-24 near Saipan and took part in operations around Java, including inserting a Z Special Unit operative as part of Operation Binatang.

After the war, Blueback returned to the United States and was eventually decommissioned and transferred to Turkey on 23 May 1948, where she served as TCG İkinci İnönü (D-2), later renumbered S-18 and S-331. In 1973 she was decommissioned and used as a non-commissioned battery-charging platform; in 1975 she was returned to the United States and sold for scrap.