USS Lionfish, Battleship Cove - Fall River, MA
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member NorStar
N 41° 42.395 W 071° 09.766
19T E 320059 N 4619459
The USS Lionfish, now with a group of ships on display at Battleship Cove, saw action in the last year of WWII and served as a training vessel before being stricken from the register for the last time.
Waymark Code: WMEGYX
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/29/2012
Published By:Groundspeak Regular Member C4A
Views: 11

In Fall River, at a museum known as Battleship Cove, is an exhibit of retired warships, including the USS Lionfish, a Balao Class submarine that saw action in WWII.

The USS Lionfish is located in the middle of the flotilla of ships. You have to cross the deck of the USS Kennedy to get to the deck of the sub. The sub is a long black vessel with a tower toward the forward end of the ship. You enter the ship at the front stairway to the forward torpedo room, then walk straight through the single person width corridor to the rear torpedo room and out. From there, you can go back to the USS Kennedy, or cross over to the Hiddensee, a former East German/Russian ship.

Some Specs:
Length: 311 ft 6 in (94.95 m)
Beam: 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
Propulsion: Diesel-Electric
Test Depth: 400 ft (120 m)
Torpedos: 10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
(six forward, four aft)
24 torpedoes

The USS Lionfish (SS-298) was launched on 11/7/1943 from the Cramp Shipbuilding Company in Philadelphia (or Portsmouth Naval Shipyard - Wikipedia wasn't specific), and commissioned on November 1, 1944. After the shakedown off New England, the sub went to the Pacific Ocean to patrol the waters. The sub avoided two torpedos launched at it from a Japanese submarine. The sub sank a Japanese schooner and rescued B-29 pilots before the war ended. After the war the Lionfish was decommissioned at Mare Island Navy yard in New York on 1/16/1946. The ship was recommissioned on 1/31/1951 for training cruises including exercises with NATO allied ships and along the east coast, before being decommissioned at the Charlestown (Boston) Navy Yard 12/15/1953. In 1960 the sub was recommissioned again and used for training exercises around Providence, RI. In 1971, the sub was stricken from the register.

In 1973, the ship was included in Battleship Cove in Fall River. The ship is part of a military museum that features the battleship, USS Massachusetts, and several other warships. Admission hours, directions, and prices are on the web site. In general, the museum is on Water Street, directly under the I-195 bridge between Fall River and Somerset.

Sources:

Battleship Cove:
(visit link)

Wikipedia (USS Lionfish):
(visit link)
Type of vessel: Balao Class Submarine

Hours of use: From: 9:00 AM To: 4:00 PM

Admission? Cost?: Adults: $16.50, Children 6-12: $10, Military Personnel IN UNIFORM: Free

Date: 12/20/1971

Parking Coordinates: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
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vessel!) are always welcome.
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