USS Croaker
Posted by: 
Rayman
N 42° 52.691 W 078° 52.901
17T E 673004 N 4749464
The USS Croaker is a submarine located at the Buffalo Naval & Military park in Buffalo, NY.
Waymark Code: WMF1D
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 06/16/2006
Views: 104
The Croaker's keel was laid on April 1, 1943 by Electric Boat, and launched on December 19, 1943 in Groton, Connecticut as SS-246. She commissioned into the United States Navy on April 21, 1944.
USS Croaker made six WWII war patrols in the Pacific, claiming 11 Japanese vessels sunk, including a Japanese light cruiser, the Nagara. She was awarded three battle stars for her service.
The submarine was decommissioned on June 15, 1946 and then recommissioned December 11, 1953 as SSK-246 under the Hunter/Killer conversion program. This involved the installation of long range bow sonar, a new sail with a snorkel mast, machinery noise reduction, and the removal of all deck guns. Routine cruises were made to the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean until Croaker was placed out of service in 1968.
Utilized as a Naval Reserve trainer from 1968 to 1971, the boat was stricken December 20, 1971 from the Navy register. On June 27, 1976, the Croaker was transferred to the Submarine Memorial Association in Groton, CT.
Croaker continues to serve as a memorial submarine with her arrival in Buffalo on November 22, 1988. To make the submarine safer and more aesthetically pleasing, the Naval and Military Staff replaced her entire deck and support systems in 1989.
Displacement: 2,070 tons (surfaced)
Length: 306'-6"
Width: 27'-2"
Complement: 74 enlisted/7 officers
Type of vessel: Gato class submarine
Hours of use: From: 10:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Admission? Cost?: $8 for all three vessels in the park
Date: 06/16/2006
Parking Coordinates: Not Listed
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