Allied Warships

Thornback (SS-418)

Submarine of the Tench class


USS Thornback as completed.

NavyThe US Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassTench 
Pennant418 
Built byPortsmouth Navy Yard (Kittery, Maine, U.S.A.) 
Ordered22 Feb 1943 
Laid down5 Apr 1944 
Launched7 Jul 1944 
Commissioned13 Oct 1944 
End service1 Jul 1971 
History

Decommissioned 6 April 1946.
Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Recommissioned 2 October 1953.
Decommissioned 1 July 1971 and transferred to Turkey being renamed Ulic Ali Reis (S-338).

 

Commands listed for USS Thornback (418)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1T/Cdr. Ernest Percival Abrahamson, USN13 Oct 19448 Aug 1945

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Notable events involving Thornback include:


15 Nov 1944
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) arrived at Newport, Rhode Island from Portsmouth, New Hampshire for torpedo trials.

19 Nov 1944
With her torpedo trials completed, USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN), arrived at New London Connecticut from Newport, Rhode Island.

9 Dec 1944
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) departed New London, Connecticut for the Portsmouth Navy Yard for repairs.

10 Dec 1944
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) arrived at the Portsmouth Navy Yard from New London, Connecticut for repairs.

21 Jan 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) arrived at New London, Connecticut from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

15 Feb 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) arrived at Provincetown, Massachusetts, from New London, Connecticut to conduct special tests.

22 Feb 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) departed Portsmouth, New Hampshire for New London, Connecticut.

23 Feb 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) arrived at New London, Connecticut.

20 Mar 1945
With her trials and initial training completed USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) departed from New London bound for the Panama Canal Zone for further training.

29 Mar 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) arrived in the Panama Canal Zone.

8 Apr 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) departed the Panama Canal Zone for Pearl Harbour.

10 May 1945
USS Devilfish (T/Lt.Cdr. S.S. Mann, Jr., USN) and USS Thornback (T/Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN) conducted exercises off Pearl Harbour with USS Coolbaugh (Lt.Cdr. S.T. Hotchkiss, USNR).

13 May 1945
During 13/14 May 1945, the following submarines conducted tactical exercises off Pearl Harbour; USS Dace (T/Cdr. O.R. Cole, Jr., USN), USS Lapon (T/Lt.Cdr. D.G. Baer, USN), USS Redfin (T/Lt.Cdr. C.K. Miller, USN), USS Devilfish (T/Lt.Cdr. S.S. Mann, Jr., USN), USS Manta (T/Lt.Cdr. E.P. Madley, USN) and USS Thornback (T/Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson, USN).

They were attacking a dummy convoy of 13 (other source says 16) transports which were escorted by the destroyer USS Chew (Lt.Cdr. J.J. Mannion, USNR), destroyer minelayer USS Pruitt (Lt. D.B. Harby, USNR), destroyer escorts USS Whitman (Lt. E.A. Sandor, USNR), USS Coolbaugh (Lt.Cdr. S.T. Hotchkiss, USNR), USS Darby (Lt.Cdr. M.W. Martin, USNR) and USS PC-782 (Lt.(jg) R.L. Essick, USNR).

25 May 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson) arrived at Pearl Harbor.

13 Jun 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson) departed from Pearl Harbor for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to proceed to Saipan. But while en-route she was ordered to proceed to Guam.

25 Jun 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson) arrived at Guam.

30 Jun 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson) departed from Guam for her patrol area off the east coast of Honshu and south of Hokkaido.

31 Jul 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson) damaged the Japanese submarine chaser Ch 42 (435 tons) with gunfire about 5 nautical miles east of Osaki, Honshu, Japan, in position 38°53'N, 141°35'E.

8 Aug 1945
USS Thornback (Cdr. E.P. Abrahamson) ended her 1st war patrol at Midway.

Media links


U. S. Submarines in World War II

Kimmett, Larry and Regis, Margaret


U.S. Submarines Through 1945

Friedman, Norman


amazon.co.uk
(£ 56.95)

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