USS Clamagore (SS-343) was a Balao-class submarine, which operated as a museum ship at the Patriot's Point Naval & Maritime Museum outside Charleston, South Carolina from 1979 to 2022. Built in 1945 for the United States Navy, she was still in training when World War II ended. She was named for the clamagore. A National Historic Landmark, she was the last surviving example of a GUPPY III type submarine.
On 15 October 2022, the USS Clamagore, stripped of sail and superstructure was removed from Patriots Point and towed to Norfolk VA to begin final recycling.
USS Clamagore (SS-343), some time after her GUPPY conversion
Image: Ss 343 patch
USS Clamagore, 24 November 2003 (the three distinctive shark-fin domes are the PUFFS sonar).
Interior of USS Clamagore
The Balao class was a design of United States Navy submarine used during World War II, and with 120 boats completed, the largest class of submarines in the United States Navy. An improvement on the earlier Gato class, the boats had slight internal differences. The most significant improvement was the use of thicker, higher yield strength steel in the pressure hull skins and frames, which increased their test depth to 400 feet (120 m). Tang actually achieved a depth of 612 ft (187 m) during a test dive,
and exceeded that test depth when taking on water in the forward torpedo room while evading a destroyer.
USS Balao in 1944
Scheme of USS Pampanito (SS-383)
General Motors Cleveland Model 16-248 diesel engine
Fairbanks-Morse Model 38D8⅛ diesel engine