Burrfish was
launched on 18 June 1943 by
Portsmouth Navy Yard in
Kittery, Maine, sponsored by Miss Jane Elizabeth Davis, daughter of Senator
James J. Davis from
Pennsylvania. The boat was
commissioned 14 September 1943.
Burrfishs war operations extended from 2 February 1944 to 13 May 1945 during which period she completed six war patrols, sinking one 5,894-ton German
tanker Rossbach in Japanese waters on 7 May 1944 and, along with , a 200-ton patrol boat on 17 November 1944. Her operating area extended from the Western
Caroline Islands to
Formosa and the waters south of Japan. During her third war patrol the ship accomplished several special missions, conducting reconnaissance of the beaches of
Palau and
Yap where landings were planned. On 20 December 1944, prior to her fifth war patrol, Lieutenant Commander M. H. Lytle relieved Commander W. B. Perkins Jr. as commanding officer of
Burrfish.
Burrfish arrived at
Pearl Harbor from her last war patrol 13 May 1945. On 16 May she was ordered to return to the United States for major overhaul and arrived at Portsmouth Navy Yard on 19 June. On 12 October 1945 she reported to
New London, Connecticut, for inactivation and was placed out of commission in reserve on 10 October 1946. On 2 November 1948
Burrfish was recommissioned and assigned to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for conversion to a
radar picket submarine. Her designation was changed to
SSR-312 on 27 January 1949 and her conversion was completed in November 1949.
Burrfish returned to duty with the active fleet 7 February 1950 and was assigned to
Submarine Squadron 6 at
Norfolk. Between February 1950 and June 1956 she completed three tours with the
6th Fleet in the
Mediterranean Sea; participated in several major type and inter-type exercises; and operated along the eastern seaboard as a radar picket ship. On 5 June 1956
Burrfish sailed from
Norfolk, Virginia to New London where she reported for inactivation. She was placed out of commission in reserve 17 December 1956 and laid up in the
Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Service with the Royal Canadian Navy The
Royal Canadian Navy was interested in reestablishing its submarine service in the late 1950s and as an essential stopgap to further purchases, they sought a boat to train in. The United States Navy gave them a choice from among ten boats in the Reserve Fleet and
Burrfish was selected. An official agreement to loan a submarine to the Royal Canadian Navy was finalized after approval by the
Canadian Cabinet and ratification by the
United States Congress in May 1960. The loan agreement would last for five years and would include $1,764,000 for the cost of reactivation and modification.
Grilse underwent one month of sea trials before transiting to her new homeport at
Esquimalt, British Columbia, arriving on 14 July 1961. Having reestablished the Canadian submarine service,
Grilse was acquired by the Royal Canadian Navy for use as a
training vessel for anti-submarine warfare training on the Pacific coast. However, the boat lacked the speed of more modern subs and her sensor and weapons outfit were not up to the task of anti-submarine warfare. The submarine participated in joint Royal Canadian Navy/
Royal Canadian Air Force and joint US/Canada training exercises in the Pacific. In Spring 1968,
Grilse was sent on a training cruise to Japan. Once there, the boat trained with units of the
Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force and the United States Navy. In 1968, the Canadian Navy, now called Maritime Command, was offered a more modern by the US. Maritime Command chose to accept the offer and was purchased as a direct replacement for
Grilse on the west coast. With the arrival of
Rainbow,
Grilse never sailed again. Some of
Grilses more modern gear was taken out and transferred to
Rainbow, however
Grilse had to remain operationally capable in accordance with the loan agreement and the transfer was limited. The sub returned to the US in September 1969. – Benoit B. Mandelbrot,
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