LAUNCHING
U.S.S. ATULE

U.S.S. Atule (SS-403)
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History
United States
Name: U.S.S. Atule (SS-403)
Builder: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
Laid down: 2 December 1943
Launched: 6 March 1944
Commissioned: 21 June 1944
Decommissioned: 8 September 1947
Recommissioned: 8 March 1951
Decommissioned: 6 April 1970
Struck: 15 August 1973
Fate: Transferred to Peru on 31 July 1974

Peru
Name: BAP Pacocha (SS-48)
Acquired: 31 July 1974
Fate: Rammed and sunk by a fishing trawler on 26 August 1988

General characteristics (World War II)
Class and type: Balao class diesel electric submarine
Displacement: 1,526 tons (1,550 t) surfaced, 2,391 tons (2,429 t) submerged
Length: 311 feet
Beam: 27 feet 3 inches (8.31 m)
Draft: 16 feet 10 inches (5.13 m) maximum
Propulsion: 4 - Fairbanks Morse Model 38D8 10 cylinder opposed piston diesel engines driving electrical generators, 2 - 126 cell Sargo batteries, 4 - high speed Elliott electric motors with reduction gears, two propellers, 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced, 2,740 shp (2.0 MW) submerged
Speed: 20.25 kn (37.50 km/h) surfaced, 8.75 kn (16.21 km/h) submerged
Range: 11,000 nmi (20,000 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced
Endurance: 48 hours at 2 kn (3.7 km/h) submerged, 75 days on patrol
Test depth: 400 feet (120 m)
Complement: 10 officers, 70 - 71 enlisted
Armament: 10 - 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 6 forward, 4 aft, 24 torpedoes, 1 - 5 inch (127 mm) / 25 caliber deck gun, Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

U.S.S. Atule (SS/AGSS-403), a Balao class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the atule. Her keel was laid down on 25 November 1943 by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Atule was launched on 6 March 1944 sponsored by Miss Elizabeth Louise Kauffman, the daughter of Rear Admiral James L. Kauffman, and commissioned on 21 June 1944, Commander John H. Maurer in command.