Very soon, however, as submarines were positioned at more and more ports, local "station ships" found themselves hosting the crews of the local submarine flotilla, particularly since a surface ship was easy to tie up to - and was handy as a source of help. Since these small boats were generally considered coastal defense assets and, in any event, could not carry much fuel, food, or weaponry, they generally operated from a shore station, where the crew could find berthing and messing ashore. At that time, submarines were little more than crude surface craft that could submerge briefly to strike at an enemy - and then scurry away beneath the waves. Within three years, it acquired six more. The United States entered the world of the "Silent Service" when it purchased its first serviceable submarine, USS Holland (SS-1), in 1900. Moreover, tenders are manned - particularly at senior levels - with very experienced personnel, and their cumulative expertise is invaluable to the boats that come alongside for repair and refit services.Īs submarines were positioned at more and more ports, local "station ships" found themselves hosting the crews of the local submarine flotilla, particularly since a surface ship was easy to tie up to - and was handy as a source of help. Complete medical and dental facilities are provided to see to the crews' health and well being - and, of course, a warehouse of supplies - from toilet paper to torpedoes - that the crew will need on its next patrol. ![]() There are weapons specialists for torpedoes, missiles, and launching systems, plus optical technicians to attend to the boat's periscopes. Electronics shops are fully qualified to deal with radio, radar, sonar, navigation aids, and fire control equipment. Electrical workers can run wiring, re-wind motors, and repair other electrical equipment, as well as servicing or replacing the massive battery banks. The sheet-metal shop can make partitions, ductwork, and piping. Even if a replacement part isn't stocked or otherwise available on the tender, it can often be fabricated in hours. Today's tenders are essentially complete factories - with pattern shops, foundries, and machine shops with precision lathes, surface mills, presses, and welding machines. Since World War I, submarine tenders have had facilities onboard to provide just about every repair, replacement, service, or supply a submarine might need. And, as the war moved closer to Japan, so did the tenders - Proteus to Guam in February, 1945, for example - bringing the submarines' "base" and all it took to support them closer to where they were needed. Tenders were crucial to the ultimate success of World War II's Pacific submarine campaign because of the vast distances that characterized the theater. ![]() ![]() Their crews are mainly technicians and repairmen. Along with destroyer tenders, submarine tenders are the largest of the active auxiliaries. Submarine Tenders furnish maintenance and logistic support for submarines.
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