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USS Blower (SS-325)

Coordinates: 1550N 11050E

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

USS Blower (SS-325), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship


of the United States Navy that was later transferred to the
Turkish Naval Forces in 1950 under the Mutual Defense
Assistance Program, where she was recommissioned as the
second TCG Dumlupnar. She sank after a tragic accident
off the coast of Turkey following a joint NATO training
exercise on April 4, 1953.

Contents
1 Career (US)
2 Career (Turkey)
2.1 The Dumlupnar Tragedy Blower underway c. 1944
3 References History
4 External links
United States

Name: USS Blower (SS-325)


Career (US) Builder: Electric Boat Company, Groton,
Connecticut[1]
Named after a type of pufferfish of the Atlantic coast of the
Laid down: 15 July 1943[1]
United States and the West Indies, Blower (SS-325) was
launched 23 April 1944 by Electric Boat Co., Groton, Launched: 23 April 1944[1]
Conn.; sponsored by Mrs. Richard F. J. Johnson, wife of Commissioned: 10 August 1944[1]
Commander Johnson, and commissioned 10 August 1944,
Lieutenant Commander J. H. Campbell in command. Decommissioned: 16 November 1950[1]
Struck: 20 December 1950[2]
Blower arrived at Pearl Harbor 16 December 1944 and, after
Fate: Transferred to Turkey, 16
undergoing voyage repairs and training exercises got
underway for her first war patrol 17 January 1945. She November 1950[2]
completed three war patrols before the termination of Turkey
hostilities, all in the Java and South China seas. All three
patrols proved unprofitable for Blower and she arrived at Name: TCG Dumlupnar
Fremantle, Australia, from her last patrol 28 July 1945. Acquired: 16 November 1950
Blower departed the Southwest Pacific in September 1945
Fate: Collided with the Swedish
and, after engaging in training exercises around the
Marianas and Caroline Islands for several months, freighter Naboland and sunk, 4
proceeded to the United States via Pearl Harbor, arriving at April 1953
San Diego 29 January 1946. General characteristics
From 1946 through 1949 Blower was attached to the Class and type: Balao class diesel-electric
Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet. She operated mainly along submarine[2]
the west coast on scheduled torpedo exercises submerged
sound school operations, and training programs. During the Displacement: 1,526 tons (1,550 t)
latter part of 1946 she made a cruise to Japan, via Pearl surfaced[2]
Harbor and the Marianas. Early in 1947 she participated in 2,424 tons (2,463 t)
fleet operations near Pearl Harbor. submerged[2]
Length: 311 ft 9 in (95.02 m)[2]
Beam: 27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)[2]
During AugustSeptember 1948 Blower operated in Draft: 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m) maximum[2]
Alaskan waters with Carp (SS-338) patrolling along the Propulsion: 4 General Motors Model
contour of the Arctic ice pack in the Chukchi Sea, carrying
16-278A V16 diesel
out radar tracking and sonar exercises. Returning to San
engines driving electrical
Diego, the ship continued scheduled operations until early
1950 when she departed for the east coast to join Submarine generators[3][4]
Force, Atlantic Fleet. She arrived at Philadelphia 3 March 2 126-cell Sargo
and underwent repairs at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard batteries[5]
until September. On 27 September she arrived at New 4 high-speed General
London, Connecticut, where she trained Turkish naval Electric electric motors
personnel. with reduction gears[3]
two propellers [3]
Career (Turkey) 5,400 shp (4.0 MW)
surfaced[3]
Blower was decommissioned at the Naval Submarine Base 2,740 shp (2.0 MW)
New London on 16 November 1950, and transferred to submerged[3]
Turkey under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program,
Speed: 20.25 knots (38 km/h)
where she was recommissioned as the second TCG
Dumlupnar - an important name in Turkish history, and the surfaced[6]
name of the final and defining battle of the Turkish War of 8.75 knots (16 km/h)
Independence. After serving Turkey for close to three years, submerged[6]
TCG Dumlupnar was lost on a tragic accident on 4 April Range: 11,000 nautical miles
1953, when, while returning from the NATO training (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots
mission "Blue Sea", she collided with the Swedish freighter
(19 km/h)[6]
M/V Naboland off Nara Point in the Dardanelles and sank.
Ninety-four submariners died in the accident due to Endurance: 48 hours at 2 knots
drowning, bodily injury, and carbon dioxide poisoning. (3.7 km/h) submerged[6]
Presently, the TCG Dumlupnar, along with its perished 75 days on patrol
crew, lies in 90 meters depth.
Test depth: 400 ft (120 m)[6]

The Dumlupnar Tragedy Complement: 10 officers, 7071 enlisted[6]


Armament: 10 21-inch (533 mm)
Late evening on April 3, 1953, Turkish submarines TCG torpedo tubes
nn I and TCG Dumlupnar started their voyage home to 6 forward, 4 aft
the TAF Naval Yards in Glck after completing their 24 torpedoes[5]
respective missions in a regular NATO training exercise in
1 5-inch (127 mm) /
the Mediterranean. On April 4, 1953 at 02:10am, they
25 caliber deck gun[5]
entered the Dardanelles (aka, anakkale Strait) en route to
Glck with 96 crew members - 88 men inside the vessel, Bofors 40 mm and
and 8 men on deck. Oerlikon 20 mm cannon

There was heavy mist in the strait that night, which severely limited visibility. Lieutenant Hseyin nkaya was
on deck duty when the Dumplupnar was suddenly and violently struck by something unseen off Nara point -
the narrowmost (1.2 km, 0.75 mi) and deepest (113m, 370 ft) point of the Dardanelles, as well as the point
where the currents are the strongest at up to 5 nautical miles versus 1-2 elsewhere on the strait. The eight crew
members who were on deck at the moment of collision were thrown off into the water due to the force of the
impact, with two of them dying terribly in the sub's propellers, and one drowning in the ensuing commotion.

Dumlupnar had been rammed by Swedish cargo ship M/V Naboland in her bow torpedo room on the starboard
side, and started to take water from her front compartments. Due to the gravity of the damage caused, and the
subsequent explosion in her central compartment, Dumlupnar sank within minutes. Most communications
were severed along with any electrical power. The 88 surviving men inside the submarine, seeing that the
vessel was taking water from the bow, tried to reach the stern to seek shelter in the torpedo room, with many of
them perishing in the rapidly rising waters. Of the original 88, only 22 were able to reach and lock themselves
in the stern torpedo compartment, and released an emergency communications buoy with the hope of
contacting surface rescue workers.

Shortly after the collision, a customs ship that was anchored in nearby Eceabat Harbor was alerted to the
incident by a small motorboat that had heard the impact, and had implored them to get to the scene. When the
customs ship reached the site of the incident, they saw that M/V Naboland had lowered their rescue boats and
life jackets to aid any surviving members of Dumlupnar, and were firing flares to alert potential rescue
workers in the area. The customs ship accepted on board the five rescued sailors from Dumlupnar that had not
gone down with the submarine, and took them to local hospitals. Three of the hospitalized officers succumbed
to their injuries the next day.

Nobody on the surface was aware of the level of casualties at the time, and authorities called the rescue vessel
Kurtaran to the scene to help the remaining sailors. While waiting for Kurtaran, the sun began to rise, the
heavy mist started to clear, and the customs ship spotted the emergency communications buoy that had been
released by the trapped sailors. Second handsman of the customs ship Selim Yoludz reached for the phone
located inside of the communications buoy and read the inscription on it, which said, "The submarine TCG
Dumlupnar, commissioned to the Turkish Navy, has sunk here. Open the hatch to establish contact with the
submarine".

Following these directions, Yoludz established contact with the sunken submarine, and was responded to by
Lieutenant Selami zben, who informed Yoludz that the submarine was leaning 15 degrees to the starboard
side after impact with a cargo ship, and that the surviving 22 members of crew were locked away in the stern
torpedo compartment with no power or supplies. Yoludz, in turn, informed Lieutenant zben that they were in
the Nara Bay area of anakkale, at approximately 90 meters depth, that the rescue ship Kurtaran was on its
way, and that they would do everything they can to rescue the trapped sailors.

Kurtaran arrived at the scene at approximately 11:00am on April 4, about 9 hours after the initial impact,
alongside Admiral Sadk Altncan and Governor Safaeddin Karnak. Throughout the ensuing rescue operation,
Lt.zben kept in regular contact with Yoludz, as well as the Admiral of the anakkale Sea Forces Zeki Adar,
and the second captain of the sister submarine nn I, Suat Tezcan. The rescuers implored the trapped sailors
to keep their spirits up, and advised them to refrain from talking, singing, or smoking in order to preserve
precious oxygen.

Despite numerous attempts by engineers, divers, and US and Turkish navy vessels, the rescue efforts provided
no results due to the severe currents and the sunken depth of the Dumlupnar, and the morale of the trapped
crew began to decline. By afternoon time, the voices of the 22 sailors were quieting, and were being replaced
by prayers. Finally, the apologetic rescue workers delivered the tragic news to the sailors with the words
"Gentlemen, now you can talk, you can sing, you can even smoke". Lt.zben responded with a final "For our
country", and at approximately 15:00 (3pm) on April 4, the cable that was holding the communications buoy
broke, and no more news were heard from Dumlupnar.

Despite the lack of communication, operations continued in order to rescue the trapped men, with the whole
country following along via radio and newspapers. On April 7, 1953, three days after the accident, it was
declared that the rising carbon dioxide levels inside the submarine would have killed any surviving crew, and
the rescue operation was abandoned.

The following day, at 15:00 (3pm), a memorial ceremony was held on the ship Baaran.

The tragedy, which captured the attention of the whole country, has since inspired numerous songs and tributes
in honor of the fallen sailors, and is commemorated every year on April 4.

References
1. Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis,
Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 285304. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
2. Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major
Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275280. ISBN 0-313-26202-0.
3. Bauer, K. Jack; Roberts, Stephen S. (1991). Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 17751990: Major
Combatants. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. pp. 275280. ISBN 978-0-313-26202-9.
4. U.S. Submarines Through 1945 p. 261
5. U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305311
6. U.S. Submarines Through 1945 pp. 305-311

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The
entries can be found here and here.

External links
Photo gallery of Blower at NavSource Naval History
History of Turkish Submarines (19481972)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Blower_(SS-325)&oldid=754606306"

This page was last edited on 13 December 2016, at 15:28.


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