USS Picuda (SS-382) - Construction and Launching

Construction and Launching

Her keel was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, on 15 March 1943. She was launched on 12 July 1943 sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. English. On 24 September 1942, SS-382 was renamed, making her the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the picuda, a great barracuda, up to seven feet long, of the Caribbean Sea and the tropical western Atlantic Ocean, known for its voracious and ferocious nature. She was commissioned on 16 October 1943 with Lieutenant Commander Albert Raborn in command.

Picuda remained in the Portsmouth Navy Yard to complete fitting out until 18 November when she commenced underway trials. Torpedo tube trials were completed off Newport, Rhode Island on 14 December through 16 December, and she shifted to the submarine base at New London, Connecticut for final training exercises. She put to sea from New London 1 January 1944, reported for duty with the Pacific Fleet at Balboa, Canal Zone, on 13 January and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 27 January, joining the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force as a unit of Submarine Division 201, Submarine Squadron 20.