USS Halfbeak (SS-352) Monument (Hackensack, New Jersey)

 museum, military, submarine, display, United States Navy

Laid down at the Electric Boat Co. of Groton, CT in July 1944, USS Halfbeak was the 67th member of the Balao Class of Submarine built for the US Navy, and commissioned into service with the US Atlantic Fleet in July 1946. Arriving too late to see service during the Second World War, the Halfbeak and her crew nonetheless began regular operations with the US Atlantic Fleet out of New London, where she served for three years before being deactivated for an extensive overhaul.

Emerging from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 1950 as a GUPPY II converted Fleet Submarine, the Halfbeak and her crew rejoined the US Atlantic Fleet and began twenty years of regular deployments, exercises and experimental duties. Deploying twice to Arctic Waters, the Halfbeak also operated in tandem with NATO forces in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea on multiple occasions as the Cold War continued to rage around the world. In between her regular patrols, the Halfbeak and her crew also conducted numerous then-classified deployments to test and evaluate new sonar, communications and onboard systems to further expand the capabilities of the US Navy Submarine force, as well as hone the tactics of US and Allied surface forces.

By the 1970’s the rapid pace of advancing technology had caught up with the World War Two-era systems in use aboard the Halfbeak. With more and more of her sisterships being decommissioned as Nuclear Powered Attack Submarines took their place, the Halfbeak continued to serve out of New London, CT as a member of Submarine Division 102 until late 1971 when she returned from her final deployment and prepared to stand down. Formally decommissioned on December 1st, 1971, the Halfbeak was briefly considered for the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) program to serve either as a parts hulk or active ship in the navy of a NATO member, however no interested parties emerged and she was subsequently sold for scrapping to the North American Smelting Corp., Burlington, NJ in June 1972.

While being broken up in nearby Burlington, the Halfbeak came to the attention of the New Jersey Naval Museum, which had recently acquired the Halfbeak’s sistership USS Ling (SS-297). After reaching a deal for some spares from Halfbeak for use aboard the Ling, North American Smelting subsequently donated the upper portion of the Halfbeak’s sail and conning tower for use as a monument to the Halfbeak’s sailors and Submarine Veterans. Today it remains the only surviving piece of the Halfbeak and is on public display outside of the New Jersey Naval Museum’s main entrance.

www.navsource.org/archives/08/08352.htm