Turkish Navy submarine Piri Reis, S-343 On March 18, 1960, USS Mapiro SS-376, a Balao class submarine, was transferred on loan under the Military Assistance Program to Turkey to serve the Turkish Navy as Piri Reis S-343. TCG Piri Reis was decommissioned from the Turkish Navy on November 20, 1973. USS Mapiro was laid by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, WI, May 30, 1944; launched on November 9, 1944 and commissioned on April 30, 1945. Decommissioned on March 16, 1946; recommissioned, and transferred to Turkey March 18, 1960; returned to US control, struck from navy list, and sold to Turkey on November 20, 1973 were she was scrapped. Before entering service into the Turkish Navy the boat underwent a Guppy conversion into a Fleet Snorkel submarine. The Fleet Snorkel boats are often considered as Guppys. These boats were much like the Guppy IIs except they didn`t have some of the internal modifications that the Guppy IIs had. They had two batteries and most still had closed cell ventilation and four engines.  They had the distinctive sails of the conversion yard but they retained their fleet bows.  It was simply a fleet boat with the snorkel induction and exhaust piping and masts, and an ESM mast.  Most had BQR-2 sonar in the chin mount and had sonar in the space vacated by the magazine under the galley.  The auxiliary engine was replaced with two air conditioning plants.    Specifications, Balao class: Displacement (srf/sub tons): 1,526/2,391              Dimensions (L*B*D feet): 311`8*27`3*15`3 Propulsion: diesel-electric,4*1,350hp Fairbanks Morse diesel engines, 4*685hp Elliot Motor Co. electric main motors, reduction gear ,two 126-cell main storage batteries, two propellers Speed (srf/sub knots): 20.25/8.75 Range (srf/sub n/miles@knots): 11,000@10/100@2 Diving depth (feet): 400 Complement: 6 officers 60 enlisted Torpedo: 6*21" (533mm) bow torpedo tubes, 4*21" stern torpedo tubes, total of 24 torpedoes Mines: none Armament: 1*5"/25 main deck gun, 1*40mm AA gun, 1*20mm AA gun, 2*0.5 machine gun Back to History Index   Image Country Year Description Turkey 1965 Submarine SS TCG Pirireis S-343 (US Tang class)