Editing Balao-class submarine (section)

{{Short description|US Navy submarine class of World War II}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USS Balao SS-285.jpg|300px|USS Balao]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Balao'' in 1944
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''Balao'' class
|Builders=
*[[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]]
*[[Cramp Shipbuilding Company]]
*[[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]]
*[[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat Company]]
*[[Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company]]<ref name="Register">{{cite book|last=Bauer |first=K. Jack |author2=Roberts, Stephen S. |title=Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants |publisher=Greenwood Press|year=1991 |location=[[Westport, Connecticut]] |pages=275–280 |isbn=0-313-26202-0}}</ref>
|Operators=
*{{navy|United States|1912}}
*{{navy|Italy}}
*{{navy|Turkey}}
*{{navy|Greece}}
*{{navy|Peru}}
*{{navy|Argentina}}
*{{navy|Chile}}
*{{navy|Venezuela}}
*{{navy|Taiwan}}
*{{naval|Canada|1911}}
*{{navy|Brazil}}
*{{navy|Netherlands}}
*{{navy|Spain}}
|Class before={{sclass|Gato|submarine|4}}
|Class after={{sclass|Tench|submarine|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Built range=1942–1946<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">Friedman through 1945, pp. 285–304.</ref>
|In commission range=1943–present<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=120<ref name="Register"/>
|Total ships cancelled=62<ref name="Register"/>
|Total ships active=1
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=14 (11 in United States service, 3 in foreign service)<ref name="Register"/>
|Total ships retired=105<ref name="Register"/>
|Total ships preserved=8<ref name="Register"/>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Diesel-electric]] [[submarine]]
|Ship displacement=1,526 [[long ton|tons]] (1,550 [[tonne|t]]) surfaced,<ref name="Register"/> 2,391–2,424 tons (2,429–2463 t) submerged<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship length=311 ft 6 in–311 ft 10 in (94.9–95.0 m)<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship beam=27 ft 3 in–27 ft 4 in (8.3 m)<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship draft={{convert|16|ft|10|in|abbr=on}} maximum<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship propulsion=*4 × [[diesel engine]]s driving [[electrical generator]]s ([[Fairbanks-Morse]] or [[Electro-Motive Diesel|General Motors]]);<ref name="Register"/>
*2 × 126-[[Electrochemical cell|cell]] [[USS Sargo (SS-188)|''Sargo'']] [[Battery (electricity)|batteries]];<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
*4 × high-speed [[electric motors]] with reduction gears or 2 × low-speed electric motors ([[Elliott Company]] or [[General Electric]])<ref name="Register"/>
*two shafts;<ref name="Register"/>
*{{convert|5400|shp|abbr=on|lk=in}} surfaced,<ref name="Register"/> {{convert|2740|shp|abbr=on}} submerged<ref name="Register"/>
|Ship speed={{convert|20.25|kn|km/h|0|lk=in}} surfaced,<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">Friedman through 1945, pp. 305–311.</ref> {{convert|8.75|kn|km/h|0}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship range={{convert|11000|nmi|km}} surfaced @ {{convert|10|kn|km/h}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship endurance=48 hours @ {{convert|2|kn|km/h}} submerged,<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> 75 days on patrol
|Ship test depth={{convert|400|ft|m|-1|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship complement=10 officers, 70–71 enlisted men<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Fleet-boat-armament-5-inch}}
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Balao'' class''' is a design of [[United States Navy]] [[submarine]] that was used during [[World War II]], and with 120<ref name="Register"/> boats completed, the largest class of submarines in the United States Navy. An improvement on the earlier {{sclass|Gato|submarine|4}}, the boats had slight internal differences. The most significant improvement was the use of thicker, higher [[Yield (engineering)|yield strength]] steel in the [[pressure hull]] skins and frames,<ref>{{cite book
|title=Red Scorpion: The War Patrols of the USS Rasher
|publisher=Naval Institute Press
|author=Peter T. Sasgen
|year=2002
|page=17
}}</ref> which increased their [[test depth]] to {{convert|400|ft}}. A Balao class submarine, the [[USS Tang (SS-306)|USS Tang']] actually achieved a depth of {{convert|612|ft|m|abbr=on}} during a test dive,<ref>{{cite book
|title=Clear the Bridge! The War Patrols of the USS Tang
|publisher=Presidio Press
|author=Richard H. O'Kane
|year=1977
|page=40
}}</ref>
and exceeded that test depth when taking on water in the forward torpedo room while evading a destroyer.<ref>{{cite book
|title=Clear the Bridge! The War Patrols of the USS Tang
|publisher=Presidio Press
|author=Richard H. O'Kane
|year=1977
|page=111
}}</ref>