Editing Balao-class submarine (section)

===Deck guns===
[[File:USS Bullhead July 1945.png|thumb|left|USS ''Bullhead'' in July 1945 showing off the heaviest ''Balao'' class deck gun configuration of two 40 mm Bofors autocannons on the bridge and two 5 inch guns on the deck]]
[[File:5 inch 25 caliber gun USS Bowfin.jpg|thumb|upright|5"/25 caliber gun on {{USS|Bowfin|SS-287|6}}]]
[[File:HMCS Haida Hamilton Ontario 13.jpg|thumb|upright|20 mm Oerlikon twin mount displayed near [[HMCS Haida|HMCS ''Haida'']]]]
Many targets in the [[Pacific War]] were [[sampan]]s or otherwise not worth a torpedo, so the [[deck gun]] was an important weapon. Early ''Balao''s began their service with a [[4"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on|0}}/50 caliber Mk. 9 gun]]. Due to war experience, most were re-armed with a [[5"/25 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on|0}}/25 caliber Mk. 17 gun]], similar to mounts on battleships and cruisers but built as a "wet" mount with corrosion resistant materials, and with power-operated loading and aiming features removed. This conversion started in late 1943, and some boats had two of these weapons beginning in late 1944. {{USS|Spadefish|SS-411|2}}, commissioned in March 1944, was the first newly built submarine with the purpose-built {{convert|5|in|adj=on}}/25 submarine mount. Additional [[anti-aircraft]] guns included single [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] and twin [[20 mm Oerlikon]] mounts, usually one of each.<ref>Johnston, pp. 3-6</ref><ref>Friedman 1995, pp. 218-219</ref>

====Mine armament====
Like the previous ''Tambor''/''Gar'' and ''Gato'' classes, the ''Balao'' class could substitute mines in place of torpedoes. For the Mk&nbsp;10 and Mk&nbsp;12 type mines used in World War II, each torpedo could be replaced by as many as two mines, giving the submarine a true maximum capacity of 48 mines. However, doctrine was to retain at least four torpedoes on mine laying missions, which further limits the capacity to 40 mines, and this is often stated as the maximum in various publications. In practice during the war, submarines went out with at least 8 torpedoes, and the largest minefields laid were 32 mines. Post-war, the Mk&nbsp;49 mine replaced the Mk&nbsp;12, while the larger Mk&nbsp;27 mine was also carried which only allowed one mine replacing one torpedo.<ref>[https://maritime.org/doc/mines-usn/index.php ORD696 Operational Characteristics of U.S. Naval Mines]</ref>