USS Piper (SS-409)
USS Piper (SS/AGSS-409), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named after the piper, a fish of the halfbeak family found in warm seas mostly along the shore. It swims at the surface, occasionally leaping into the air, and is named from the noise it makes when taken out of the water.
Piper, ex-Awa, was laid down 15 March 1944 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, in Kittery, Maine; launched 26 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Charles W. Wilkins, wife of Captain Wilkins; commissioned 23 August 1944, Commander Bernard F. McMahon in command.
Although built late in World War II, Piper completed three successful war patrols before the cessation of hostilities, operating as a life guard for plane strikes and as an advance picket for fast carrier task forces.
Read more about USS Piper (SS-409): First Patrol, January – March 1945, Second Patrol, April – June 1945, Third Patrol, July – August 1945, 1945 – 1951, 1951 – 1958, 1958 – 1966, 1967 – 1970