U.S.S. MEDREGAL

USS MEDREGAL (SS-480)

Medregal (SS-480) was laid down by the Navy Yard Portsmouth N.H. 21 August 1944; launched 15 December 1944 sponsored by Mrs. A. H. Taylor; and commissioned 14 April 1945 Comdr. William M. Wright in command.

After shakedown in New England waters Medregal departed New London Conn. 16 June and steamed to participate in final operations in the Pacific against the Japanese. Emergency repairs at Portsmouth delayed her arrival in the Pacific until after the cessation of hostilities which occurred when she was finally Pacific-bound. She returned to the Canal Zone thence sailed to Key West for operations with Submarine Squadron 4.

From late 1945 to mid-1957 Medregal operated out of Key West training Reserves supporting activities of the Fleet Sonar School and taking part in antisubmarine warfare exercises. Her cruises sent her along the east coast from Florida to Virginia into the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean and to operating areas in the western Atlantic. Periodically she deployed to Guantanamo Bay and Havana Cuba as well us to Puerto Rico and islands off the West Indies. From March to November 1952 she underwent conversion to a snorkel-type submarine at Charleston S.C.

On 17 June 1957 Medregal entered Charleston Naval Shipyard for conversion to a missile-guidance submarine. She completed overhaul 22 November thence steamed to Norfolk Va. for operations with Submarine Squadron 6. During the next 18 months she p articipated in intermittent missile-evaluation projects in the Caribbean off the Virgin Islands and in the Atlantic out off Puerto Rico.

Assigned to Submarine Squadron 3 on 10 July 1959 Medregal departed Norfolk 25 July and steamed to Pearl Harbor arriving 24 August. She served in Hawaiian waters until sailing 9 January 1960 to the Far East arriving Yokosuka the 26th. During the n ext 5 months she conducted training and evaluation exercises with units of the ever watchful always ready 7th Fleet and ranged the western Pacific from Japan to the Philippines.

Returning to Pearl Harbor 1 July Medregal resumed type and squadron operations between Hawaii and the west coast. Between September 1961 and March 1962 she made a second deployment with the 7th Fleet. In October she steamed to the west coast for A SW and Reserve training out of Puget Sound. She returned to Pearl Harbor in mid-December and for the next 2 years she maintained her pattern of operations between the Hawaiian Islands and the west coast.

Medregal departed Pearl Harbor for WestPac in mid-April 1965. Steaming first to Australia she visited Brisbane Sydney and Melbourne and participated in the commemoration of the Battle of the Coral Sea. Thence in May she sailed to the Philippin es for operations out of Subic Bay until returning to San Francisco the end of August.

Back in Pearl Harbor late in 1965 Medregal operated their until departure for Japan 2 July 1966. After reaching Yokosuka the 15th she joined 7th Fleet carriers and destroyers for ASW operations in the western Pacific and readiness and alert mane uvers with ships of the Chinese Nationalist Navy. During the rest of the year she continued to support the might of American seapower bolstering peacekeeping operations in the troubled Far East.

In January 1967 Medregal returned to her home port in Hawaii where she resumed her type training and squadron exercises with SubRon 1. She continued duty out of Pearl Harbor until 1 May when she was assigned to SubRon 3 out of San Diego, Calif. On 1 May 1967 Medregal was reclassified as AGSS-480. Into 1969 Medregal serves at San Diego providing Reserve training and performing auxiliary duties.

[Note: The above USS MEDREGAL (SS-480) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS MEDREGAL (SS-480) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]