Launched on January 30, 1944 by Electric Boat Company in Groton, CT, Submarine BECUNA (SS-319) completed 5 war patrols in the Pacific against Japanese forces during World War II, operating in the Philippines, South China Sea, and Java Sea. Postwar JANAC reports credit BECUNA as having sunk 2 tankers plus 1/2 credit for assisting the USS HAWKBILL with another tanker. BECUNA operated in the Pacific
until 1949 when she was transferred to the Atlantic and assigned to Submarine Squadron 8. Between 1949 and 1950 she served as a training vessel, conducting refresher courses for student officers and men at the submarine school in New London, CT. In 1950 BECUNA returned to Electric Boat COmpant to undergo conversion as part of the Navy's Greater Underwater Propulsion and Power (GUPPY) Program. She received upgraded batteries, a snorkel, and a more streamlined appearance to increase her hydrodynamics and improve her submerged speed and endurance. The overhaul was completed in August of 1951 and BECUNA sailed for the Caribbean on her shakedown cruise. BECUNA served until 1969, serving primarily as a training submarine, but also performing several operations with the Navy's 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, and even to Scotland. Submarine BECUNA became a museum ship in 1976 when she was given to the Cruiser OLYMPIA Association. She has been a part of the Independence Seaport Museum, along with Cruiser OLYMPIA since 1996.