Submarine Becuna at Independence Seaport Museum

Submarine Becuna at Independence Seaport Museum A Balao-class submarine with a GUPPY 1a conversion on display at Philadelphia's Independence Seaport Museum.

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.

10/24/2024

One week away! Make sure to join us on Independence Seaport Museum

09/20/2024

Hello! We would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to follow and interact with BECUNA’s pages over the years. Your support and enthusiasm for BECUNA have been critical in celebrating its history and helping introduce the submarine to a new audience.

With that being said, the museum has made the decision to stop the usage of both the OLYMPIA and BECUNA pages. In an effort to consolidate, all of the historic ship information you loved here will instead be shared on our main page. The ships pages will remain up, and previous posts and photos will still be visible, but commenting, tagging, and posting will stop on October 31st. If you do not already, we encourage you to follow Independence Seaport Museum’s page, where we will still continue to share updates on the ships, including projects and programming, plus important dates in history related to their service.

03/11/2024

📢 Due to unplanned maintenance, Submarine Becuna at Independence Seaport Museum is closed to the public until the morning of Wednesday, March 13th.

⚓ Access to Cruiser Olympia at Independence Seaport Museum is still available during this time.

We apologize for the inconvenience!

12/18/2023

🚨Morning Alert 🚨

The Independence Seaport Museum will be operating on a delayed opening today. We will update you as more information becomes available.

12/09/2023

Good luck to the Navy Athletics' Midshipman as they take on the Army West Point Football's Black Knights in today's Army-Navy game.

This year marks the 124th time this game has been played. Among the storied history, something interesting to note is that recently, both teams started changing their uniforms annually to honor their respective branches. In 2023, the Navy uniform will pay tribute to the U.S Submarine Force (you can read more about it here: https://armynavygame.com/news/2023/11/20/navy-athletics-and-under-armour-unveils-2023-army-navy-football-game-uniform).

Go Navy, Beat Army! ⚓

You can’t keep a good submariner away from his boat. After visiting us back in August, Wayne returned today with his son...
10/11/2023

You can’t keep a good submariner away from his boat. After visiting us back in August, Wayne returned today with his son and grandson to donate a pair of cutting boards for the galley and officers’ pantry. Wayne built the boards himself!

09/08/2023

For this , we have a photo of the civilian engineers and draftsmen who assisted in Submarine BECUNA's 1958 refit!

09/01/2023
Today Wayne Clark visited his old training boat. Wayne was an engineman and spent two weeks aboard Becuna in June 1968 w...
08/24/2023

Today Wayne Clark visited his old training boat. Wayne was an engineman and spent two weeks aboard Becuna in June 1968 while at submarine school before moving on to other boats.

06/20/2023

📢We are just ONE week away from Seaport Day of Giving!📢
Between Independence Seaport Museum’s two historic ships, Cruiser Olympia and Submarine Becuna, there are almost two hundred years of naval ingenuity along the Delaware River. With your support on June 27, we can help ensure that the oldest floating steel warship and the only remaining Guppy 1A-type submarine in the world continue to float and inspire the next generation of visitors.

Cruiser Olympia at Independence Seaport Museum
Submarine Becuna at Independence Seaport Museum

This Father’s Day we had the honor of hosting Bobby Walls as he returned to his old boat. Bobby was aboard Becuna from 1...
06/18/2023

This Father’s Day we had the honor of hosting Bobby Walls as he returned to his old boat. Bobby was aboard Becuna from 1965-1968 as a torpedoman and Assistant C.O.B.

We had the pleasure of hosting USSVI Keystone Base this morning. One of the base’s members, Captain Dennis Dyckman, qual...
06/03/2023

We had the pleasure of hosting USSVI Keystone Base this morning. One of the base’s members, Captain Dennis Dyckman, qualified aboard Becuna in 1968.

Address

Philadelphia, PA

Opening Hours

Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+12154138655

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