The large numbers of relatively modern, but surplus U.S. fleet submarines proved to be popular in sales, loans, or leases to allied foreign navies.
Fourteen Tench-class submarines were transferred to foreign navies, most after serving over 25 years in the US Navy.
These included 2 to Turkey, 1 to Greece, 2 to Italy, 1 to Pakistan, 1 to Canada, 4 to Brazil, 1 to Venezuela, 1 to Peru, and 1 to Taiwan.
The Tench-class submarine ex-Cutlass was transferred along with the Balao-class ex-Tusk to the Republic of China Navy as Hai Shih and Hai Pao in 1973; as of 2015 they remained in commission as the last US-built World War II-era submarines in service.
Argonaut was sold to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1968, renamed HMCS Rainbow, decommissioned in 1974, and returned to the US for scrapping in 1977.
Diablo was leased to the Pakistan Navy in 1963 and then as PNS Ghazi participated in two further wars, finally sinking in action in the Bay of Bengal with the loss of all 92 hands, on 4 December 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
Diablo was thus the last Tench-class submarine to see action.
The large numbers of relatively modern, but surplus U.S. fleet submarines proved to be popular in sales, loans, or leases to allied foreign navies. Fourteen Tench-class submarines were transferred to foreign navies, most after serving over 25 years in the US Navy. These included 2 to Turkey, 1 to Greece, 2 to Italy, 1 to Pakistan, 1 to Canada, 4 to Brazil, 1 to Venezuela, 1 to Peru, and 1 to Taiwan. The Tench-class submarine ex-Cutlass was transferred along with the Balao-class ex-Tusk to the Republic of China Navy as Hai Shih and Hai Pao in 1973; as of 2015 they remained in commission as the last US-built World War II-era submarines in service. Argonaut was sold to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1968, renamed HMCS Rainbow, decommissioned in 1974, and returned to the US for scrapping in 1977. Diablo was leased to the Pakistan Navy in 1963 and then as PNS Ghazi participated in two further wars, finally sinking in action in the Bay of Bengal with the loss of all 92 hands, on 4 December 1971 during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. Diablo was thus the last Tench-class submarine to see action.
Tench-class submarine