USS REDFIN (SS-272)
Launching

REDFIN was the eighth of 28 submarines built at Manitowoc Ship Building Company, Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  It was a Gato Class, Drum Variant Submarine.  

The keel was laid down on September 03, 1942 and launched on April 04, 1943.  

REDFIN was sponsored by Mrs. Benyaurd B. Wygant and commissioned, USS REDFIN (SS-272) on August 31, 1943.

USS REDFIN was 311’-9” in length, a beam of 27’-3” and a draft of 15’-3”.  The displacement was 1526 tons surfaced and 2424 tons submerged.  It was designed for a compliment of 6 officers and 54 enlisted men.  The speed was 20.25 knots on the surface and 8.75 knots submerged.  REDFIN had ten (10) torpedo tubes, 6 forward and 4 aft and carried 24 torpedoes.  She had a 4”-50 caliber Deck Gun on the forward deck and a 20 mm AA gun on both the forward and aft cigarette deck.  

There are many varieties of Redfin fish.  When the first picture of the REDFIN was drawn for the Commissioning Party the artist seemed to use the Redfin Shiner.  After World War II was over, Ken Rice and Dean Adams seemed to use the Redfin Pickerel when they painted the fish on the Fairwater (Sail) and the following artists used a similar fish to design the USS REDFIN patches.