''Balao'' class attack submarine
[[Image:USS Balao;0828502.jpg|300px|center|USS Balao]]
Class Overview
Class Type	[[Submarine#Attack boats|Fast Attack Submarine]]
Class Name	[[Halfbeak|Balao (any one of several Halfbeaks)]]
Preceded By	[[Gato class submarine|''Gato''-class attack submarine]]
Succeeded By	[[Tench class submarine|''Tench''-class submarine]]
Ships of the Class:	See below for a complete list of ''Balao''-class submarines

The '''''Balao'' class''' was a successful design of [[United States Navy]] [[submarine]] used during [[World War II]]. An evolutionary improvement over the earlier [[Gato class submarine|''Gato'' class]], the boats had slight internal differences. The most significant improvement was the use of higher strength steel in the pressure hull, which increased their [[test depth]] to 400 feet. There are 132 submarines in this class. == General characteristics == * Displacement: 1826 tons surfaced, 2391 tons submerged * Length: 312 ft * Beam: 27 ft * Draft: 15 ft * Test depth: 400 ft * Speed: 20.75 knots (38 km/h) surfaced, 8.75 knots (16 km/h) submerged * Armament: 1 x 3 in (76 mm) 50 caliber gun, 2 x 40 mm cannon, 6 x 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes forward, four aft * Crew: 75 – 80 officers and men * Powerplant: 4 x 6500 hp (4.8 MW) diesel engines, 4 x 2740 hp (2.0 MW) electric motors * Range: 11,800 nautical miles (21,900 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced {{Balao_class_submarine}} [[Category:Balao class submarines|*]] [[Category:Submarine classes]]