This cardboard tag has its original black cord attached. It is imprinted in black and blue on a silver background. The back side is identical. It pictures a United States Navy Submarine and it is marked as follows:
The tag measures 1-3/4'' wide. It is in near mint condition as pictured.
Name: Bahia (S-12)
Acquired: 7 September 1963
Out of service: 1972
Fate: Dismantled, 1973
General characteristics
Class and type: Balao class diesel electric submarine
Displacement: 1,526 long tons (1,550 t) surfaced, 2,391 long tons (2,429 t) submerged
Length: 311 ft. 6 in. (94.9 m)
Beam: 27 ft. 3 in. (8.3 m)
Draft: 16 ft. 10 in. (5.1 m) maximum
Propulsion: 4 Fairbanks-Morse Model 38D8, 10 cylinder opposed piston diesel engines driving electrical generators, 2 126-cell Sargo batteries, 4 high speed Elliott electric motors with reduction gears, two propellers, 5,400 shp (4.0 MW) surfaced, 2,740 shp (2.0 MW) submerged
Speed: 20.25 knots (38 km/h) surfaced, 8.75 knots (16 km/h), submerged
Range: 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) surfaced at 10 knots, (19 km/h)
Endurance: 48 hours at 2Êknots (3.7 km/h) submerged, 75 days on patrol
Test depth: 400 ft. (120 m)
Complement: 10 officers, 70 - 71 enlisted
Armament: 10 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (six forward, four aft), 24 torpedoes, 1 5-inch (127 mm) / 25 caliber deck gun, four machine guns
U.S.S. Plaice (SS-390), a Balao class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the plaice, one of the various American flatfish; summer flounder. It has participated of the Second World War in the campaign of the Pacific War. Acting from Pearl Harbor, it fought in the battle against the Axis. In the overall, Plaice received six battle stars for its services. The United States later passed U.S.S. Plaice (SS-390) to Brazil in a joint cooperation program.
Service History
United States Navy
Plaice was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine on 14 July 1943; launched on 15 November 1943, sponsored by Miss Eleanor Fazzi; and commissioned on 12 February 1944, Lieutenant Commander Clyde B. Stevens in command. Following shakedown and training, Plaice got underway for the Panama Canal Zone on 15 April, and arrived Pearl Harbor on 13 May. She departed on her first war patrol in the Bonin Islands area on 3 June. Plaice torpedoed and sank Hyakufuku Maru on 30 June; Kogi Maru on 5 July; and Submarine Chaser No. 50 on 18 July, before returning to Midway Island.
The submarine was off on her second war patrol on 17 August, this time in the Nansei Shoto area. In the early afternoon on 7 September, Plaice scored one torpedo hit on a Kong Maru class liner converted to an auxiliary cruiser. On 24 September, Plaice launched four torpedoes at a Fus class battleship, briefly stopping its screws. Three days later she sank Coast Defense Vessel No. 10., and put three torpedoes into the side of a transport, which blossomed a bright orange flame. The patrol ended as Plaice drew into Midway on 7 October and got underway the following day for Pearl Harbor with Thresher.
Plaice departed Pearl Harbor on 9 November for her third patrol in the Southwestern Japanese Empire off the coast of Shikoku and Kysh. On 9 December, she damaged Maki. She patrolled the traffic lanes east of Van Diemen Strait and pulled into Guam 20 December without having sunk any ships on the patrol. The undersea raider departed Guam on her fourth patrol in the Luzon Straits Formosa areas. Plaice was part of a coordinated attack group which included Archer-Fish, Batfish, Blackfish, Scabbardfish, and Sea Poacher. This long patrol in the face of enemy antisubmarine measures resulted in but one contact worthy of torpedo fire, a convoy of a small freighter, a medium freighter and three escorts. Three attacks resulted in but one hit. On 23 March 1945, Plaice moored at Midway.
The fifth patrol originated from Midway on 26 April and took Plaice to the Kuril Islands Okhotsk Sea area. The first enemy contact was made on 13 May, when the submarine trailed four sea trucks and four small luggers until she opened a surface engagement with her 5 inch (130 mm) and 40 mm guns, sinking all four sea trucks and two luggers. When all her larger ammunition had been expended, she drove the remaining two luggers toward the beach and damaged them by 20 mm and small arms fire. On 18 May, seven fishing boats came into view. The staccato of 20 mm and .50 caliber guns tore into two of the boats and damaged them visibly. Plaice ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor 13 June.
USS Plaice 390 crew
The sixth patrol commencing on 18 July - took Plaice to the East China Sea area, but she made no enemy contacts. She picked up five survivors from an Army B-25 Mitchell, and transferred them to a Navy patrol bomber the following day. On 15 August Japan accepted the Potsdam Ultimatum and nine days later Plaice pulled into Midway. After the war was over, Plaice operated in the Pacific until, by directive dated November 1947, she was placed out of commission, in reserve, at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Plaice was reactived 18 May 1963 in preparation for transfer to Brazil on 7 September, under the Military Assistance Program. Plaice received six battle stars for her World War II service.
Brazilian Navy
Due to the postwar high cost of maintaining a large amount of submarines, America decided to pass on 7 September 1963 the Command of Plaice at Pearl Harbor to the Capit‹o-de-Fragata (Commander) Ab’lio Sim›es Machado from the Brazilian Navy. Commissioned in the Brazilian Navy as Bahia (S-12), the submarine was originally loaned to Brazil for five years, with this time span being extended by ''regular periods.'' Bahia was the first submarine of Balao class submarine Fleet Type to suffer alterations in the Brazilian Navy Arsenal in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Better adapted to its tasks and being modernized, its hydrodynamic shape was modified to the installation of a new tower and a guide to the periscope. After all changes it has been submitted, the submarine won 1 knot immersed besides the improvement of its acoustic.
S-12 Bahia, Former Plaice SS-390 after changes.
Under Brazilian Flag the submarine took part of UNITAS' Naval Operations and helped the surveillance in the South Atlantic during the Cold War. The overall was an amount of 140.503 miles navigated, spending 2.863 hours immersed and 836 days in the sea. The submarine had been dismissed from duty on 19 January 1973. Bahia was sold to the Technology Museum of S‹o Paulo to be tugged to Santos where it would become a museum. Even though having this idea, it did not become reality and the submarine was dismantled on a ceremony on the 27 March 1973.
