November 2025
USS
SENNET (SS-408)
All Hands Newsletter
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Looking Ahead . . . Sennet was decommissioned in 1968. That's 57 years ago. If you were a hot running 21 year old seaman then, you are now 78. And if you were onboard in 1958, you would be 88. Time and health issues are taking a toll. At our early reunions, we mustered large groups of crew members and spouses. At our last reunion, we counted just 9 crew members and 7 wives. As our group gets smaller we have less leverage to negotiate favorable contracts. In fact, most hotels won't even talk about group rates, hospitality rooms or banquets if you are booking less than ten rooms. Yet there is a solution - sharing.
There are many benefits and there seems to be no downside to sharing. USS Chivo (SS-341), a diesel boat much like Sennet, seems to be a good match. Reunion Plans . . . Starting from scratch I solicited proposals from all Myrtle Beach area ocean front hotels. Initially I had seventeen e-mail responses that seemed to fit our needs. I was able to narrow these down to seven good choices. Then I visited Myrtle Beach to thoroughly inspect the seven, because you can't get an accurate evaluation from web sites, brochures and e-mails. My walk-thru tours narrowed the list down to three good possibilities with minor differences in amenities, prices and dates. After some serious negotiations with those three, I arrived at the best choice for us. Our 2026 reunion will be at the Landmark Resort in Myrtle Beach on October 18-21, 2026. That's three days starting Sunday and ending Wednesday. They have a variety of rooms at really great prices. Ocean front rooms with a king bed or two doubles are $82 night ($104 incl). At the high end an oceanfront deluxe king 1 bedroom combo is $105 night ($130 incl). And the economy interior room is just $55 night ($74 incl). Inclusive prices include all resort fees, parking, taxes, etc. Because we are a smaller group, we will not have buses and tours to outside activities, but there is plenty you can see and do on your own or with friends in Myrtle Beach. We will have a shared Memorial Service, a shared banquet, plenty of eats and treats in a shared hospitality room, and some guaranteed true sea stories. MIGRAINE submarines - In my last newsletter I told you about Fresh Water submarines, and now I will tell you the story of MIGRAINE submarines. Late in WW II, Japan used kamikaze aircraft to inflict serious damage on the gathering Allied fleet. To counter the threat the Navy deployed lines of destroyers as 'radar pickets' at some distance from their task groups. These distant ships provided early warning of Japanese air attacks and significantly reduced the toll taken on major combatants, however they themselves proved exceptionally vulnerable to kamikaze tactics, and twelve were sunk. Many destroyer skippers wished that they had a "hatch to close over their heads and submerge". The invasion of Japan was expected to attract an even more intense kamikaze onslaught, so the Navy proposed that 24 submarines be converted to less vulnerable radar pickets. The full conversions would be too late for the invasion of Japan, so COMSUBPAC modified the air-search radars on GROUPER (SS 214) and FINBACK (SS 230) for periscope mounting and operation at shallow depths. Similar conversions of four other boats-including rudimentary Combat Information Centers (CICs) had already begun when the Japan surrendered. After the war GROUPER and FINBACK reverted back to their normal submarine configuration, and the Navy decided that two additional submarines would be more extensively modified to develop the radar picket submarine concept. REQUIN (SS 481) and SPINAX (SS 489) retained their normal deck armament of two 5-inch guns, while high-powered SR-2 search radars and SV-2 height finders were mounted on their afterdecks, with the radar electronics and CICs below in the after torpedo rooms. Although a stern torpedo launch capability was still retained, the tubes had to be loaded externally. To accommodate the added electronics, each boat received an extra motor-generator and more air-conditioning, and to provide a reference point for the combat air patrol (CAP), homing beacons were deck-mounted on both. The boats were basically successful in their new roles and were certainly more survivable than destroyer. However, the low deck-mounting of their antennas severely limited radar performance and created reliability problems from breaking seas and salt-water intrusion. Below decks, having to crowd so much high-powered electronics into all available nooks and crannies brought its own share of maintenance issues. And additional crew members were required to operate the equipment. All this created some real headaches - Therefore the Navy named the follow-on design program for radar picket subs: TIGRONE (SS 419) and BURRFISH (SS 312) were given MIGRAINE I conversions and designated SSRs. The crew's mess and galley were turned into a CIC, and the after torpedo tubes were removed to allow the entire after torpedo compartment to be used for berthing. Two of the forward tubes were also eliminated to make room for storage and equipment. The two radar antennas were raised on masts, with an AN/BPS-2 search radar sprouting from the after portion of the sail, and the height finder mounted on a free-standing tower just abaft it. Both boats got improved, higher capacity batteries and were given a snorkel to allow underwater operation of their diesels. In the MIGRAINE II conversion in 1948, of REQUIN (SS 481) and SPINAX (SS 489) the after torpedo tubes were removed, the air control center was located to the forward part of the stern room with crew berthing in the after part. The Cold War was in full swing, and air defense of U.S. carrier battle groups on missions near the USSR generated a requirement for more submarine radar pickets. Six more WW II subs were chosen for the MIGRAINE III conversion. This final design called for cutting the boats in two and inserting a 24-foot section to get additional room for an expanded CIC and electronic spaces forward of the main control room. The MIGRAINE IIIs still had to sacrifice their after torpedo tubes for more berthing space, but they were fitted with a larger, streamlined sail, with the BPS-2 search radar mounted aft of the periscopes and other masts. An AN/BPS-3 height-finder radar on a pedestal just behind the sail and an AN/URN-3 TACAN beacon on the afterdeck completed the installation. The six MIGRAINE III boats, POMPOM (SSR 267), RASHER (SSR 269), RATON (SSR 270), RAY (SSR 271), REDFIN (SSR 272), and ROCK (SSR 274), were all converted between 1951 and 1953 giving the Navy a total of ten radar picket submarines to face the growing Soviet threat. Radar picket submarines provided valuable service to the US Navy and other NATO navies up until 1959, when the Navy completely phased out the destroyer-based radar pickets and the MIGRAINE Program in favor of airborne early warning aircraft. Of the 10 submarines converted to the various MIGRAINE configurations, most became training ships and were scrapped at the end of their service life. REQUIN (SS 481) was converted to a Fleet Snorkel at the end of the MIGRAINE Program in 1959. She received a high fiberglass sail common to the Guppy boats and continued active service until December 1968. In 1990 she was moved to Pittsburg, PA and remains one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area. From The Quartermaster's Notebook Donations . . . Contributions from our generous supporters help make our newsletters, website and reunions possible. Simply said, they reunite friends. Make your check payable to: USS Sennet SS-408 Reunion Fund and mail to Ralph Luther. His address is below in the Ship's Store information. Ship's Store . . . Ralph Luther stocks a limited supply of Sennet unique submarine items like: T-Shirts – Size XXL only - Navy blue shirts with the Sennet logo embroidered above the pocket and a submarine veteran screen print on the back - $22 Prices do not include postage. Contact Ralph Luther by email for availability and total cost. All revenue goes 100% into the Reunion Fund. Make checks payable to: USS Sennet SS-408 Reunion Fund and mail to: USS Sennet SS-408 Eternal Patrol . . . Recently we learned of the passing of: ETR2(SS) Karl W. Chelgren (1960-1962) departed September 22, 2025. Special thanks to Ron & Connie Bycroft (1966-68) who send condolence cards to the families of recently deceased crew members. Binnacle List . . . These shipmates are facing some serious challenges and would like to hear from you. A simple email, card or phone call means so much to them. Find out more info about your friends on the Sennet web site page Binnacle List. RM2(SS) Robert J. Mullin (1958-1960) has Alzheimer's and lives in a memory care facility in Rutland, VT. Cards or letters may be sent to his son, and he will share them with Bob. Green Board, Stan Pollard
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