USS Irex ( SS - 482 ) USS " Irex " ( SS - 482 ) , a " Tench " - class submarine , was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the irex , one of the oceanic fishes belonging to the family " carangidae " . Her keel was laid down on 2 October 1944 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery , Maine . She was launched on 26 January 1945 sponsored by Mrs . Allen J . Ellender , wife of Senator Ellender of Louisiana , and commissioned on 14 May 1945 with Commander J . D . Crowley in command . Service History . 1945 - 1956 . After shakedown in the New London , Connecticut , area , " Irex " sailed for the Pacific via the Panama Canal . While she was in the Canal Zone , the war ended . " Irex " was ordered to Key West , Florida , where she joined Submarine Squadron 4 . She spent the remainder of the year there and at Guantanamo Bay conducting exercises . By December 1946 the Navy had completed plans for the modern telescopic snorkel ( a device to enable diesel - powered submarines to run submerged for long periods of time ) , and " Irex " was ordered to Portsmouth for installation and test of this equipment . She spent July 1947 to February 1948 evaluating her new apparatus and then joined Submarine Squadron 8 at New London as the U . S . Navy ' s first operational snorkel submarine . For the next three years " Irex " trained out of New London and off the Virginia Capes . In May 1951 she was assigned patrol duty in the North Atlantic and in August commenced operations out of Key West and Cuba . Returning to New London in the fall , " Irex " continued her important training out of New England and in the Caribbean Sea until 26 October 1953 when she sailed for the Mediterranean Sea to join the Sixth Fleet . Returning to New London 3 February 1954 " Irex " resumed her operations along the East Coast and in the Caribbean for the next two years . " Irex " again deployed in 1956 to the Mediterranean with units of the Sixth Fleet . In the developing Mid - East crisis that culminated in the nationalization of the Suez Canal in July 1956 , and armed conflict between Egypt and the forces of France , Israel , and the United Kingdom , U . S . Naval forces acted early to support America ' s policy . In February , patrols in the Red Sea and along the Israeli - Egyptian border were established as a means of expressing American interest in the peaceful outcome of the crisis . Returning to New London , she resumed her operations and also served as training ship for submarine students . 1957 - 1971 . During early 1957 " Irex " participated in fleet exercises and again served as training ship . In July she entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where she was fitted out with a new type plastic sail . The plastic sail , which replaced the World War II conning tower , was lighter in weight , higher , and acted as a stabilizer . With the exception of one tour to the Mediterranean ( 13 September – 20 December 1958 ) and training cruises to Bermuda and Halifax , Nova Scotia , " Irex " continued her operations out of New London for the next year and a half . In early 1960 she took part in fleet exercises in the North Atlantic before returning home 3 March . After operations out of New London , and a training cruise to Halifax , " Irex " deployed 1 August 1961 for submarine warfare training with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean . She returned to New London in November , ranging south to Bermuda and north to New York City and Boston , Massachusetts , as she trained reservists and men of the New London Submarine School . She based winter operations January to March 1963 from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands , then was overhauled in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard before resuming training at New London . In October 1964 she again sailed for the Mediterranean , taking time out during this Sixth Fleet tour to transit Suez Canal for CENTO exercises in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea . She returned home mid - January 1965 to aid in the development of antisubmarine warfare tactics , joined U . S . - Canadian warfare exercises reaching northward to Nova Scotia , then returned home to New London in November 1965 and continued local training duties into 1967 . " Irex " was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 17 November 1969 and sold for scrapping on 13 September 1971 .