{"nrhp_refnum":"08000863","name":"USS CROAKER (submarine)","other_names":["Ss 246"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"1 Naval Park Cove","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buffalo","county":"Erie County","state":"NY","lat":42.88026129700006,"lon":-78.88187286799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2008-09-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"USS Croaker (SS-246) is a World War II Gato class diesel submarine built in 1943 by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut, and converted in 1953 to a hunter-killer submarine. She is moored as a museum ship at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park in Buffalo, New York.","why_significant":"The nomination argues Croaker is a rare surviving diesel submarine, one of only six surviving Gato class boats. She retains integrity from her WWII construction and her 1953 Cold War conversion. Her combat record in the Pacific and later SSK service illustrate submarine propulsion, armament and crew accommodations of the period.","narrative":"USS Croaker is a steel-hulled Gato class diesel submarine, now a museum ship moored at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park at the mouth of the Buffalo River. Built by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, she was launched in December 1943 and commissioned in April 1944. On her first patrol she sank the Japanese cruiser Nagara, and she went on to complete five Pacific patrols, earning three Battle Stars and a Naval Unit Commendation. Decommissioned in 1953, she was converted to a hunter-killer submarine with a streamlined sail, long-range bow sonar and quieter machinery. She served the Navy until 1968, then trained reservists, and ended her naval career in 1971. Only six Gato class boats survive, and only one other, USS Cavalla, survives of those converted to SSK. Croaker retains her engines, torpedo rooms and control spaces, with only reversible changes such as access stairs and Plexiglas screens added for visitors. Volunteers have restored her since 1988.","period_of_significance":"1943-1953","architect_builder":"Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT, builder.","architectural_style":"OTHER / submarine","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Open as a museum ship in Buffalo since 1988, with reversible alterations for public exhibition and volunteer-led restoration.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.621243-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/08000863.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000863/28f7a6de91-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/08000863/28f7a6de91-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Croaker;0824616.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:USS_Croaker;0824616.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317731","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Croaker","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2207722"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/erie-county/uss-croaker-submarine-08000863/"}