USS Bushnell AS 15 – History of the U.S. Navy's Submarine Tender & Navy Decals
USS Bushnell AS 15 – History, Service Record & Navy Decals
The USS Bushnell (AS-15) was a submarine tender that served the United States Navy through World War II and the Cold War, providing comprehensive basing, repair, and support services to submarine squadrons operating far from shore-based facilities. Named for David Bushnell — one of the most remarkable and visionary inventors in American history, the Connecticut-born engineer who in 1775 designed and built the Turtle, the world’s first submarine used in combat. During the American Revolutionary War, Bushnell’s one-man wooden submarine — shaped like two turtle shells joined together, powered by hand-cranked propellers, and carrying a detachable explosive charge — was piloted by Sergeant Ezra Lee in an attempt to attach a mine to the British warship HMS Eagle in New York Harbor in August 1776. Though the mission did not succeed in sinking the Eagle, it was the world’s first submarine attack, and it established the concept of submarine warfare that would ultimately revolutionize naval combat. There could be no more fitting name for a submarine tender than that of the father of submarine warfare himself.
Keel, Launch & Commissioning
Bushnell’s keel was laid down on October 30, 1941, at the Bethlehem Steel Company in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on September 14, 1942, and commissioned into the U.S. Navy on January 10, 1943, under hull designation AS-15.
Class & Design
USS Bushnell was a submarine tender (AS) — a large, highly capable floating base designed to provide comprehensive maintenance, repair, supply, and support services to submarine squadrons at forward operating bases far from shore-based facilities. She carried crews of skilled machinists, torpedomen, electronics technicians, battery specialists, and other submarine maintenance professionals equipped with torpedo workshops, machine shops, battery maintenance facilities, and every other technical capability required to maintain and fully support a submarine squadron in forward operations.
Like all submarine tenders, Bushnell’s core value to the fleet was operational multiplication — by providing all the basing, repair, rearming, and resupply services that submarines needed between patrols at a forward anchorage, she allowed submarines to spend maximum time in their patrol areas rather than transiting to and from shore-based facilities, dramatically increasing the operational output of the submarine force.
World War II Service
Commissioned in January 1943, USS Bushnell deployed to the Pacific, joining the forward submarine support infrastructure as the Navy’s Pacific submarine campaign against Japanese shipping reached its most devastating and strategically decisive phase. She provided basing, repair, torpedo loading, and all other support services to Pacific Fleet submarines from advance bases — contributing to the campaign that ultimately sank more than 1,300 Japanese merchant ships and strangled Japan’s ability to sustain its war economy.
Her torpedo workshops and maintenance facilities kept submarines in fighting condition through successive war patrols, turning them around quickly for the next mission. Every day saved in the repair and rearming cycle was another day a submarine could spend in Japanese shipping lanes — and the cumulative impact of that operational efficiency, multiplied across the dozens of submarines that Bushnell and her sister tenders supported, was a decisive contribution to the Pacific War’s outcome.
Cold War Service
Following World War II, USS Bushnell continued her career as a submarine tender through the early Cold War, providing basing and maintenance services to the postwar submarine force as the Navy restructured for the new strategic environment of superpower competition. She supported the submarine force through the late 1940s and the beginning of the Navy’s transformation toward the nuclear-powered submarine fleet that would become the cornerstone of American strategic deterrence.
Decommissioning
USS Bushnell was decommissioned on February 15, 1961, after 18 years of commissioned service — a career spanning World War II and the early Cold War that encompassed some of the most consequential years in the history of American submarine power.
Legacy
For the sailors and submarine specialists who served aboard Bushnell — the machinists, torpedomen, electronics technicians, and battery specialists who kept Pacific Fleet submarines battle-ready through World War II and the early Cold War — she represents a career of essential technical service to the submarine force. Named for David Bushnell, the father of submarine warfare who proved in 1776 that submarines could be weapons of war, USS Bushnell spent 18 years supporting the submarines that transformed his revolutionary concept into the most powerful underwater force in history — a worthy tribute to the Connecticut inventor who started it all.
Shop USS Bushnell AS 15 Navy Gifts & Decals
Honor your service or give a meaningful gift to a USS Bushnell veteran with our full line of USS Bushnell AS 15 products:
- USS Bushnell AS 15 Aluminum License Plate — Show your Navy pride on the road.
- USS Bushnell AS 15 License Plate U.S. Flag — A patriotic twist on the classic plate.
- USS Bushnell AS 15 Aluminum Rating License Plate — Display your rating with pride.
- USS Bushnell AS 15 Vinyl Decal Oval U.S. Flag — Perfect for cars, trucks, and RVs.
- USS Bushnell AS 15 Vinyl Window Decal Two Color — A bold, two-color decal for any vehicle.
- USS Bushnell AS 15 License Plate Frame (Metal or Plastic) — Pair with your license plate for a complete look.
- USS Bushnell AS 15 License Plate Frame All-State Metal — Heavy-duty metal frame built to last.
- USS Bushnell AS 15 Aluminum Street Sign Blue/White — A one-of-a-kind display piece for any veteran’s home.
- USS Bushnell AS 15 Parking Sign Blue/White — Reserve your spot in style.
- USS Bushnell AS 15 Parking Sign Red/White — Another great option for the garage or driveway.
All products ship from the USA. Custom options available — contact us for details.
