The USS Irex (SS-482) was a Tench-class submarine of the United States Navy, notable for being the only vessel named after the oceanic fish, the irex. Its construction commenced with the keel laying on October 2, 1944, at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. The submarine was launched on January 26, 1945, with Mrs. Allen J. Ellender, wife of Senator Ellender of Louisiana, serving as the sponsor. She was officially commissioned on May 14, 1945. Following her shakedown in the New London, Connecticut, area, USS Irex journeyed to the Pacific via the Panama Canal, but the end of World War II occurred while she was in transit. She was subsequently ordered to Key West, Florida, where she joined Submarine Squadron 4 and conducted exercises in the Caribbean and at Guantanamo Bay through 1945 and 1946. Recognizing the importance of underwater technology, the Navy installed a modern telescopic snorkel on Irex at Portsmouth between December 1946 and February 1948. This device allowed her to run her diesel engines while submerged for extended periods, and she became the Navy's first operational snorkel submarine. Throughout the next several years, Irex primarily conducted training operations out of New London and off the Virginia Capes, with notable deployments including patrols in the North Atlantic in 1951, and Mediterranean assignments with the Sixth Fleet in 1953 and 1956, during the Suez Crisis. In 1957, she was fitted with a new plastic sail, replacing her World War II-era conning tower, which improved stability and reduced weight. Her service included antisubmarine warfare training, fleet exercises, and deployment to the Mediterranean, with notable operations during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Irex also participated in CENTO exercises and conducted operations in the Caribbean, North Atlantic, and the Red Sea. She remained active in training and operational duties until her decommissioning, and she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on November 17, 1969. USS Irex was sold for scrap and dismantled on September 13, 1971, marking the end of her distinguished service as an early operational snorkel submarine and a participant in Cold War naval activities.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.