With war exploding in Europe, USS Bass was brought back online on September 5th, 1940 and formed part of the Atlantic Fleet. She found herself in the Panama Canal Zone when Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese Navy - the event thrusting the United States into formal war. From then on, USS Bass undertook four total war patrols. An August 17th, 1942 fire in her stern battery room led to the deaths of 26 of her crew. She was overhauled at the Philadelphia Navy Yard thereafter and it was during 1943 that her torpedo tubes and deck gun were removed in order to convert her to a cargo transport submarine. These changes effectively reduced her performance specs though the boat was never used in this role. Before the end of the year, USS Bass was part of several top secret experiments near Bock Island, New York and eventually lent her facilities to training personnel.
In Early 1944, she was back in Philadelphia waters to undergo repairs and operated, once more, as part of the Atlantic Fleet from then on. On March 3rd, 1945, she was officially decommissioned and used as a floating torpedo target on March 12th, 1945. She was scuttled on July 14th of that year.
The early V-boats were noted for their poor performance, never being able to make their listed maximum speed with their unreliable engine fits. They held heavy bows which gave them poor seakeeping qualities (which led to the 1928 removal of the heavier 5" deck gun) as well.
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