Dorado
A dolphin fish.
(SS-248: dp. 1,526, 1: 311'9", b. 27'3", dr. 15'3", s. 20
k.; cpl. 60; a 1 3", 10 21" tt.; cl. Gato)
Dorado (SS-248) was launched 23 May 1943 by Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn.; sponsored by Mrs. E. G. Allen, and commissioned 28 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander E. C. Schneider in command.
Dorado sailed from New London 6 October 1943, for the Canal Zone but never arrived. Air searches were begun immediately after her scheduled date of arrival 14 October. Widely scattered oil slicks with occasional debris were found and later investigation revealed that a patrol plane from Guantanamo Ray delivered a surprise attack on an unidentified submarine on 12 October and was later fired upon by another unidentified submarine. A German submarine was known to be operating near the scene of these two contacts, but the actual fate of Dorado remains unknown.
Dorado was the name assigned to SS-256 which was canceled on 29 July 1944 during construction.