US Navy Balao Submarine was the lead ship of the United States Navy's Balao-class submarines during World War II and named for the balao, a small schooling marine fish.
Balao's keel was laid down on 26 June 1942 at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 27 October 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Jane Aylward, wife of Lieutenant Commander Theodore C. Aylward, commissioned on 4 February 1943, Lieutenant Commander Richard H. Crane (USNA Class of 1931) in command; and reported to the United States Pacific Fleet.
Scale 1:700