91-569: USS Sailfish (SS-192) , was a US Sargo -class submarine , originally named Squalus . As Squalus , the submarine sank off the coast of New Hampshire during test dives on 23 May 1939. The sinking drowned 26 crew members, but an ensuing rescue operation, using the McCann Rescue Chamber for the first time, saved the lives of the remaining 33 aboard. Squalus was salvaged in late 1939 and recommissioned as Sailfish in May 1940. As Sailfish ,
182-440: A sampan and a patrol craft with her deck gun as the enemy craft tried to capture the downed aviators. The following day, she rescued another flier. The submarines pulled into Saipan , arriving on 24 October, to drop off their temporary passengers, refuel, and make minor repairs. After returning to the patrol area with the wolf pack, she made an unsuccessful attack on a transport on 3 November. The following day, Sailfish damaged
273-456: A " hot run " in tube eight (aft), and (after the skipper himself went over the side to inspect the damage) ejected the torpedo; the tube remained out of commission for the duration of the patrol. After refueling at Midway, she was alerted by ULTRA of a fast convoy of Japanese ships before she arrived on station. Southeast of Yokosuka , on the night of 3 December, she made radar contact at 9,000 yd (8,200 m). The group consisted of
364-483: A " wolfpack " ("Moseley's Maulers", commanded by Stan Moseley ), with Greenling and Billfish , to prey on shipping in the Luzon–Formosa area. On the afternoon of 6 August, Sailfish and Greenling made contact with an enemy convoy. Sailfish maneuvered into firing position and fired a spread of three torpedoes at a mine layer. One hit caused the tanker to disintegrate into a column of water, smoke and debris. It
455-477: A convoy of five merchant ships and two escorts. She made two hits on a small freighter before the escorts and an enemy plane forced the submarine to go deep. Sturgeon finally came to periscope depth and trailed the convoy until the next morning when she made an end-around run and fired four torpedoes at a freighter. Three hits put Seiru Maru under in two minutes. The submarine swung around and fired her bow tubes at another ship. Two hits were recorded; when last seen
546-594: A large cargo ship, on 14 September but missed with all. Three days later she fired a spread at a tanker with two apparent hits. At 05:36 on 1 October Sturgeon sighted the 8,033-ton aircraft ferry Katsuragi Maru . A spread of four torpedoes was fired and resulted in three hits which sent the ship to the bottom. An escort depth charged the submarine for a while and then broke off to rescue survivors. Sturgeon moved south of Tetepare Island and patrolled there until she returned to Brisbane on 25 October for repairs and refit. Sturgeon returned to sea and began patrolling in
637-450: A large explosion nearby, no damage was done, and the destroyers counterattacked with 18–20 depth charges. She returned to Manila on 17 December. Her second patrol (now under the command of Richard G. Voge begun on 21 December, took the submarine to waters off Formosa . On the morning of 27 January 1942, off Halmahera , near Davao , she sighted a Myōkō -class cruiser, making a daylight submerged attack with four torpedoes, and reporting
728-399: A large freighter, but discovered the intended target was a hospital ship and held her fire. On 9 July, she intercepted and torpedoed a Japanese freighter . One of a pair of torpedoes struck home and the ship took a 15° list . As Sailfish went deep, a series of explosions were heard, and no further screw noises were detected. When the submarine surfaced in the area 90 minutes later, no ship
819-408: A large ship, with two explosions following. The submarine was then subjected to a two and one-half-hour depth charge attack by two destroyers which caused no damage. On 26 January she sighted an enemy transport and four destroyers off Balikpapan . Sturgeon fired a spread from her forward tubes which resulted in a large explosion on the transport, and her screws stopped turning. No post-war record of
910-434: A large ship. Four hits on the 7,089-ton passenger-cargo troopship Toyama Maru sent her up in flames and to the bottom. This sinking had a sizeable influence on the battle of Okinawa , as the ship was carrying 5,600 troops of the 44th Independent Mixed Brigade that were on their way to the island. On 3 July Sturgeon sighted a nine-ship convoy accompanied by air cover and numerous small escorts. She registered three hits on
1001-469: A nine-ship convoy before daylight and fired three torpedoes at the largest ship and heard explosions. After some 21 depth charges were dropped by the escorts, she managed to escape with only a few gauges broken. On 1 July Sturgeon she sank the 7,267-ton prisoner transport Montevideo Maru off the coast of Luzon . On 5 July she scored hits on a tanker in a convoy northbound from Manila. Her patrol ended on 22 July when she arrived at Fremantle for refit. It
SECTION 10
#17328687808721092-430: A radically redesigned pontoon and cable arrangement, the next lift was successful, as were two further operations. Squalus was towed into Portsmouth on 13 September, and decommissioned on 15 November. A total of 628 dives had been made in rescue and salvage operations. Renamed Sailfish on 9 February 1940, she became the first boat of the U.S. Navy named for the sailfish . After reconditioning, repair, and overhaul, she
1183-515: A reliable propulsion plant, along with the Salmon s they were an important step in the development of a true fleet submarine . In some references, the Salmon s and Sargo s are called the "New S Class", 1st and 2nd Groups. The Sargo -class submarine USS Swordfish (SS-193) had the distinction of being the first US Navy submarine to sink a Japanese ship in World War II . In most features
1274-537: A second convoy , three ships with a subchaser and, unusually, an aircraft, for escort. Sailfish once more fired three stern tubes, sinking Iburi Maru ; in response, the subchaser, the aircraft, and three additional escorts, pinned her down in a gruelling depth charge attack lasting 10 hours and 98 charges but causing only slight damage. After shaking loose pursuit, she set course for Midway on 26 June, arriving there on 3 July. Her ninth patrol (commanded by William R. Lefavour ) lasted from 25 July–16 September and covered
1365-460: A sinking could be found, but the transport was believed damaged. Three days later, she made two hits on a tanker. On the morning of 8 February, Sturgeon found herself on the track of an enemy invasion fleet headed toward Makassar . She submerged to avoid detection by several destroyers and a cruiser as they passed overhead but was able to report the movement of the convoy to command. The submarine retired from her patrol area two days later when she
1456-434: A sinking in the area. During the remainder of the patrol, she made unsuccessful attacks on a cargo ship and a destroyer before ending the patrol at Pearl Harbor on 15 January 1943. After an overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard from 27 January–22 April, Sailfish returned to Pearl Harbor on 30 April. Departing Hawaii on 17 May for her eighth patrol, she stopped off to fuel at Midway Island and proceeded to her station off
1547-448: A smaller engine than other contemporary designs, the double-acting system proved unreliable in service. During World War II , all had their engines replaced with GM Cleveland Diesel 16-278A engines, probably during their overhauls in early 1943. BuEng had designed a new lead-acid battery to resist battle damage, known as the Sargo battery because it was first installed on Sargo and
1638-546: A spread at a tanker, but the range was so close that they failed to arm. The submarine was then depth charged by escorts but eluded them and patrolled off Cape Mandar (in West Sulawesi ) in the Makassar Strait . On 22 April a destroyer's searchlight blinked to Sturgeon , and she went deep to avoid the subsequent two-hour depth charge attack. On 28 April the submarine sailed for Australia. However, she interrupted her voyage on
1729-416: A spread of four torpedoes at the two freighters. Two solid explosions were heard, including an internal secondary explosion. Sailfish heard Totai Maru (3,000 GRT ) break up and sink as the destroyers made a vigorous but inaccurate depth charge attack. When Sailfish caught up with the other freighter she was dead in the water, but covered by a screen of five destroyers. Rather than face suicidal odds,
1820-775: The Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines as part of a belated effort to reinforce U.S. and Allied forces in Southeast Asia. The Japanese occupation of southern Indo-China and the August 1941 American-British-Dutch retaliatory oil embargo had raised international tensions. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the submarines of the Asiatic Fleet were the primary striking force available to Admiral Thomas C. Hart ,
1911-456: The Asiatic Fleet until the attack on Pearl Harbor . During the Pacific War , the captain of the renamed boat issued standing orders if any man on the boat said the word "Squalus", he was to be marooned at the next port of call. This led to crew members referring to their boat as "Squailfish". That went over almost as well; a court martial was threatened for anyone heard using it. Following
SECTION 20
#17328687808722002-482: The Construction Corps . Cole also requested experienced Commander Henry Hartley as his Technical Aide. Tusler's plan was to lift the submarine in three stages to prevent it from rising too quickly, out of control, with one end up, in which case there would be a high likelihood of it sinking again. For 50 days, divers worked to pass cables underneath the submarine and attach pontoons for buoyancy. On 13 July 1939,
2093-476: The Formosa Strait and waters off Okinawa . It produced only two contacts (a 2500 ton steamer at Naha, Okinawa , and a junk ), but no worthwhile targets, and Sailfish thereafter returned to Pearl Harbor. After refit at Pearl Harbor, she departed (under the command of Robert E. McC. Ward ) with a rejuvenated crew, on 17 November for her 10th patrol, which took her south of Honshū. Along the way, she suffered
2184-649: The Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program after World War II . Each battery's capacity was slightly increased by installing 126 cells instead of 120; this also raised the nominal voltage from 250 volts to 270 volts, which has been standard in US usage ever since, including the backup batteries of nuclear submarines . The original Mark 21 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber deck gun proved to be too light in service. It lacked sufficient punch to finish off crippled or small targets quickly enough to suit
2275-545: The Isles of Shoals on the morning of 23 May at 42°53′N 70°37′W / 42.883°N 70.617°W / 42.883; -70.617 . Failure of the main induction valve (the means of letting in fresh air when on the surface) caused the flooding of the aft torpedo room, both engine rooms, and the crew's quarters, drowning 26 men immediately. Quick action by the crew prevented the other compartments from flooding. Squalus bottomed in 243 ft (74 m) of water. Squalus
2366-482: The Japanese aircraft carrier Chūyō , which was carrying 21 survivors from the submarine Sculpin ; only one of these prisoners survived the sinking. Sculpin had been one of the ships assisting in the rescue of 33 men when Squalus sank during a test dive in 1939; Squalus was refloated and recommissioned as USS Sailfish . In early 1945 the surviving boats of this class were transferred to training roles for
2457-640: The Java Sea . After sighting the heavy cruiser Houston and two escorts heading for Sunda Strait following the Allied defeat in the Battle of the Java Sea , Sailfish intercepted an enemy destroyer on 2 March. Following an unsuccessful attack, she was forced to dive deep to escape the ensuing depth charge attack from the destroyer and patrol aircraft. That night, near the mouth of Lombok Strait, she spotted what appeared to be
2548-675: The Medal of Honor for their work during the rescue and subsequent salvage. The successful rescue of the Squalus survivors is in marked contrast to the loss of HMS Thetis in Liverpool Bay in England just a week later, with four survivors from 104 people aboard. The navy authorities felt it important to raise Squalus as she incorporated a succession of new design features. With a thorough investigation of why she sank, more confidence could be placed in
2639-596: The Philippine Islands and arrived at Manila Bay on 22 November. She was then attached to SubRon 2, Submarine Division (SubDiv) 22, United States Asiatic Fleet . Sturgeon was moored in Mariveles Naval Section Base on 7 December 1941 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . She put to sea the next afternoon to patrol an area between the Pescadores Islands and Formosa . A small tanker
2730-425: The Sargo s were a repeat of the Salmon s, except for the return to full diesel-electric drive for the last four boats and the adoption of the improved Sargo battery design. The first six Sargo s were driven by a composite direct-drive and diesel-electric plant (two engines in each mode) in the same manner as the Salmon s. In this arrangement, two main engines in the forward engine room drove generators . In
2821-505: The Truk area on 30 November. She fired four torpedoes at a Japanese ship on 6 December and observed one hit. She missed hitting targets on 9 and 18 December. The ship withdrew from the area on 25 December and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 4 January 1943. She was in the yard from 14 January to 11 May for an overhaul. Sturgeon ' s seventh war patrol began on 12 June and ended at Midway Island on 2 August. She sighted seven worthwhile targets but
USS Sailfish (SS-192) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2912-411: The squalus , a type of shark . She was launched on 14 September 1938, sponsored by Mrs. Thomas C. Hart, wife of Admiral Thomas C. Hart , and commissioned on 1 March 1939 with Lieutenant Oliver F. Naquin in command. On 12 May 1939, following a yard overhaul, Squalus began a series of test dives off Portsmouth, New Hampshire . After successfully completing 18 dives, she went down again off
3003-405: The 38,200-long-ton (38,800 t) aircraft carrier Kaga , escorted by four destroyers. Sailfish fired four torpedoes, scoring two hits. Leaving the target aflame and dead in the water, Sailfish dove, the escorts delivering forty depth charges in the next 90 minutes. She eluded destroyers and aircraft and arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia , on 19 March, to great fanfare, believed to be
3094-677: The IJN destroyer Harukaze , which had previously sunk USS Shark , and also a landing ship. Following refit, Sailfish departed Hawaii on 26 December and arrived at New London , via the Panama Canal, on 22 January 1945. For the next four and one-half months, she aided training out of New London. Next, she operated as a training ship at Guantanamo Bay from 9 June–9 August. After a six-week stay at Philadelphia Navy Yard , she arrived at Portsmouth, New Hampshire on 2 October for deactivation. After being decommissioned on 27 October 1945, efforts by
3185-506: The Japanese aircraft carrier Chūyō , a cruiser, and two destroyers. Despite high seas whipped up by typhoon winds, Sailfish maneuvered into firing position shortly after midnight on 3–4 December, dived to radar depth (just the radar aerial exposed), and fired four bow torpedoes at the carrier, at a range of 2,100 yd (1,900 m), scoring two hits. She went deep to escape the escorting destroyers, which dropped 21 depth charges (only two close), reloaded, and at 02:00, surfaced to resume
3276-458: The Japanese destroyer Harukaze and Japanese landing ship T-111 (890 tons) in Luzon Strait in position 20°08'N, 121°43'E but was slightly damaged herself by a bomb from a patrol aircraft. With battle damage under control, Sailfish eluded her pursuers and cleared the area. After riding out a typhoon on 9–10 November, she intercepted a convoy on the evening of 24 November heading for Itbayat in
3367-501: The Philippines. After alerting Pomfret of the convoy's location and course, Sailfish was moving into an attack position when one of the escorting destroyers headed straight for her. Sailfish fired a three-torpedo spread "down the throat" and headed toward the main convoy. At least one hit was scored on the destroyer and her pip faded from the radar screen. Suddenly, Sailfish received an unwelcome surprise when she came under fire from
3458-521: The after engine room, two side-by-side engines were clutched to reduction gears which sat forward of the engines, with vibration-isolating hydraulic clutches. Two high-speed electric motors , driven by the generating engines or batteries, were also connected to each reduction gear. The Bureau of Steam Engineering (BuEng) and the General Board desired a full diesel-electric plant, but there were some dissenting opinions, notably Admiral Thomas C. Hart ,
3549-616: The area at 18:55. Two attacks were made on a four-ship convoy on 24 January. One hit was registered on a Japanese merchant ship from the first attack while the spread fired at the other merchant ship sank Chosen Maru . Two days later, she made a fruitless attack on two freighters, and the submarine returned to Pearl Harbor, via Midway, for refit. Sturgeon ' s next assignment was in the Bonin Islands area from 8 April until 26 May and included plane guard duty near Marcus Island during aircraft carrier strikes there. On 10 May, she attacked
3640-473: The areas of Sailfish ' s fourth patrol, from 22 March–21 May. After delivering 1,856 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition to " MacArthur 's guerrillas ", she made only one ship contact and was unable to attack the target before returning to Fremantle. The submarine's fifth patrol—from 13 June through 1 August—was off the coast of Indochina in the South China Sea . On 4 July, she intercepted and tracked
3731-462: The attack on Pearl Harbor, Sailfish departed Manila on her first war patrol, destined for the west coast of Luzon . Early on 10 December, she sighted a landing force, supported by cruisers and destroyers , but could not gain firing position. On the night of 13 December, she made contact with two Japanese destroyers and began a submerged attack; the destroyers detected her, dropping several depth charges , while Sailfish fired two torpedoes. Despite
USS Sailfish (SS-192) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3822-473: The cargo ship Choko Maru . On 3 April one of her torpedoes struck a 750-ton frigate directly under the bridge, and she was officially listed as probably sunk. She then fired three torpedoes at a merchantman but missed. With one torpedo remaining in the bow tubes, she fired and hit the target abreast the foremast. When last seen, it was listing heavily to port and making for the Celebes shore. On 6 April she fired
3913-498: The cargo ship Erie Maru went to the bottom. The submarine was forced to go deep to avoid a depth charge attack and was unable to regain contact with the convoy. Five days later, she attacked a freighter Akagi Maru and the destroyer Suzutsuki in Bungo Channel . Suzutsuki was hit by two torpedoes which blew off the bow and stern. Sturgeon was pinned down all afternoon by the destroyer Hatsuzuki 's counterattacks and cleared
4004-503: The cargo ship Tairin Maru that blew her bow off and holed her side. She rolled to starboard and sank. The submarine went deep and avoided the 196 depth charges and aerial bombs that were rained down upon her. She evaded the escorts and returned to Pearl Harbor on 5 August. Sturgeon was routed to California for an overhaul and arrived at San Francisco on 15 August. On 31 December 1944 the ship shifted to San Diego and sailed on 5 January 1945 for
4095-444: The carrier lying dead in the water, listing to port and down by the stern. Preparations to abandon ship were in progress. Later in the morning, Sailfish fired another spread of three torpedoes, from only 1,700 yd (1,600 m), scoring two final hits. Loud internal explosions and breaking-up noises were heard while the submarine dived to escape a depth charge attack. Abruptly, a cruiser appeared and, fearing that she would broach
4186-525: The city of Portsmouth and area residents to have the submarine kept intact as a memorial were not successful. Agreement was reached to have her conning tower saved, which was dedicated in November 1946 on Armistice Day , by John L. Sullivan , then Under Secretary of the Navy . The remainder of the submarine was initially scheduled to be a target in the atomic bomb tests or sunk by conventional ordnance. However, she
4277-466: The command of John R. "Dinty" Moore ) got underway for her sixth patrol on 13 September and headed for the western Solomon Islands . On the night of 17–18 September, she encountered eight Japanese destroyers escorting a cruiser, but she was unable to attack. On 19 September, she attacked a minelayer . The spread of three torpedoes missed, and Sailfish was forced to dive deep to escape the depth charge counterattack. Eleven well-placed charges went off near
4368-502: The crews. It was replaced by the Mark 9 4-inch (102 mm)/50 caliber gun in 1943-44, in most cases removed from an S-boat being transferred to training duty. From commissioning until late 1941 the first six Sargo s were based first at San Diego , later at Pearl Harbor . The last four were sent to the Philippines shortly after commissioning. In October 1941, the remaining Sargo s and most other newer available submarines were transferred to
4459-550: The destroyer that she had believed to be sunk. Sailfish ran deep after ascertaining there was no hull damage resulting from a near miss from the escort's guns. For the next 4 1 ⁄ 2 hours, Sailfish was forced to run silent and deep as the Japanese kept up an uncomfortably accurate depth-charge attack. Finally, the submarine was able to elude the destroyers and slip away. Shortly, Sailfish headed for Hawaii, via Midway, and completed her 12th and final war patrol upon arriving at Pearl Harbor on 11 December. Sailfish had damaged
4550-436: The east coast of Honshū . Several contacts were made but, because of bad weather, were not attacked. On 15 June, she encountered two freighters off Todo Saki , escorted by three subchasers . Firing a spread of three stern torpedoes, she observed one hit which stopped the maru dead in the water. Sailfish was driven down by the escort, but listened on her sound gear as Shinju Maru broke up and sank. Ten days later, she found
4641-483: The escorts ran into the path of two fish; the other two missed. While the destroyer must have been severely damaged or sunk, there was nothing in JANAC . On 24 August, south of Formosa, Sailfish made radar contact with an enemy convoy consisting of four cargo ships escorted by two small patrol craft. Moving into firing position, Sailfish fired a salvo of four torpedoes, scoring two hits. The cargo ship Toan Maru (2100 GRT)
SECTION 50
#17328687808724732-542: The events surrounding the loss of USS Squalus and the rescue of her 33 survivors. The plot was written to closely follow the events of the sinking. Submerged used models and sets originally constructed for the 2000 film U-571 . The floating set used to in Submerged to represent both USS Squalus and USS Sculpin is the non-diving replica built in Malta as the "modified" USS S-33 (SS-138) for U-571 , which also
4823-492: The first depth charge exploded, breaking numerous light bulbs but causing no serious damage. Sturgeon began silent running and evaded the escorts. On the evening of 21 December, the submarine sighted a darkened ship believed to be a large cargo carrier. A torpedo spread was fired from the stern tubes, but they all passed ahead of the ship because of an error in her estimated speed. The ship ended her first war patrol when she returned to Mariveles Bay on 25 December. Sturgeon
4914-509: The first U.S. sub to have sunk an enemy carrier. In reality, the Kaga was scuttled in June, 1942, after damage sustained during the Battle of Midway , in that vicinity. Postwar, it was revealed Kaga had been nowhere in the area of Lombok Strait, and the target had in fact been the 6,440-long-ton (6,540 t) aircraft ferry Kamogawa Maru , still a valuable target. The Java Sea and Celebes Sea were
5005-419: The first United States submarines to be sent into action after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , starting war patrols the day after the attack, having been deployed to the Philippines in late 1941. Similar to the previous Salmon class , they were built between 1937 and 1939. With a top speed of 21 knots, a range of 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) (allowing patrols in Japanese home waters), and
5096-470: The fleet's commander. He was assigned sixteen Salmon s or Sargo s; the entirety of both classes. Seven Porpoise -class and six S-boats rounded out the force. The Japanese did not bomb the Philippines until 10 December 1941, so almost all of the submarines were able to get underway before an attack. Sealion and Seadragon were the unlucky exceptions. In overhaul at the Cavite Navy Yard , Sealion
5187-623: The new construction, or alteration of existing designs could be undertaken when cheapest and most efficient to do so. Furthermore, given similar previous accidents in Sturgeon and Snapper (indeed, in S-5 , as far back as 1920), it was necessary to determine a cause. The Squalus salvage unit was commanded by Rear Admiral Cyrus W. Cole , Commandant of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, who supervised salvage officer Lieutenant Floyd A. Tusler from
5278-474: The night of 30 April in an attempt to rescue some Royal Australian and Royal Air Force personnel reported on an island at the entrance of Cilacap Harbor. A landing party under Lieutenant Chester W. Nimitz, Jr. entered the cove and examined it by searchlight but found only a deserted lean-to. She continued to Fremantle and arrived there on 7 May. Sturgeon refitted and returned to sea on 5 June to patrol an area west of Manila . On 25 June she caught up with
5369-500: The only experienced submariner on the General Board, who pointed out that a full diesel-electric system could be disabled by flooding. Technical problems went against the use of two large direct-drive diesels in place of the four-engine composite plant. No engine of suitable power to reach the desired 21-knot speed existed in the US, and the current vibration-isolating hydraulic clutches were not capable of transmitting enough power. It
5460-616: The operations was Dr. Charles Wesley Shilling . Overseen by researcher Albert R. Behnke , the divers used recently developed heliox diving schedules and successfully avoided the cognitive impairment symptoms associated with such deep dives , thereby confirming Behnke's theory of nitrogen narcosis . The divers were able to rescue all 33 survivors (32 crew members and a civilian) on board the sunken submarine. Four enlisted divers, Chief Machinist's Mate William Badders , Chief Boatswain's Mate Orson L. Crandall , Chief Metalsmith James H. McDonald and Chief Torpedoman John Mihalowski , were awarded
5551-406: The pursuit. She found a mass of radar contacts, and a slow-moving target, impossible to identify in the miserable visibility. As dawn neared, she fired another spread of three bow "fish" from 3,100 yd (2,800 m), scoring two more hits on the stricken carrier. Diving to elude the Japanese counter-attack, which was hampered by the raging seas, Sailfish came to periscope depth, and at 07:58 saw
SECTION 60
#17328687808725642-470: The remainder of the war, eventually being scrapped in 1947-48. Searaven was used in the Bikini Atoll atomic weapon tests in 1946. There was negligible damage so she was later expended as a target in 1948. Sailfish was also due to become a target in the same atomic weapon tests but she was scrapped instead in 1948. USS Sturgeon (SS-187) USS Sturgeon (SS-187) , a Salmon -class submarine ,
5733-457: The same boat that had helped locate and rescue Sailfish —then Squalus —over four years before. Twenty of the 21 US crew members from Sculpin were killed. None, however, were of the original rescue crew. 1,250 Japanese were also killed. After escaping a strafing attack by a Japanese fighter on 7 December, she made contact and commenced tracking two cargo ships with two escorts on the morning of 13 December, south of Kyūshū . That night, she fired
5824-594: The sole surviving Japanese sailor described the "death cries" of trapped Australians going down with the ship while others sung Auld Lang Syne . Sturgeon stood out of port on 4 September to begin her fifth war patrol in an area between Mono Island and the Shortland Islands in the Solomon Islands group . On 11 September she began patrolling west of Bougainville to intercept enemy shipping between Rabaul, Buka , and Faisi . The submarine fired four torpedoes at
5915-499: The stern was raised successfully, but when the men attempted to free the bow from the hard blue clay, the vessel began to rise far too quickly, slipping its cables. Ascending vertically, the submarine broke the surface, and 30 feet (10 m) of the bow reached into the air for not more than ten seconds before she sank once again all the way to the bottom. Momsen said of the mishap, "pontoons were smashed, hoses cut and I might add, hearts were broken." After 20 more days of preparation, with
6006-553: The submarine detected breaking-up noises as Uyo Maru (6400 GRT) went to the bottom; destroyers counterattacked with 31 depth charges, "some very close". Sailfish terminated her tenth patrol at Pearl Harbor on 5 January 1944. She claimed three ships for 35,729 GRT, plus damage to one for 7000 tons, believed to be the most successful patrol by tonnage to date; postwar, it was reduced to two ships and (less Uyo Maru ) 29,571 tons. After an extensive overhaul at Mare Island—from 15–17 June—she returned to Hawaii and sailed on 9 July as part of
6097-426: The submarine quietly left the area. On the night of 20 December, she intercepted an enemy hospital ship, which she left unmolested. On 21 December, in the approach to Bungo Suido (Bungo Channel), Sailfish intercepted six large freighters escorted by three destroyers. With five torpedoes left, she fired a spread of three stern tubes, scoring two hits on the largest target. Diving to escape the approaching destroyers,
6188-433: The submarine, causing much minor damage. Sailfish returned to Brisbane on 1 November. Underway for her seventh patrol on 24 November, Sailfish proceeded to the area south of New Britain . Following an unsuccessful attack on a destroyer on 2 December, the submarine made no other contacts until 25 December, when she believed she had scored a hit on a Japanese submarine. Postwar analysis of Japanese records could not confirm
6279-406: The surface, Sailfish went to 90 ft (27 m), losing a chance at this new target. Shortly afterwards, the carrier Chūyō (20,000 long tons (20,321 t)) went to the bottom, the first aircraft carrier sunk by an American submarine in the war, and the only major Japanese warship sunk by enemy action in 1943. In an ironic twist, Chūyō was carrying American prisoners of war from Sculpin ,
6370-434: The target was damaged, for which she got credit. However, the damage could not be assessed since the cruiser's two escorts forced Sailfish to dive deep and run silent. Running at 260 ft (79 m), the submarine eluded the destroyers and proceeded south toward Java . She arrived at Tjilatjap on 14 February for refueling and rearming. Departing on 19 February for her third patrol, she headed through Lombok Strait to
6461-465: The target was dead in the water, smoking heavily. The submarine began plane guard duty on 20 May and rescued three airmen before heading for Midway two days later. Sturgeon sailed for the Nansei Shoto on 10 June to begin her last war patrol. Only two worthy contacts were made, and they were heavily escorted. The first was an eight-ship convoy which she attacked on 29 June. Four torpedoes were fired at
6552-640: The vessel conducted numerous patrols in the Pacific War during World War II , earning nine battle stars . She was decommissioned in October 1945 and later scrapped. Her conning tower is on display at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery , Maine . Squalus ' s keel was laid on 18 October 1937 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery , Maine , the only ship of the United States Navy named for
6643-442: Was able to attack only one. That occurred on 1 July when she fired a spread at a freighter and heard two hits, causing possible damage. The next patrol, from 29 August to 23 October, was equally unrewarding, and she returned to Pearl Harbor. On 13 December 1943, Sturgeon sailed for Japanese home waters . She sighted a seven-ship convoy with four escorts on 11 January 1944. Finding an overlapping target, she fired four torpedoes, and
6734-408: Was also not practical to gear two engines to each shaft. So a full diesel-electric plant was adopted for the last four Sargo s, and remained standard for all subsequent conventionally-powered US submarines. Four of the class ( Sargo , Saury , Spearfish , and Seadragon ) were equipped with the troublesome Hooven-Owens-Rentschler (HOR) double-acting diesels. An attempt to produce more power from
6825-528: Was assigned to Submarine Squadron (SubRon) 6 and operated along the West Coast as far north as Washington . She made two squadron cruises to Hawaii with the Pacific Fleet: from 1 July to 16 August 1939 and from 1 April to 12 July 1940. The submarine departed San Diego on 5 November 1940 for Pearl Harbor and operated from there until November 1941. Sturgeon stood out of Pearl Harbor on 10 November, headed for
6916-512: Was at sea again on 28 December 1941 en route to the Tarakan area, off the coast of Borneo . A tanker was sighted southwest of Sibutu Island on 17 January 1942, but all three torpedoes missed and the ship escaped. On the night of 22 January, Sturgeon was alerted by Pickerel that a large convoy was headed her way in Makassar Strait . A few minutes later, her sonar picked up the pings of ships dead astern. She submerged and fired four torpedoes at
7007-435: Was based on a suggestion by her commissioning commanding officer , Lieutenant E. E. Yeomans. Instead of a single hard rubber case, it had two concentric hard rubber cases with a layer of soft rubber between them. This was to prevent sulfuric acid leakage in the event one case cracked during depth-charging . This remained the standard battery design until replaced with Sargo II and GUPPY batteries in submarines upgraded under
7098-403: Was damaged beyond repair and was scuttled on 25 December. Seadragon , assisted by USS Canopus and USS Pigeon , was able to leave port with emergency repairs and went on to fight for most of the war. The Sargo class was very active during the war, sinking 73 ships, including a Japanese submarine. Four were lost, including one to "friendly fire". Sailfish of this class sank
7189-444: Was enveloped in a cloud of smoke and shortly afterwards broke in two and sank. Surfacing after escaping a depth charge attack, Sailfish closed on a second cargo ship of the convoy, scoring two hits out of four torpedoes fired. The submarine's crew felt the cargo ship either had been sunk or badly damaged, but the sinking was not confirmed by JANAC postwar. Sailfish terminated her 11th patrol at Midway on 6 September; her wartime credit
7280-531: Was four ships for 13,200 tons, a total reduced to just one of 2100 GRT ( Toan Maru ) postwar. Her 12th patrol—from 26 September through 11 December—was conducted between Luzon and Formosa, in company with Pomfret and Parche . After passing through the edge of a typhoon, Sailfish arrived on station to perform lifeguard duty. On 12 October, staying surfaced in full view of enemy attackers, she rescued 12 Navy fliers who had ditched their stricken aircraft after strikes against Japanese bases on Formosa. She sank
7371-507: Was in sight. She was credited during the war with a 7000 ton ship, and although postwar examination of Japanese records confirmed no sinking in the area on that date, the Sailfish had damaged the Japanese transport ship Aobasan Maru (8811 GRT) off the coast of Indochina in position 11°31'N, 109°21'E. Sailfish observed only one other enemy vessel before the end of the patrol. Shifting her base of operations to Brisbane , Sailfish (now under
7462-408: Was initially located by her sister boat , Sculpin . The two submarines were able to communicate using a telephone marker buoy until the cable parted. Divers from the submarine rescue ship Falcon began rescue operations under the direction of the salvage and rescue expert Lieutenant Commander Charles B. "Swede" Momsen , using the new McCann Rescue Chamber . The Senior Medical Officer for
7553-677: Was laid down on 27 October 1936, by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard . She was launched on 15 March 1938, sponsored by Mrs. Alice N. Freeman, wife of Charles S. Freeman, Commander, Submarine Force, United States Fleet. The boat was commissioned on 25 June 1938. Sturgeon completed builder's trials in Monterey Bay and began her shakedown cruise on 15 October 1938, visiting ports in Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Peru, Ecuador, and Costa Rica before returning to San Diego , on 12 December 1938. She
7644-543: Was later discovered that Montevideo Maru had been carrying over 1,000 Australian prisoners of war and civilian internees from Rabaul . 1,140 (including 88 Japanese crew) were killed while 18 survived. Some of the Japanese including the ship's captain made it to the Philippines, but most, including the captain, were killed by local guerrillas. This loss of Australian lives is the worst maritime disaster in Australian history. Only one eyewitness account has emerged. After 60 years
7735-482: Was not recorded in the postwar account. In fact the Sailfish had sunk the Japanese Kinshu Maru (238 GRT) in Luzon Strait in position 20°09'N, 121°19'E. The next target was a battleship escorted by three destroyers, on which she made radar contact shortly after midnight on 18–19 August. At 01:35, after getting as close as she was able, 3,500 yd (3,200 m), Sailfish fired all four bow tubes. One of
7826-606: Was ordered to Java . She arrived at Soerabaja on 13 February, but since the Japanese were advancing upon that base, the ship proceeded to Tjilatjap . After embarking part of the Asiatic Fleet Submarine Force Staff, Sturgeon and Stingray sailed for Fremantle , Western Australia, on 20 February as escorts for Holland and Black Hawk . Sturgeon remained in Fremantle from 3 to 15 March, when she departed to again patrol off Makassar. On 30 March she sank
7917-783: Was placed on sale in March 1948 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 April 1948. The hulk was sold for scrapping to Luria Brothers of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , on 18 June 1948. Her conning tower still stands at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery as a memorial to her lost crewmen ( 43°04′55.4″N 70°44′18.7″W / 43.082056°N 70.738528°W / 43.082056; -70.738528 ). The 2001 television movie docudrama Submerged , directed by James Keach and starring Sam Neill as Charles B. "Swede" Momsen and James B. Sikking as Admiral Cyrus Cole , depicted
8008-512: Was recommissioned on 15 May 1940 with Lieutenant Commander Morton C. Mumma Jr. ( Annapolis , Class of 1930) in command. With refit completed in mid-September, Sailfish departed Portsmouth on 16 January 1941 and headed for the Pacific. Transiting the Panama Canal , she arrived at Pearl Harbor in early March, after refueling at San Diego. The submarine then sailed west to Manila where she joined
8099-736: Was shot in Malta. The replica is still afloat, moored in Marsa in the inner part of the Grand Harbour ( 35°52′46.00″N 14°29′49.92″E / 35.8794444°N 14.4972000°E / 35.8794444; 14.4972000 ) at Malta. In 2006, BBC TV presented a series of programmes entitled Voyages of Discovery the first of which, called "Hanging by a Thread", told the story of the USS Squalus rescue mission, as narrated by Paul Rose. Sargo-class submarine The Sargo -class submarines were among
8190-430: Was sighted the afternoon of 9 December, but it remained out of torpedo range. The submarine found a convoy of five merchant ships accompanied by a cruiser and several destroyers on 18 December. As she came to periscope depth within attack range of the cruiser, she was sighted by one of the escorts approximately 250 yards (230 m) away. She started going deep but had only reached a depth of 65 feet (20 m) when
8281-546: Was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sturgeon . Her 1944 sinking of the Japanese troopship Toyama Maru , killing more than 5,000 Japanese, was one of the highest death tolls from the sinking of a single ship in history. Her 1942 sinking of the Montevideo Maru which, unknown to crew on the Sturgeon , was carrying over 1,000 POWs , was the worst maritime disaster in Australian history. Her keel
#871128