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USS S-32 (SS-137)
Encyclopedia
USS S-32 (SS-137) was an S-class submarine
United States S class submarine
The United States' S-class submarines, often simply called S-boats , were the first class of submarines built to a United States Navy design....
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
S-32 was laid down on 12 April 1918 by the Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 11 January 1919 sponsored by Miss Margaret Tynan, and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 15 June 1922 with Lieutenant Edward E. Hazlett, Jr., in command.
Soon after commissioning, S-32, assigned to Submarine Division 17 and homeported at San Pedro, California, was ordered to New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
. She was decommissioned there on 25 September 1922 and, after engineering alterations by the prime contractor, the Electric Boat
Electric boat
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...
Company, and the engineering sub-contractor, the New London Ship and Engine Company
New London Ship and Engine Company
The New London Ship and Engine Company was established in Groton, Connecticut by the Electric Boat Company to manufacture diesel engines.The company was incorporated on 11 October 1910, with production starting in July 1911.-Founders:...
, she was recommissioned on 21 February 1923. Temporary duty with Division 11 then took her south to the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
and the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
Zone for winter exercises with the Fleet, after which she rejoined the S-boat
United States S class submarine
The United States' S-class submarines, often simply called S-boats , were the first class of submarines built to a United States Navy design....
s of her division, now designated Division 16, and returned to San Pedro.
During the summer of 1923, she participated in cold weather exercises in the Aleutian Islands. In the fall, she resumed local operations off southern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and that winter, she returned to the Canal Zone. In April 1924, she moved back to San Pedro, whence she operated into 1925. Early that year, however, her division was transferred to the Asiatic Fleet and its submarines shifted to Mare Island
Mare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
to prepare for the trans-Pacific crossing.
On 15 April 1925, S-32 departed San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, for the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She arrived at Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
in mid-summer and through the winter of 1926 conducted local exercises in the Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
area. That spring, she deployed to the China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
coast, conducting exercises both en route to and from her summer base, the former German base at Tsingtao
Qingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
. Overhaul followed her September return to the Philippines and completed an annual employment schedule which she maintained for the next six years.
In 1932, Division 16 was ordered back to the eastern Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. S-32 departed Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
on 2 May and, at the end of the month, arrived at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, her homeport for the next five years. In June 1937, she sailed for the East Coast. In August, she reported for inactivation at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, and, on 7 December, she was decommissioned and berthed at League Island
League Island
League Island was an island in the Delaware River, part of the city of Philadelphia, just upstream from the mouth of the Schuylkill River, which was the site of the Philadelphia shipyard, which eventually became the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, now known as the Philadelphia Naval Business...
.
World War II
Within two years, however, World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
had begun in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Hostilities soon extended across the Atlantic; and, in the summer of 1940, S-32 began activation.
Recommissioned on 18 September 1940 and assigned to Division 52, S-32 conducted trials out of New London through November and, in December, proceeded to the Panama Canal Zone, whence she operated until April 1941. She then returned to New London but, toward the end of April, moved south again, to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. Through May, she patrolled and conducted training exercises out of the base at St. George, Bermuda, that had been acquired in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
Destroyers for Bases Agreement
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions...
of 2 September 1940.
In late June, she resumed exercises out of New London. In September, she moved down to Philadelphia for an overhaul and, by December, she was back in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. With 1942, however, she received orders back to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
.
First, Second, and Third War Patrols
She arrived at Coco SoloCoco Solo
Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base established in 1918 on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Panama Canal Zone, near Colón, Panama....
in February. During the spring, she conducted two defensive patrols in the Pacific approaches to the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
and, in June, she proceeded to San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, en route to the Aleutians. In early July, she arrived at Dutch Harbor; and, on 7 July, she departed that Unalaska base on her first offensive war patrol. She patrolled the fog-covered waters of the Rat Islands
Rat Islands
The Rat Islands are a volcanic group of islands in the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska, between Buldir Island and the Near Islands group to its west, and Amchitka Pass and the Andreanof Islands group to its east, at about ....
and Oglala
Oglala
Oglala may refer to:* Oglala Lakota, or Oglala Sioux, a Sioux Nation sub-band of the Western division * The Oglala National Grassland of Nebraska* Oglala, South Dakota, a town located in Shannon County, South Dakota...
passes into August, then shifted to an area north of Attu
Attu Island
Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...
, returning to Dutch Harbor on 10 July.
Fourth War Patrol
Twelve days later, she departed on her fourth war patrol. Moving westward, she hunted in the Japanese traffic lanes between KiskaKiska
Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...
and Attu
Attu Island
Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...
during the first week of the patrol. On 28 July, leaks developed in the after trim tank, but were compensated for by placing nine tons of water in the forward trim tanks. Although this meant that space was left to accommodate water for only one torpedo reload, depth control was regained, and with fuel suction shifted forward, reload capability slowly improved. On 29 August, she was off Amchitka
Amchitka
Amchitka is a volcanic, tectonically unstable island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in southwest Alaska. It is part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. The island is about long, and from wide...
to check for enemy shipping in sheltered areas on that island's north coast; then, on 31 August, she headed east to cover the Allied occupation of Adak
Adak Island
Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island...
. On 14 September, she returned to the junction of Rat Island and Oglala passes where she continued her patrol for another six days. On 20 September, she headed for Dutch Harbor.
Fifth War Patrol
Arriving on 23 September, S-32 departed again on 8 October. During a trim dive, a fuel discrepancy, caused by the presence of water in the line during fueling at Dutch Harbor, was discovered. On 12 October, the S-boat ran out of reserve fuel in the number-three main ballast tank. The discrepancy was approximately 9000 gallons, but S-32 continued west, into the Kuril IslandsKuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
.
On 17 October, she arrived off Paramushiro and, that evening, she took up station off the southeast coast of the island to patrol the entrances to Musashi Wan and Onekotan Strait. On the morning of 18 October, she sighted two ships at anchor in Musashi Wan, and, after a periscope check disclosed no other ships in the area, she began working her way to an attack position west or southwest of the targets. Moving slowly, with short and infrequent periscope exposures, through the calm and poorly charted bay, she went up for a final check at 10:23. While looking, she struck an uncharted sand bar. The S-boat, her tubes ready for firing, angled up 10 degrees. Her depth gauge showed 32 feet (9.8 m). During the next few seconds she slid over the bar, apparently showing periscope shears, bow, and, possibly, the whole bridge structure; then, over the bar, she took a down angle at high speed. At 10:25, she fired. Two torpedoes set at six feet, were sent against each of the targets. On firing the fourth and final "fish", she changed course and maneuvered at high speed toward the open sea. Two explosions were heard as she cleared the immediate area. At 10:45, she came to periscope depth to observe the damage.
One of the targets was afire amidships and had settled somewhat; she was anchored in shallow water and might have been resting on the bottom. The second target was obscured by the first. S-32 went to 80 feet (24.4 m) and proceeded out of the bay. At 12:05, she resumed her patrol east out of Onekotan Strait. That evening, she turned toward the Aleutians; and, on 27 October, she arrived at Dutch Harbor.
From Dutch Harbor, S-32 returned to San Diego. Overhaul followed her 11 November arrival; and, from 21–25 December, she tested newly installed equipment: a fathometer, radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, and keel-mounted sound gear. From 28 December 1942 to 26 January 1943, she provided services to the West Coast Sound School, and on 6 February, she headed north toward Dutch Harbor.
Sixth War Patrol
S-32 departed Unalaska on her sixth war patrol on 25 February. En route to her assigned station off Attu, she encountered very rough seas, strong winds, rain, mist, and fog. On 26 February, rolling was measured as much as 65 degrees to starboard.Progress west was slow, but, on 1 March, she set a course toward Holtz Bay
Holtz Bay
Holtz Bay is an inlet on the northeast coast of the island of Attu in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.Holtz Bay was among the landing sites of United States Army troops in the Battle of Attu on 11 May 1943, which led to the recapture of the island from the Japanese during World War...
to check for enemy shipping. The next day, heavy mist and fog hindered her reconnaissance of Stellar Cove; and she turned to the coastal shipping lanes to intercept enemy traffic between Cape Wrangell
Cape Wrangell
Cape Wrangell is the westernmost point of the U.S. state of Alaska from the geographic center of the United States. It is located on the island of Attu which is situated in the Near Islands.-External links:*...
and Holtz Bay
Holtz Bay
Holtz Bay is an inlet on the northeast coast of the island of Attu in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.Holtz Bay was among the landing sites of United States Army troops in the Battle of Attu on 11 May 1943, which led to the recapture of the island from the Japanese during World War...
. The entrances to the latter, to Chichagof Harbor
Chichagof Harbor
Chichagof Harbor is an inlet on the northeast coast of the island of Attu in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. It is named after Russian Admiral and polar explorer Vasily Chichagov.-References:...
, and to Sarana Bay
Sarana Bay
Sarana Bay is an inlet on the east coast of the island of Attu in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska.-References:*Merriam-Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Third Edition. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 1997. ISBN -0-87779-5460-0....
, however were her primary hunting grounds. On the night of 9 March, off Holtz Bay, she attacked and damaged an enemy destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, then underwent a brief depth charging
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
. Leaks caused by the depth charging were minimized, and S-32 continued her patrol.
Four nights later, on 13 March, seventeen miles (27 km) north of Holtz Bay, she attacked an enemy submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
which was lying to on the surface with her engines smoking. At 20:59, the S-boat launched two torpedoes at ten-second intervals at the enemy. At 21:00, she went deep, and as she passed 50 feet (15.2 m), one torpedo exploded. At 21:20, S-32 came to periscope depth, but the fog had closed in. The target was no longer visible.
On the afternoon of 15 March, a second submarine was sighted. The weather, for the first time, was "perfect for a periscope approach." At 17:27, S-32 fired a three-torpedo spread, estimated range 2500 yards (2,286 m); track angle favorable. About two and a half minutes later, a muffled explosion was heard in the torpedo room. No explosion was heard by the control party. The S-boat went to periscope depth. Smoke was pouring skyward from the enemy's conning tower. A photograph was taken of the scene as the damaged target headed for the nearest beach. At 17:36, however, the enemy disappeared from view. Sound reported that the enemy's screws had stopped.
S-32 departed the Attu area early on the morning of 17 March. On 20 March, she moored at Dutch Harbor and, nine days later, she again sailed west. En route to Attu, cold weather caused icing on the superstructure, but the seas remained fairly calm and the sun was occasionally visible. On 3 April, however, as she approached Attu, more normal Aleutian weather closed in. From then to 16 April, snow and rain storms were almost continuous, seas were rough, winds were strong, and periods of sunlight were limited. At 01:57 on 10 April, while patrolling on a north-south line out of Holtz Bay, S-32 picked up a target on radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, some 7000 yards (6,400.8 m) away. Ten minutes later, a second smaller ship was detected ahead of the first target. Five minutes after the appearance of the second ship on the screen, the first ship was sighted, range about 2000 yards (1,828.8 m). S-32 launched four torpedoes. Two very loud explosions were heard and were followed by distant rumblings. At 0219, at a range of just over 3500 yards (3,200.4 m), all traces of the ships disappeared from the screen.
Seventh War Patrol
On 16 April, S-32 set a course for Dutch Harbor. On 20 April, she arrived and commenced refit. On 4 May, she again sailed west. En route to the Kurils, she patrolled across possible Japanese reinforcement routes to Kiska and Attu, but almost zero visibility during the passage hindered hunting. On 12 May, she entered her assigned area off Paramushiro. The next day, she obtained her first fix, off OnekotanOnekotan
Onekotan Island is an uninhabited volcanic island located near the northern end of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean. Its name is derived from the Ainu language for "large village".-Geology:...
, and commenced patrolling across the approaches to Onekotan Strait and Musashi Wan. Visibility remained poor; seas were rough. Her radar, which had gone out of commission on 11 May, functioned improperly throughout her short time on station. On 15 May, the port main motor armature developed a zero resistance to ground. Repeated repair attempts failed, and the motor was secured. S-32 turned back toward Unalaska and moored at Dutch Harbor on 23 May.
Decommissioning
On 27 May, the submarine departed the Aleutians for the last time; and, on 6 June, she arrived at San Diego, where she provided training services for the remainder of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Then designated for inactivation, she arrived at San Francisco on 13 September 1945 and was decommissioned at Mare Island
Mare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
on 19 October. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 November 1945, and her hulk was sold for scrapping to the Learner Company of Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, in May 1946.
S-32 earned five battle stars during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.