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USS S-46 (SS-157)
Encyclopedia
USS S-46 (SS-157) was a third-group (S-42) S-class submarine
of the United States Navy
. Her keel was laid down on 23 February 1921 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
in Quincy, Massachusetts
. She was launched
on 11 September 1923 sponsored by Miss Grace Roosevelt, and commissioned
on 5 June 1925, Lieutenant Commander
Hubert V. LaBombard in command.
, S-46 sailed for the Panama Canal
Zone to join Submarine Division 19 (SubDiv 19). Arriving at Coco Solo
on 26 September, she commenced a schedule of local operations from Coco Solo and Balboa, Panama
, which were interrupted only for semi-annual extended training cruises and annual fleet problems in the Caribbean Sea
and Pacific Ocean
. Repairs and overhauls were performed at Balboa.
In 1927, SubDiv 19 was transferred to the Battle Fleet
and based at San Diego, California
, with Mare Island Naval Shipyard
as homeyard for its boats. S-46 departed Panama
on 11 June, arrived at San Diego on 31 July, then proceeded to Pearl Harbor
to participate in tactical exercises with other Battle Fleet submarines. During the latter part of August, she participated in the search for missing Dole Air Race
pilots, and at the end of the month, she headed back to San Diego for two months of local operations. In December, she returned to Mare Island for an overhaul, and in June 1928, she resumed operations out of her home port. In November, despite many attempts to improve design limitations of the third-group (S-42) class, the maximum speed set for S-46, and others of that class, was reduced to 10.5 knots to eliminate excessive vibration and accompanying engineering problems at higher speeds.
S-46 remained based at San Diego until December 1930, when her division was transferred to Pearl Harbor
. There, for the next five years, she participated in training operations with SubDiv 11 and with other fleet units, and spent extended periods of time in port as a unit of Rotating Reserve Division 14 (RotResDiv 14). In the spring of 1936, after participating in Fleet Problem XVII, she returned to Coco Solo, where she had again been homeported.
Still in SubDiv 11, S-46 remained based at Coco Solo through the end of the decade, operating on a schedule similar to that of her first tour in the Canal Zone. After September 1939, however, operations were confined to the canal approaches. In the spring of 1941, SubDiv 11 was ordered to New London to assist in patrols off the New England
coast and in Submarine School training operations. En route north, S-46 underwent overhaul at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, and, in August, she commenced operations out of New London. In October, she shifted to Ordnance Island, Bermuda
, and in December, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, she returned to the Panama Canal Zone.
-design submarines arrived at their new base, Brisbane
, Queensland
, and joined Task Force 42 (TF 42). On 13 May, S-46 departed on her third patrol—her first offensive war patrol.
On leaving Moreton Bay
, the S-boat
conducted sound training exercises with an Royal Australian Navy
escort, then continued on. On 15 May, the ship's cook was discovered to have the mumps
. On 16 May, the boat put into Townsville, Queensland
, and on 22 May, after hospitalizing sick crew members and disinfecting messing, berthing, and working areas, she set a course for her patrol area, New Britain
.
On 26 May, S-46 passed Rossel Island. On 31 May, she began her transit of St. George's Channel, favoring the New Ireland
coast. That night, she hunted in the approaches to Rabaul
and between there and the Duke of York Islands
. On the night of 1–2 June, while patrolling on the Rabaul-New Hanover
line, she was spotted by two Japanese destroyer
s, but no attacks were made. On 3 June, the submarine began hunting along the northern coast of New Britain. On 4 June, west of the Willaumez Peninsula
, she developed motor trouble and turned for Vitiaz Strait
, one of the few areas for which she carried charts. On 5 June, she entered the strait, and on 7 June, she commenced patrolling between Cape Cretin and the south end of Dampier Strait
. Two days later, she was ordered to intercept Japanese destroyers thought to be heading for Lae
on an estimated course which would take them north of Woodlark Island
.
Moving into the area, S-46 sighted no enemy ships and resumed her patrol in the Cape Cretin area. On 11 June, she headed for Brisbane. On 19 June, an auxiliary air compressor
jammed, the motor burned out and the resulting smoke added further habitability problems to the already hot and humid condition of the boat. On 21 June, S-46 reached Brisbane.
From 20 July-15 August, S-46 hunted in the Solomon Islands
. From 11 September-11 October, she resumed a defensive role and patrolled in an area east of Normanby Island, Papua New Guinea
in anticipation of a major enemy attack of Milne Bay
.
In early November, S-46 started back across the Pacific. On 7 January 1943, she arrived in the Panama Canal Zone, and in early February, she continued on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. There, from April to mid-June, she received extensive repairs and alterations. She then returned to Panama
; retransmitted the canal and proceeded to San Diego for further yard work. In mid-September, she moved north to Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands.
Based at Dutch Harbor, S-46 ranged westward into the Kuril Islands
in two patrols: one in October–November 1943, and another from December 1943-January 1944. During the first, she damaged an enemy oiler in the Paramushiro area; during the second, she was scoreless. On returning to Dutch Harbor after her last war patrol, she was assigned to antisubmarine training activities.
For the remainder of the war, S-46 provided training services in the Aleutians, in the Hawaiian Islands
and off the coast of California
. In the latter area from January 1945, she operated under the Commander, West Coast Sound School, San Diego. After the cessation of hostilities in August, she was ordered to San Francisco, California
for inactivation, and in late September, she moved up the bay to Mare Island Naval Shipyard
.
S-46 was decommissioned on 2 November 1945. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
two weeks later, and her hulk was sold for scrapping to the Salco Iron and Metal Company, San Francisco, in November 1946.
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...
. Her keel was laid down on 23 February 1921 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when Bethlehem Steel Corporation acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works in 1905...
in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. 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 September 1923 sponsored by Miss Grace Roosevelt, 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 5 June 1925, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Hubert V. LaBombard in command.
Inter-War Period
After training exercises off southern New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, S-46 sailed for 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 to join Submarine Division 19 (SubDiv 19). Arriving at Coco Solo
Coco 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....
on 26 September, she commenced a schedule of local operations from Coco Solo and Balboa, Panama
Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.- History :The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean...
, which were interrupted only for semi-annual extended training cruises and annual fleet problems in 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 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...
. Repairs and overhauls were performed at Balboa.
In 1927, SubDiv 19 was transferred to the Battle Fleet
Battle Fleet
The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941.The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This fleet comprised the main body of ships in the Navy,...
and based at 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...
, with Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
as homeyard for its boats. S-46 departed 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...
on 11 June, arrived at San Diego on 31 July, then proceeded to 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...
to participate in tactical exercises with other Battle Fleet submarines. During the latter part of August, she participated in the search for missing Dole Air Race
Dole Air Race
The Dole Air Race, also known as the Dole Derby, was a tragic air race to cross the Pacific Ocean from northern California to the Territory of Hawaii in August 1927. Of the 15-18 entrant airplanes, 11 were certified to compete but three crashed before the race, resulting in three deaths...
pilots, and at the end of the month, she headed back to San Diego for two months of local operations. In December, she returned to Mare Island for an overhaul, and in June 1928, she resumed operations out of her home port. In November, despite many attempts to improve design limitations of the third-group (S-42) class, the maximum speed set for S-46, and others of that class, was reduced to 10.5 knots to eliminate excessive vibration and accompanying engineering problems at higher speeds.
S-46 remained based at San Diego until December 1930, when her division was transferred to 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...
. There, for the next five years, she participated in training operations with SubDiv 11 and with other fleet units, and spent extended periods of time in port as a unit of Rotating Reserve Division 14 (RotResDiv 14). In the spring of 1936, after participating in Fleet Problem XVII, she returned to Coco Solo, where she had again been homeported.
Still in SubDiv 11, S-46 remained based at Coco Solo through the end of the decade, operating on a schedule similar to that of her first tour in the Canal Zone. After September 1939, however, operations were confined to the canal approaches. In the spring of 1941, SubDiv 11 was ordered to New London to assist in patrols off the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
coast and in Submarine School training operations. En route north, S-46 underwent overhaul 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, in August, she commenced operations out of New London. In October, she shifted to Ordnance Island, Bermuda
Ordnance Island, Bermuda
Ordnance Island is located within the limits of St. George's town, Bermuda. It lies close to the shore opposite the town square , in St. George's Harbour....
, and in December, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, she returned to the Panama Canal Zone.
World War II
During the next six weeks, she conducted two defensive war patrols in the approaches to the canal, then prepared to cross the Pacific. On 5 March 1942, she headed west with SubDiv 53. In mid-April, the World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
-design submarines arrived at their new base, Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and joined Task Force 42 (TF 42). On 13 May, S-46 departed on her third patrol—her first offensive war patrol.
On leaving Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
, 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....
conducted sound training exercises with an Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
escort, then continued on. On 15 May, the ship's cook was discovered to have the mumps
Mumps
Mumps is a viral disease of the human species, caused by the mumps virus. Before the development of vaccination and the introduction of a vaccine, it was a common childhood disease worldwide...
. On 16 May, the boat put into Townsville, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and on 22 May, after hospitalizing sick crew members and disinfecting messing, berthing, and working areas, she set a course for her patrol area, New Britain
New Britain
New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from the island of New Guinea by the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel...
.
On 26 May, S-46 passed Rossel Island. On 31 May, she began her transit of St. George's Channel, favoring the New Ireland
New Ireland (island)
New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...
coast. That night, she hunted in the approaches to Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
and between there and the Duke of York Islands
Duke of York Islands
The Duke of York Islands, , are a group of islands located in East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. They are found in St George's Channel between New Britain and New Ireland islands and form part of Bismarck Archipelago...
. On the night of 1–2 June, while patrolling on the Rabaul-New Hanover
New Hanover Island
New Hanover Island, , also called Lavongai, is a large volcanic island in New Ireland Province, part of the Bismarck Archipelago of the New Guinea Islands region of Papua New Guinea, at...
line, she was spotted by two Japanese 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...
s, but no attacks were made. On 3 June, the submarine began hunting along the northern coast of New Britain. On 4 June, west of the Willaumez Peninsula
Willaumez Peninsula
The Willaumez Peninsula is located on the north coast of New Britain in the West New Britain Province....
, she developed motor trouble and turned for Vitiaz Strait
Vitiaz Strait
Vitiaz Strait is a strait between New Britain and the Huon Peninsula, northern New Guinea .The Vitiaz Strait was so named by Nicholai Nicholaievich Mikluho-Maklai to commemorate the Russian corvette Vitiaz in which he sailed from October 1870 by way of South America and the Pacific Islands reaching...
, one of the few areas for which she carried charts. On 5 June, she entered the strait, and on 7 June, she commenced patrolling between Cape Cretin and the south end of Dampier Strait
Dampier Strait (Papua New Guinea)
Dampier Strait in Papua New Guinea separates Umboi Island and New Britain, linking the Bismarck Sea to the north with the Solomon Sea to the south, at ....
. Two days later, she was ordered to intercept Japanese destroyers thought to be heading for Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
on an estimated course which would take them north of Woodlark Island
Woodlark Island
Woodlark Island, known to its inhabitants simply as Woodlark or Muyua, is an island in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea. It is called Murua by the inhabitants of some other islands in the province...
.
Moving into the area, S-46 sighted no enemy ships and resumed her patrol in the Cape Cretin area. On 11 June, she headed for Brisbane. On 19 June, an auxiliary air compressor
Air compressor
An air compressor is a device that converts power into kinetic energy by compressing and pressurizing air, which, on command, can be released in quick bursts...
jammed, the motor burned out and the resulting smoke added further habitability problems to the already hot and humid condition of the boat. On 21 June, S-46 reached Brisbane.
From 20 July-15 August, S-46 hunted in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. From 11 September-11 October, she resumed a defensive role and patrolled in an area east of Normanby Island, Papua New Guinea
Normanby Island, Papua New Guinea
Normanby Island is a volcanic, 400 square mile , L-shaped island, the southern most island in the D'Entrecasteaux Islands group...
in anticipation of a major enemy attack of Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
.
In early November, S-46 started back across the Pacific. On 7 January 1943, she arrived in the Panama Canal Zone, and in early February, she continued on to 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,...
. There, from April to mid-June, she received extensive repairs and alterations. She then returned 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...
; retransmitted the canal and proceeded to San Diego for further yard work. In mid-September, she moved north to Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands.
Based at Dutch Harbor, S-46 ranged westward into the Kuril Islands
Kuril 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...
in two patrols: one in October–November 1943, and another from December 1943-January 1944. During the first, she damaged an enemy oiler in the Paramushiro area; during the second, she was scoreless. On returning to Dutch Harbor after her last war patrol, she was assigned to antisubmarine training activities.
For the remainder of the war, S-46 provided training services in the Aleutians, in the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
and off the coast of 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...
. In the latter area from January 1945, she operated under the Commander, West Coast Sound School, San Diego. After the cessation of hostilities in August, she was ordered to 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 inactivation, and in late September, she moved up the bay to Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
.
S-46 was decommissioned on 2 November 1945. 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...
two weeks later, and her hulk was sold for scrapping to the Salco Iron and Metal Company, San Francisco, in November 1946.