USS Seawolf SS-197 |
Type: |
Submarine |
Class: |
Sargo |
Builder: |
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Kittery, Maine |
Hull Number: |
SS-197 |
Ordered: |
N/A |
Commissioned: |
December 1, 1939 |
Keel Laid: |
September 27, 1938 |
Decommissioned: |
N/A |
Launched: |
August 15, 1939 |
Stricken: |
January 20, 1945 |
Fate: |
Presumed sunk on October 3, 1944 by US aircraft from USS Midway CVE-63 and USS Richard M. Rowell DE-403 (bombs and hedgehogs). Location: North Pacific aprox. 37 miles east of Morotai Island, Indonesia. (near position 02.32N - 129.13E) 83 crewmen and 17 US Army personnel lost, no survivors. (Roll of Honor) |
Dimensions, machinery and performance |
Length: |
310' 6" |
Engines: |
4 General Motors diesels |
Beam: |
27' 1" |
Motors: |
4 General Electric |
Draft: |
13' 9" |
Shafts: |
2 |
Pressure Hull |
Horsepower |
||
Length: |
N/A |
Engines: |
6,140 |
Diameter: |
N/A |
Motors: |
2,740 |
Displacement |
Speed |
||
Surfaced: |
1,460 |
Surfaced: |
20 knots |
Submerged: |
2,350 |
Submerged: |
8.75 knots |
Diving Depth: |
250' (test depth) |
Range |
|
Surfaced: |
11,000 NM @ 10 knots |
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Crew: |
64 |
Submerged: |
48 hours @ 2 knots |
Armament As Built |
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Number Carried
|
Type
|
Arrangement |
Maximum Range / Ceiling |
1 |
4"/50 (10.2cm) Mk 9 |
Single mount |
15,920 yards @ 20° (9 miles) 9 RPM |
2 |
20mm/70 (0.79") Oerlikon MG |
Single mounts |
4,800 yards @ 45° AA ceiling 10,000' |
8 |
21" torpedo tubes Mk 14 20 reloads |
4 forward 4 aft |
4,500 yards @ 46 knots (2.5 miles) 9,000 yards @ 31 knots (5.1 miles) 643 lb. Torpex charge |
Combat Victories |
|||||
Date
|
Name
|
Type
|
Tons
|
Nationality
|
Position
|
Apr. 1, 1942 |
Naka (D) |
Cruiser |
5,195 |
Japan |
10S - 105E |
June 15, 1942 |
Nampo Maru |
Aux. Gunboat |
1,206 |
Japan |
14N - 120E |
Aug. 14, 1942 |
Hachigen Maru |
Passenger/Cargo |
3,113 |
Japan |
05.07N - 119.37E |
Aug. 25, 1942 |
Showa Maru |
Transport |
1,349 |
Japan |
03.55N - 118.59E |
Nov. 2, 1942 |
Gifu Maru |
Water Tender |
1,921 |
Japan |
06.14N - 126.07E |
Nov. 3, 1942 |
Sagami Maru |
Transport |
7,189 |
Japan |
07.02N - 125.33E |
Nov. 8, 1942 |
Keiko Maru |
Aux. Gunboat |
1,938 |
Japan |
06.22N - 126.03E |
Apr. 15, 1943 |
Kaihei Maru |
Transport |
1,934 |
Japan |
21.15N - 152.00E |
Apr. 19, 1943 |
Banshu Maru #5 |
Depot Ship |
389 |
Japan |
26.15N - 139.35E |
Apr. 23, 1943 |
Patrol Boat #39 (ex Tade) |
Patrol Boat (ex destroyer) |
770 |
Japan |
23.45N - 122.45E |
Apr. 23, 1943 |
Unknown |
Sampan |
75 |
Japan |
23.45N - 122.45E |
Apr. 23, 1943 |
Unknown |
Sampan |
75 |
Japan |
23.45N - 122.45E |
June 20, 1943 |
Shojin Maru |
Cargo |
4,739 |
Japan |
24.39N - 118.58E |
Aug. 31, 1943 |
Sagi (D) |
Torpedo Boat |
840 |
Japan |
28.30N - 123.05E |
Aug. 31, 1943 |
Shoto Maru |
Transport |
1,919 |
Japan |
28.30N - 123.05E |
Aug. 31, 1943 |
Kokko Maru |
Cargo |
5,486 |
Japan |
28.30N - 123.05E |
Sept. 1, 1943 |
Fusei Maru |
Transport |
2,256 |
Japan |
31.28N - 127.24E |
Oct. 29, 1943 |
Wuhu Maru |
Cargo |
3,222 |
Japan |
22.28N - 116.10E |
Nov. 4, 1943 |
Kaifuku Maru |
Cargo |
3,177 |
Japan |
21.22N - 113.20E |
Jan. 10, 1944 |
Asuka Maru |
Transport |
7,523 |
Japan |
27.30N - 127.45E |
Jan. 10, 1944 |
Getsuyo Maru |
Cargo |
6,440 |
Japan |
27.10N - 128.24E |
Jan. 11, 1944 |
Yahiko Maru |
Transport |
5,747 |
Japan |
27.10N - 127.08E |
Jan. 14, 1944 |
Yamatsuru Maru |
Transport |
2,651 |
Japan |
25N - 132E |
Jan. 16, 1944 |
Tarushima Maru (D) |
Transport |
4,865 |
Japan |
23N - 135E (Sunk by USS Whale SS-239 later in the day) |
Totals
|
|||||
Ships sunk:
|
21 |
63,119 |
|||
Ships damaged
(D) |
3 |
10,900 |
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*This list may not be complete. It is compiled from several published sources that credit Seawolf with sinking the ships listed. |
Commanders
|
||
From
|
To
|
Name
|
Dec. 1, 1939 |
Mar. 1943 |
Lt. Cmdr. Frederick B. Warder |
Mar. 1943 |
May 1944 |
Lt. Cmdr. Royce L. Gross |
May 1944 |
Sept. 1944 |
Lt. Cmdr. Richard B. Lynch |
Sept. 1944 |
Oct. 3, 1944 |
Lt. Cmdr. Albert M. Bontier |
History |
|
Apr. 12-June 21 1940: |
Shakedown cruise. |
July 1940: |
Assigned to the Pacific Fleet and homeported in San Diego, Ca. |
Late 1940: |
Moved to Cavite Navy Yard Manila, Philippines. |
Dec. 8, 1941: |
Departed Cavite for patrol duty in the San Bernardino Strait. Patrol ends at Cavite on Dec. 26, 1941. |
Dec. 31, 1941: |
Departed Cavite for Darwin, Australia arriving on Jan. 9, 1942. |
Jan. 16, 1942: |
Departed Darwin with a heavy load of ammunition for General MacArthur at Corregidor. |
Jan. 28-29, 1942: |
Unloads ammunition at Corregidor (which is now behind Japanese lines) and loads 16 torpedoes, 25 rescued Americans and spare submarine parts and heads for Surabaya, Java, arrival date unknown. |
Feb. 15, 1942: |
Departed Surabaya, Java for patrol duty in the Java Sea and Lombok Strait. Patrol ends at Fremantle, Australia on Apr. 7, 1942. |
May 12, 1942: |
Departs Fremantle for patrol duty in the Philippines. Patrol ends at Fremantle on July 2, 1942. |
July 25, 1942: |
Departs Fremantle for patrol duty in the Sulu and Celebes Seas. Patrol ends in Fremantle on Sept. 15, 1942. |
Oct. 7, 1942: |
Departs Fremantle for patrol duty in the Davao Gulf. Patrol ends at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 1, 1942. |
Dec. 10, 1942: |
Arrives at Mare Island Naval Shipyard Vallejo, Ca. for overhaul. |
Apr. 3, 1943: |
Departed Pearl Harbor for Patrol duty in the Bonin Islands. Patrol ends at Midway on May 3, 1943. |
May 17, 1943: |
Departed Midway for patrol duty in the East China Sea. Patrol ends at Pearl Harbor on July 12, 1943. *Resupplied at Midway on July 8, 1943. |
Aug. 11, 1943: |
Departed Pearl Harbor for patrol duty in the East China Sea. Patrol ends on Sept. 15,1943 (probably at Midway). |
Oct. 5, 1943: |
Departed for patrol duty in the East China Sea. Patrol ends at Pearl Harbor on Nov. 27, 1943. Seawolf underwent a refit while at Pearl Harbor. |
Dec. 22, 1943: |
Departed Pearl Harbor for patrol duty in the East China Sea. Patrol ends at Pearl Harbor on Jan. 27, 1944. |
Jan. 29, 1944: |
Departed Pearl Harbor for Hunters Point Naval Drydocks in San Francisco, Ca for a refit. |
May 16, 1944: |
Departed Hunters Point for Pearl Harbor. |
June 4, 1944: |
Departed Pearl Harbor for a photo reconnaissance mission to Peleliu and Paulus. Returning to Pearl Harbor on July 7, 1944. |
August 1944: |
Departed Pearl Harbor for Majuro in the Marshall Islands but rerouted to Darwin. There she received orders for a special mission to Tawitawi in the Philippines. There the Seawolf picked up a Capt. Young and took him to Brisbane, Australia. (No details about who Capt. Young was or what his mission was are available) |
Sept. 21, 1944: |
Departed Brisbane for Manus Island, Papua New Guinea arriving Sept. 29. At Manus the Seawolf picked up 17 US Army personnel (mostly Filipino Commandos) and stores bound for Samar Island in the Philippines departing later the same day. |
Oct. 3, 1944: |
Exchanged radar recognition signals with the USS Narwhal SS-167 at 07:56. This was the last time Seawolf was ever heard from. *Hours after this contact the USS Shelton DE-407 was torpedoed and sunk by the RO-41 east of Morotai Island, Indonesia. (see map) In the search for the RO-41, aircraft from the USS Midway CVE-63 located a submarine and bombed it. This was followed by a hedgehog attack by the USS Richard M. Rowell DE-403 in which a submarine was believed to have been sunk. Since Seawolf was in the area and she never acknowledged signals sent to her it is presumed that she was the submarine sunk. Japanese records show no indication of a submarine attack that could account for the loss of the Seawolf. It is also possible the Seawolf was lost to an unknown operational accident or an unreported attack. To date the wreck has not been located. |
Dec. 28, 1944: |
Seawolf is listed as overdue and presumed lost with all hands. |
Battle Stars |
Philippine Islands operation |
Dec. 8, 1941 |
Dec. 26, 1941 |
|
Philippine Islands operation |
Jan. 16, 1942 |
Feb. 14, 1942 |
|
War Patrol |
Feb. 15, 1942 |
Apr. 7, 1942 |
|
Netherlands East Indies engagements: Badoeng Strait |
Feb. 19, 1942 |
Feb. 20, 1942 |
|
War Patrol |
May 12, 1942 |
July 2, 1942 |
|
War Patrol |
July 25, 1942 |
Sept. 15, 1942 |
|
War Patrol |
Oct. 7, 1942 |
Dec. 1, 1942 |
|
War Patrol |
Apr. 3, 1943 |
May 3, 1943 |
|
War Patrol |
May 17, 1943 |
July 12, 1943 |
|
War Patrol |
Aug. 11, 1943 |
Sept. 15, 1943 |
|
War Patrol |
Oct. 5, 1943 |
Nov. 27, 1943 |
|
War Patrol |
Dec. 22, 1943 |
Jan. 27, 1944 |
|
Marianas operation: Battle of the Philippine Sea |
June 19, 1944 |
June 20, 1944 |
|
War Patrol |
Aug. 8, 1944 |
Aug. 23, 1944 |
Notes: |
Christened by Mrs. Edward C. Kalbfus. |
Class Overview |
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Page published Jan. 31, 2007 |