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
Crew:
64
Submerged:
48 hours @ 2 knots


Armament As Built
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
*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
Page published Jan. 31, 2007