 USSSearaven during her sea trials on 13 May 1940 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sargo class |
| Builders | Electric Boat Company,Portsmouth Naval Shipyard,Mare Island Naval Shipyard[1] |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Salmon class[2] |
| Succeeded by | Tambor class[2] |
| Built | 1937–1939[1] |
| In commission | 1939–1946[1] |
| Completed | 10[2] |
| Lost | 4[2] |
| Retired | 6[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Compositedirect-drive anddiesel-electric (first 6) or fulldiesel-electric (last 4)submarine[2] |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 310 ft 6 in (94.64 m)[3] |
| Beam | 26 ft 10 in (8.18 m)[3] |
| Draft | 16 ft 7½ in – 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m)[3] |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | |
| Range | 11,000 nautical miles (20,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h)[3] |
| Endurance | 48 hours at 2 knots (3.7 km/h) submerged[3] |
| Test depth | 250 ft (76 m) Crush Depth Possible 450 ft (140 m)[3] |
| Complement | 5 officers, 54 enlisted[3] |
| Armament |
|
TheSargo-class submarines were among the first United Statessubmarines to be sent into action after the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor, starting war patrols the day after the attack, having been deployed to thePhilippines in late 1941. Similar to the previousSalmon 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 inJapanese home waters), and a reliable propulsion plant, along with theSalmons they were an important step in the development of a truefleet submarine. In some references, theSalmons andSargos are called the "New S Class", 1st and 2nd Groups.[6]
TheSargo-class submarineUSS Swordfish (SS-193) had the distinction of being the first US Navy submarine to sink a Japanese ship inWorld War II.
In most features theSargos were a repeat of theSalmons, except for the return to fulldiesel-electric drive for the last four boats and the adoption of the improvedSargobattery design. The first sixSargos were driven by a compositedirect-drive and diesel-electric plant (two engines in each mode) in the same manner as theSalmons. In this arrangement, two main engines in the forward engine room drovegenerators. In the after engine room, two side-by-side engines were clutched toreduction gears which sat forward of the engines, with vibration-isolating hydraulic clutches. Two high-speedelectric motors, driven by the generating engines or batteries, were also connected to each reduction gear.[7] TheBureau of Steam Engineering (BuEng) and theGeneral Board desired a full diesel-electric plant, but there were some dissenting opinions, notably AdmiralThomas C. Hart, the only experienced submariner on the General Board, who pointed out that a full diesel-electric system could be disabled by flooding.[8] Technical problems went against the use of two largedirect-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 was also not practical to gear two engines to each shaft.[8] So a full diesel-electric plant was adopted for the last fourSargos, and remained standard for all subsequent conventionally-powered US submarines.
Four of the class (Sargo,Saury,Spearfish, andSeadragon) were equipped with the troublesomeHooven-Owens-Rentschler (HOR)double-acting diesels. An attempt to produce more power from a smaller engine than other contemporary designs, the double-acting system proved unreliable in service. DuringWorld War II, all had their engines replaced withGMCleveland Diesel 16-278A engines, probably during their overhauls in early 1943.[9]
BuEng had designed a newlead-acid battery to resist battle damage, known as theSargo battery because it was first installed onSargo and was based on a suggestion by her commissioningcommanding officer, Lieutenant E. E. Yeomans.[10] 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 preventsulfuric acid leakage in the event one case cracked duringdepth-charging.[11] This remained the standard battery design until replaced with Sargo II and GUPPY batteries in submarines upgraded under theGreater Underwater Propulsion Power Program afterWorld War II. Each battery's capacity was slightly increased by installing 126cells instead of 120; this also raised the nominal voltage from 250volts to 270 volts, which has been standard in US usage ever since, including the backup batteries ofnuclear submarines.
The original Mark 213-inch (76 mm)/50 caliberdeck gun proved to be too light in service. It lacked sufficient punch to finish off crippled or small targets quickly enough to suit the crews. It was replaced by the Mark 94-inch (102 mm)/50 caliber gun in 1943-44, in most cases removed from anS-boat being transferred to training duty.[12]
| Name | Hull no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sargo | SS-188 | Electric Boat,Groton, Connecticut | 12 May 1937 | 6 June 1938 | 7 February 1939 | Sold for scrap 19 May 1947 toLearner Company ofOakland, California |
| Saury | SS-189 | 28 June 1937 | 20 August 1938 | 3 April 1939 | Sold for scrap 19 May 1947 to Learner Company of Oakland, California | |
| Spearfish | SS-190 | 9 September 1937 | 29 October 1938 | 12 July 1939 | Sold for scrap 19 May 1947 to Learner Company of Oakland, California | |
| Sculpin | SS-191 | Portsmouth Navy Yard,Kittery, Maine | 7 September 1937 | 27 July 1938 | 16 January 1939 | Damaged by depth charges and gunfire from theYamagumo 19 November 1943; scuttled |
| Squalus | SS-192 | 18 October 1937 | 14 September 1938 | 1 March 1939 | Sank on trials 23 May 1939; raised and recommissioned asSailfish 15 May 1940; sold for scrap 18 June 1948 toLuria Brothers and Company ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania | |
| Swordfish | SS-193 | Mare Island Navy Yard,Vallejo, California | 27 October 1937 | 4 January 1939 | 22 July 1939 | Lost on or about 12 January 1945 presumed sunk by mine or by depth charge by Japanese anti-submarine vessel |
| Seadragon | SS-194 | Electric Boat, Groton, Connecticut | 18 April 1938 | 21 April 1939 | 23 October 1939 | Sold for scrap 2 July 1948 to Luria Brothers and Company of Philadelphia |
| Sealion | SS-195 | 20 June 1938 | 25 May 1939 | 27 November 1939 | Bombed by Japanese aircraft atCavite Navy Yard 10 December 1941; scuttled 25 December 1941 | |
| Searaven | SS-196 | Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine | 9 August 1938 | 21 June 1939 | 2 October 1939 | Target inOperation Crossroads atomic bomb test atBikini Atoll 1946, later expended as target 11 September 1948 |
| Seawolf | SS-197 | 27 September 1938 | 15 August 1939 | 1 December 1939 | Sunk by "friendly fire" from the destroyer escortUSS Richard M. Rowell 3 October 1944 |
From commissioning until late 1941 the first sixSargos were based first atSan Diego, later atPearl Harbor. The last four were sent to thePhilippines shortly after commissioning. In October 1941, the remainingSargos and most other newer available submarines were transferred to theAsiatic Fleet in thePhilippines as part of a belated effort to reinforce U.S. andAllied forces in Southeast Asia. TheJapanese occupation of southernIndo-China and the August 1941 American-British-Dutch retaliatory oil embargo had raised international tensions.[13]
After the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, the submarines of the Asiatic Fleet were the primary striking force available toAdmiralThomas C. Hart, the fleet's commander. He was assigned sixteenSalmons orSargos; the entirety of both classes.[14] SevenPorpoise-class and sixS-boats rounded out the force.[15] TheJapanese did not bomb the Philippines until 10 December 1941, so almost all of the submarines were able to get underway before an attack.Sealion andSeadragon were the unlucky exceptions. In overhaul at theCavite Navy Yard,Sealion was damaged beyond repair and was scuttled on 25 December.Seadragon, assisted byUSS Canopus andUSS Pigeon, was able to leave port with emergency repairs and went on to fight for most of the war.
TheSargo 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 theJapanese aircraft carrierChūyō, which was carrying 21 survivors from the submarineSculpin; only one of these prisoners survived the sinking.Sculpin had been one of the ships assisting in the rescue of 33 men whenSqualus sank during a test dive in 1939;Squalus was refloated and recommissioned asUSS Sailfish.
In early 1945 the surviving boats of this class were transferred to training roles for the remainder of the war, eventually being scrapped in 1947-48.Searaven was used in theBikini 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.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.