.jpg) USSS-26 sometime between 1927 and 1930, probably atSan Diego,California. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSS-26 |
| Builder | Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation,Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Laid down | 7 November 1919 |
| Launched | 22 August 1922 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Carlos Bean |
| Commissioned | 15 October 1923 |
| Fate | Sunk in collision 24 January 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | S-classsubmarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 219 ft 3 in (66.83 m) |
| Beam | 20 ft 8 in (6.30 m) |
| Draft | 15 ft 11 in (4.85 m) |
| Speed |
|
| Complement | 42 officers and men |
| Armament | |
USSS-26 (SS-131) was anS-classsubmarine of theUnited States Navy. She was lost in a collision with a friendly escort ship at night in late January 1942, when both vessels were operating without navigation lights to avoid detection by enemy forces.
S-26′skeel waslaid down on 7 November 1919 byBethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation'sFore River Shipyard inQuincy,Massachusetts. Shelaunched on 22 August 1922, sponsored by Mrs. Carlos Bean, andcommissioned on 15 October 1923.
Operating fromNew London,Connecticut, from 1923 to 1925,S-26 visitedSt. Thomas in theUnited States Virgin Islands andTrinidad from January to April 1924 andHawaii from 27 April to 30 May 1925. Cruising fromCalifornia ports, mainlyMare Island,San Diego, andSan Pedro,S-26 served in thePanama Canal area from March to May 1927, visited Hawaii again during the summers of 1927 to 1928, again served in the Panama Canal area in February 1929, and made visits to Hawaii during the summers of 1929 and 1930.
S-26 departed San Diego on 1 December 1930 and arrived atPearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 12 December 1930. She then served at Pearl Harbor until 15 October 1938, when she departed to return to New London. She arrived at on 25 March 1939 and entered a period in commission in reserve with a partial crew there on 15 April 1939. She resumed full duty on 1 July 1940. She then performed duty at New London andhydrogen tests atWashington, D.C.
After theUnited States enteredWorld War II with the Japaneseattack on Pearl Harbor of 7 December 1941,S-26 departed New London on 10 December 1941 and arrived atCoco Solo,Panama on 19 December 1941. She subsequently conducted her first war patrol in the waters of thePacific Ocean off Panama, but did not encounter enemy forces.[1]
On the night of 24 January 1942,S-26 departed the harbor atBalboa,Panama, to begin her second war patrol as part of adivision that also included the submarinesUSS S-21 (SS-126),USS S-29 (SS-134), andUSS S-44 (SS-155), under escort by thesubmarine chaserPC-460 (later renamedUSS Sturdy (PC-460)).[1][2] All four submarines were on the surface, and all five vessels operated without navigation lights to reduce the chance of detection by enemy forces, withPC-460 steaming 1,500 yards (1,370 m) ahead of the leading submarine,S-21.[2] After the vessels were at sea in theGulf of Panama,PC-460 made a visual signal at 22:10 to the submarines that she intended to make a wide, 180-degree turn tostarboard to return to port and that they could proceed with their assigned duties.[1][2] OnlyS-21 received the message.[1][2]PC-460 then executed her turn, and shortly thereafter encounteredS-26, which was running 2,000 yards (1,830 m) behindS-21.[1][2] The two darkened vessels sighted each other at close range.PC-460 put her engines full astern, but this caused them to fail.[1][2] Both vessels took evasive action to avoid a collision, but too late, andPC-460 rammedS-26 amidships on herstarboard side at 22:23.[1][2] The impact tore a large hole inS-26′s side and caused her to roll, throwing three of the four men on herbridge overboard.[1][2]S-26 sank by thebow in less than a minute in 300 feet (91 m) of water about 14 nautical miles (26 km; 16 mi) west ofSan Jose Light.[1][2]
S-26′s only survivors were the three men – hercommanding officer,executive officer, and a lookout – who went overboard from her bridge.[1][2] The rest of her crew – threeofficers and 43 crew members, one of whom also had been on her bridge – were killed.[1][2] Rescue operations began on the morning of 25 January 1942, withdivers making 25 dives to the wreck over the following days in the hope of finding men still alive inS-26′shull, but they found no signs of life.[2]S-26′s wreck lies upright on theseabed and is a protectedwar grave.[2]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
 United States Navy |
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in January 1942 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
