Pacific War, WW2     
    U.S. Submarines in the Early Years

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    Submarines prowled the ocean depths alone or in small numbers, hunted and sank enemy warships and shipping, performed reconnaissance, search and rescue for downed aviators, and special missions such as landing and removing small numbers of troops. American submarines sank 1,314 Japanese ships for a total of 5.3 million gross tons. Fifty-two submarines and their crews were lost by all means in World War II.

    Submarine Classes

    Wartime submarine types were continually improved on the same basic design : Gato, Balao, Trench, Corsair with types and features overlapping. Many were cancelled beginning in 1944 so numbering has gaps. Ten building were additionally completed after the war.
    ClassSubsCommTonsGuns Torp.LostNotes
    O8 1918   480 1- 3"41SS-63 to SS-71
    R 191919   530 1- 3"41SS-78 to SS-97
    S-1 241920-24  8001- 4"44SS-105,SS-123 to SS-146
    S-11 7 1921   790 1- 4"4SS-116 to SS-122
    S-42 6 1925   850 1- 4"4SS-153 to SS-158
    S-48 1 1922 10001- 4" 4+1SS-159
    V "B" 3 1925 20001- 5" 4+2SS-163 to SS-165
    Argonaut1 1928 27102- 6" 4 minelayer SM-1
    1942 27102- 6" 4 10Jan43transport APS-1
    Nautilus2 1930 27302- 6" 4+2SS-167, SS-168
    Dolphin 1 1932 15401- 4" 4+2SS-169
    Cachalot2 1933-3411101- 3"4+2SS-170, SS-171
    Porpoise,P-12193513101- 3"4+2SS-172, SS-173
    Porpoise,P-32193613151- 3"4+21SS-174, SS-175
    Porpoise,P-56193713301- 3"4+23SS-176 to SS-181
    Salmon 6 1938 14501- 3" 4+4SS-182 to SS-187
    Sargo 101939 14501- 3" 4+44SS-188 to SS-197
    Tumbor 6 1940 14751- 3" 6+42SS-198 to SS-203
    Mackerel2 1941   8251- 3"4+2SS-204, SS-205
    Gar 6 1941 14751- 3" 6+45SS-206 to SS-211
    Wartime
    Gato 72 1942-4315251- 4"6+419SS-212 to SS-284
    Balao 921943-4415261- 4"6+410SS-285 to SS-416
    Trench 291944-4515701- 5"6+40SS-417 to SS-434
    Corsair 151944-4615701- 5"6+40SS-435 to SS-525
    After war
    Balao4194515261- 5"6+4SS-349-SS-352
    Corsair61945-4615701- 5"6+4SS-435, SS-486-SS-490Many canceled.
    Nine submarines, R and S-1 types, were lend-leased to England.
      "The submarine force remained intact following the attack on Pearl Harbor. It became clear at that time the submarine fleet would take the fight to the enemy. By war’s end, submarines had supported all major fleet operations and made more than 1,600 war patrols. Pacific Fleet submarines accounted for 54 percent of all enemy shipping sunk during the war. Success was costly. Fifty-two submarines were lost, and nearly 3,600 submariners remain on 'Eternal Patrol'."

    Brief descriptions of submarines mentioned on this web site.

  • USS Argonaut (SM-1/APS-1)   2,710 tons, 2- 6" 4TT. Commissioned 1Apr28 as V-4 and configured for mine laying. Reclassified SM-1 in 1931. Converted to transport submarine Spring of 1942.   Argonaut was on patrol near Midway Island when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. She made an the first submarine approach of the war, on destroyers doing shore bombardment, but could not get a shot before they left.   She carried Marine Raiders to Makin, August 1942. Serviced from Brisbane for the Solomons Campaign.   Argonaut was sunk by depth charges and gunfire from IJN destroyers Maikaze, Isokaze, and Hamakaze while attacking a Japanese convoy off Rabaul in the S.W. Pacific, 10 Jan 43.

  • USS Norwhal (SS-167).   2,730 tons, 2- 6" 4 bow, 2 stern tubes. Commissioned 1930 as the large V-5. survived Pearl Harbor in drydock. Served in Alaska, Marshalls, and then supported guerillas in the Philippines for most of the war. Narwhal received 15 battle stars for World War II service.

  • USS Nautilus (SS-168).   3,130 tons, 2- 6" 4 bow, 2 stern tubes. Commissioned 1July30. At Mare Island Naval Shipyard for modernization when the war started. She returned in time to participate in the Battle of Midway putting a torpedo in damaged Soryu. Sailed with Argonaut (SS-166) and carried Marine Raiders to Makin, 16Aug42. Nautilus made fourteen combat patrols and earned 14 battle stars for her service during WWII.

  • USS Dolphin (SS-169).   1,540 tons, 1- 4"aft, 4 bow, 2 stern tubes. Commissioned 1932.
    Dolphin made three war patrols in 1942 to the Marshalls, Midway, and the Kirles, and then went into training duty.

  • USS Cachalot (SS-170).   1,100 tons, 1- 3"aft, 4 bow, 2 stern tubes. Commissioned 1933.
    Cachalot was undergoing scheduled overhaul when the surprise attack came; she fired at and was bombed with no effect on either side. Made three reconn patrols - islands, Japan, Alaska-- before assigned to training duty.

  • USS Tambor (SS-198).   1,475 tons, 1- 3", 6 bow, 4 stern tubes. Commissioned 3June40 as first of a class. She was off Wake when the war started and made twelve war patrols. Her sighting of Japanese cruisers at Midway caused them to collide during evasion and Mikuma was sunk by Enterprise. Tambor received 11 battle stars for World War II service

  • USS Taulog (SS-199).   1,475 tons, 1- 6", 6 bow, 4 stern tubes. Commissioned 3July40.
    21 October, Tautog and Thresher (SS-200) begin a 45-day, full-time, simulated war patrol in the area of Midway. For 38 consecutive days, the two submarines operated submerged for 16 to 18 hours each day. Tautog returned to the submarine base at Pearl Harbor on 5 December and fired on enemy aircraft during the attack. On her second war patrol she sank submarines RO-30, I-28, and possibly a third, one cargo ship in a voyage that ended in Fremantle, Australia. She made 13 war patrols with sinkings on each. Tautog is credited with sinking the most ships, 26, and received 14 battle stars for World War II service.

  • USS Thresher (SS-200).   1,475 tons, 1- 5", 6 bow, 4 stern tubes. Commissioned 21Aug40. Thresher and sister-ship Tautog (SS-198) made a simulated war patrol north of Midway atoll. They both carried fully-armed torpedo warheads. Thresher returned 7Dec and received word that Pearl Harbor was under attack by Japanese aircraft. Thresher made 15 war patrols and received 15 battle stars for World War II service.

  • USS Triton (SS-201).   1,475 tons, 1- 3" 6 bow, 4 stern tubes. Commissioned 16Aug40.
    On patrol off Wake Island as the War opened, Triton made six war patrols. Post-war examination of Japanese records revealed that on 15March43 three Japanese destroyers attacked and sank a submarine near Triton's assigned area. Triton received five battle stars for World War II service.

  • USS Trout (SS-202).   1,475 tons, 1- 3" 6 bow, 4 stern tubes. Commissioned 15Nov40.
    Trout was on patrol off Midway Island as the War opened. In her second war patrol she delivered ammunition to Corregidor and loaded gold, securities, mail and dispatches. The submarine began her 11th and final war patrol toward the East China Sea, Trout was never heard from again. Japanese records indicate that a convoy was attacked by a submarine on 29Feb44 in the patrol area assigned to Trout. The submarine badly damaged one large ship and sank Sakito Maru. Possibly one of the convoy's escorts sank the submarine.

  • USS Grayling (SS-209). Tambor class, 1,475 tons, 253'; 1- 3", 10- 21" torpedo tubes. Commissioned 1Mar41, was accepted and sailed for Pacific 17Nov41, arrived Pearl Harbor 24Dec, and had the honor of being chosen for Nimitz's acceptance of Pacific Fleet command ceremony 31Dec41. She made 8 war patrols from Pearl and from Freemantle having recorded five major kills totalling 20,575 tons before being reported "lost with all hands" 30Sep43 in the Philippines area.

  • USS Gudgeon (SS-211). Tambor class, 1,475 tons, 253'; 1- 3", 10 21" torpedo tubes. Commissioned 21Apr41, arrived Pearl Harbor 10Oct and was exercising at Lahaina Roads 7Dec. On 27Jan42 Gudgeon became the first U.S. submarine to sink an enemy warship, submarine I-173 after shelling Midway on return from Pearl Harbor attack. Gudgeon made 12 war patrols with 71,047 tonnage sunk and was declared overdue at Pearl Harbor, 12Sep44. Gudgeon earned 11 battle stars for World War II service.

  • USS Gato (SS-212). 1,526 tons; 311' 9"; 20 knots. (surf.), 9 k. (subm.); crew 80; 1- 3"; 6 bow and 4 stern tubes (carried 24- 21" torpedoes). Commissioned 31Dec'41. First of her class, these 73 submarines were the most modern sub of the early war. On her first war patrol form Pearl Harbor (20Apr-10Jun42) she attacked an aircraft carrier (unsuccessful) and was part of the western patrol force at Midway. Second and third war patrols were to the Aleutians. Fourth thru seventh patrols were in the Solomons. On her sixth patrol she surfaced to find a depth charge on her deck and two enemy patrol ships headed towards her. She outran the escorts and set the depth carge adrift on a rubber raft. Later patrols were lifeguard to rescue fliers from Truk to Kyushu. Gato made 13 war patrols, received the Presidential Unit Citation and 13 battle stars for service in World War II.

  • USS Razorback (SS-394). 1,526 tons ; 1- 3", 2- 40-mm ; 6 bow, 4 stern tubes. Commissioned 27Jan44.
    The last operational WW2 submarine, Balao class, decommissioned August 2001, will become a monument at North Little Rock, AR. Five war patrols, at the surrender in Tokyo Bay, converted to Guppy, transferred to Turkey, saved from scrap 2003.
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    About this page: Subs - Brief description of the submarines mentioned in Pacific War, the early years.
    Last updated on Aug 13, 2015.
    URL: http://www.ww2pacific.com/subs.html