The USS Sailfish (SS‑192) was a United States Navy submarine that served during World War II. Originally commissioned as USS Squalus (SS‑192) on 30 September 1939, the vessel suffered a fatal flooding accident during a pre‑operational sea trial off the coast of New Hampshire on 23 May 1940, resulting in the loss of 26 crew members. The submarine was subsequently salvaged, repaired, and renamed USS Sailfish, entering service under the new name on 1 October 1940.
Design and construction
- Class: Sargo‑class (originally built as a S‑class design, later classified under Sargo specifications after reconstruction)
- Builder: Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
- Laid down: 26 February 1938
- Launched: 14 October 1938
- Displacement: Approx. 1,450 tonnes surfaced, 2,350 tonnes submerged (post‑reconstruction)
- Dimensions: Length 95 m (311 ft), beam 8 m (25 ft), draft 4.5 m (15 ft)
- Propulsion: Diesel‑electric, four diesel engines powering generators and two electric motors; two propeller shafts
- Speed: 20 knots surfaced, 9 knots submerged
- Armament (post‑refit): Ten 21‑inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (six forward, four aft) with a complement of 24 torpedoes; one 3‑inch (76 mm) deck gun; multiple Oerlikon 20 mm anti‑aircraft cannons
Operational history
After being renamed Sailfish, the submarine conducted patrols in the Pacific theater. Notable actions include:
- First war patrol (February–March 1942): Operating in the East China Sea, Sailfish sank the Japanese merchant vessel Kobayashi Maru and the cargo ship Hiyoshi Maru.
- Second war patrol (May 1942): In the Yellow Sea, she damaged a tanker and sank a trawler, earning her first battle star.
- Subsequent patrols (1943–1945): Sailfish continued to conduct offensive patrols off the coast of Japan, the Philippine Islands, and the South China Sea, accumulating a total of four battle stars for her World War II service.
Awards and honors
- Four battle stars for World War II service.
- The Presidential Unit Citation was not awarded to this vessel.
Decommissioning and fate
USS Sailfish was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor on 30 September 1945. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 13 November 1945 and sold for scrap to the National Metal & Steel Corp. on 19 April 1946, after which she was dismantled.
Legacy
Sailfish’s salvage and recommissioning represented a significant engineering achievement in submarine recovery and repair. The incident contributed to improvements in submarine safety protocols and emergency rescue procedures, influencing subsequent U.S. Navy submarine design and operational practices.
Note: Information presented is based on established naval records and historical accounts. No speculative content is included.
