USS S-37 (SS-142)

USS "S-37" (SS-142) was an "S"-class submarine of the United States Navy. Her keel was laid down on 12 December 1918 by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California. She was launched on 20 June 1919 sponsored by Miss Mildred Bulger, and commissioned on 16 July 1923 with Lieutenant Paul R. Glutting in command.

Operational service

1923

After fitting out at Mare Island, "S-37" departed San Francisco Bay at the end of July and joined Submarine Division (SubDiv) 17 at San Pedro, California, on 1 August. During that month, September, and into October, she conducted exercises and tests off the southern California coast.

On the afternoon of 10 October, while recharging her batteries in the harbor at San Pedro, California, "S-37" was rocked by an explosion in the after battery compartment. Two men were killed as dense black smoke and gas fumes filled the flame and arc-lit room. Extensive material damage added to the difficulty of rescue operations, but three men were extracted from the compartment, one of whom died of his injuries before medical help arrived. Two of the rescuers were seriously injured.

Once it was determined no one remained alive in the compartment, the compartment was sealed to cut off the supply of oxygen to the fire. However, by 0500 the next morning, so much pressure had increased in the compartment it forced the main hatch open. The compartment was re-sealed for another five hours, but when it was opened at 1030, the fire reflashed. The crew shut the hatch again for another hour. At 1130, the compartment was successfully ventilated and cooled enough to allow the crew to enter safely. Temporary repairs completed on 25 October, and "S-37" headed to Mare Island for permanent repairs. On 19 December, she returned to duty at San Pedro, California.

1924-1941

With the new year, 1924, "S-37" moved south and, with her division, participated in Fleet Problems II, III, and IV which involved problems of fleet movements, conducted "en route" to the Gulf of Panama; Caribbean defenses and transit facilities of the Panama Canal; and movement from a main base to an advanced base, conducted in the Caribbean Sea. After completing Problem IV, her division remained in the Caribbean until early April when it retransited the Panama Canal to return to the Pacific. Toward the end of the month, she returned to San Pedro, California, and, on 28 April, she continued to Mare Island. There the boats of her division, having been transferred to the Asiatic Fleet, prepared to cross the Pacific.

On 17 September, SubDiv 17, accompanied by submarine tender in a glassy sea, but she remained undetected. Temporary repairs were soon reducing the oil slick. At 0700, when another destroyer patrol was sighted, the slick remained obvious but unnoticed. By 0830, "S-37" was avoiding sudden changes in depth which would aggravate the leak. The slick was minimized; but, at 0915, a destroyer was heard on the starboard beam. Depth charges were dropped, and their explosions were followed by detonating aerial bombs. "S-37" went to 150 feet (46 m).

The depth charging and bombing continued until noon, when heavy anti-aircraft fire was heard. The destroyer was distracted; but, at 1245, she apparently resumed her search for the submarine. After dropping three more depth charges, the enemy warship continued to ping until after 1400. At 1415, "S-37" went to periscope depth. The destroyer was 3000 yards (2700 m) off, but the seas had become choppy. No oil slick was visible.

"S-37" cleared Lombok Strait at 1500 and, 25 hours later, moored at the Soerabaja Navy Yard. Repairs began immediately, but the Japanese were moving on Java. So, too, was the sub command situation; "S-37" lost her skipper to USS|Spearfish|SS-190|6, replaced by James R. Reynolds, [Blair, p.184.] and on 26 February, "S-37" was ordered out. Equipment and parts in the navy yard shops were recalled, stores from the limited supplies at the base were taken on and, after the return of two air compressor coolers, she got underway on the port main engine, as the ship's force completed reassembly of the starboard. Electrical steering failures, breakdowns in the coolers, and a change of orders delayed her departure; but, on the afternoon of 27 February, she moved out and headed north to patrol between Bawean Island and the western channel into Soerabaja Roads.

That night, the Battle of the Java Sea raged over the horizon, and, early on the morning of 28 February, the S-boat closed a Japanese formation of two cruisers and three destroyers retiring victoriously from the scene. A fight for depth control, however, precluded an attack. At mid-day, she sighted a 50-foot (15 m) open boat from Dutch light cruiser warship|HNLMS|De Ruyter|1935|2, carrying sixty [Blair, p.187.] Allied survivors; although unable to accommodate all of them, she approached to take on casualties. Finding none, "S-37" took on the two [Blair, p.187.] American sailors among them, transferred provisions, dispatched enciphered messages on the boat's location to ABDA headquarters, and resumed her patrol. That afternoon, she again attempted to attack an enemy formation, but was sighted and underwent a combined depth charging and aerial bombing.

March 1942

For the next week, "S-37" remained in the area. Depth charge and aerial attacks were frequent, each one aggravating the condition of worn parts and equipment and resulting in mechanical and electrical failures and in leaks through disintegrating manhole and hatch gaskets. On 6 March, she headed for western Australia. Her major leak, through the engine room hatch, had been slowed to one gallon every 20 minutes. "S-37" left a misleading oil slick toward Lombok Strait, then moved farther east before turning south. By 11 March, she was clear of the East Indies; and, on 19 March, she arrived at Fremantle.

April-June 1942

In April, she continued on to Brisbane where she joined Task Force 42 and, after a desperately needed six week overhaul, [Blair, p.297.] departed for her fifth war patrol. Clearing Moreton Bay on 22 June, she was in the Bismarck Islands by the end of the month, and, after patrolling in St. George Channel, she moved toward New Hanover. On 7 July, she shifted back to the New Britain coast to patrol in the Lambert Point area. There, on the afternoon of 8 July, she sighted a Japanese merchantman escorted by a submarine chaser. Closing, she fired three torpedoes at 1405. Three explosions followed, sinking the 2776-ton Tenzan Maru. "S-37" went to convert|110|ft|m|0 and ran silent on a northerly course as the submarine chaser dropped depth charges where the submarine had been.

July-November 1942

On 9 July, "S-37" patrolled between Dyaul and New Hanover. On 10 July, she moved into the New Hanover-Massau traffic lanes; and, on 11 July, she closed the New Ireland coast and continued south. For the next two days, she operated in the Rabaul area, then headed for Cape St. George and Australia. From 14 July, when a fire in the starboard main motor was quickly extinguished, she was plagued by mechanical and electrical failures. On 20 July, she sighted Cape Moreton Light; and, on 21 July, she moored alongside submarine tender USS|Griffin|AS-13|6 in Brisbane harbor.

Between 17 August and 13 September, "S-37" conducted her sixth war patrol, a defensive patrol in the Savo Island area in support of the Guadalcanal campaign. On 2 September, she scored her only hit of the patrol when she damaged the last destroyer in a column of four which was steaming to the north of Savo. Four days later, she moved into the Russell Islands, whence she departed the Solomon Islands and headed back to Brisbane. On 19 October, she cleared the latter harbor for the last time, and, four days later, she arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia. After refueling, she served on picket line station in defense of that base. On 5 November, after a fire in her port main motor added to problems of tank trouble, fuel shortage, and mechanical failures, she headed for Pearl Harbor.

1943-1945

From Pearl Harbor, "S-37" continued on to San Diego, California, where she underwent an extensive overhaul during the winter of 1943. She remained at San Diego for the remainder of her career, employed as an antisubmarine warfare training ship through 1944. Decommissioned on 6 February 1945, "S-37" was stripped, and her hulk was sunk as a target for aerial bombing off Imperial Beach, San Diego, on 20 February 1945. Her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register three days later.

"S-37" earned five battle stars during World War II.

Notes

References

*Blair, Clay, Jr. "Silent Victory". Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1975.
*Lenton, H.T. "American Submarines". New York: Doubleday & Co., 1973.