USS Plunger (SS-179)

USS Plunger (SS-179) was a Porpoise-class submarine of the United States Navy commissioned in 1937 that served in the Pacific Theater. She conducted multiple war patrols during World War II, engaging Japanese shipping and supporting Allied operations before surviving the war and being decommissioned in 1945. Plunger's career intersected with numerous notable ships, bases, and personalities across pre-war, wartime, and post-war naval history.

Design and construction

Plunger was built by the Electric Boat Company at Groton, Connecticut, part of the Porpoise class design lineage that followed S-class submarine developments and informed later Gato-class submarine designs. Her keellaying on 20 August 1935 and launching on 7 November 1936 occurred during Interwar period naval rearmament influenced by the London Naval Treaty and doctrinal shifts after World War I. The Porpoise-class emphasized improved habitability, greater range, and diesel-electric propulsion derived from advances at General Electric and MAN SE engine development. Plunger's armament of eight 21-inch torpedo tubes and a 3"/50 caliber deck gun reflected operational lessons from engagements like the Battle of Coronel and influenced by contemporary submarine tactics championed by officers at the Naval War College and Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet. Her hull incorporated riveted and welded construction practiced at Electric Boat yards and shared characteristics with USS S-4 (SS-109) and earlier experimental boats. Sponsors and shipyard overseers included personnel from General Dynamics predecessors and Navy procurement officials during the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration.

Pre-war service

After commissioning on 30 June 1937, Plunger joined Submarine Division 15 and undertook shakedown cruises to New London, Connecticut and the Panama Canal Zone, operating from bases such as Coco Solo. She participated in fleet problems and exercises with units of the United States Fleet and trained alongside ships including USS Saratoga (CV-3), USS Lexington (CV-2), and destroyer divisions. Plunger visited Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and exercised in the Caribbean Sea before redeploying to the Philippine Islands with the Asiatic Fleet and forward bases at Cavite Navy Yard and Olongapo. Her pre-war peacetime activities included joint drills with Royal Navy liaison officers, submarine tactics discussions influenced by Admiral Thomas C. Hart, and goodwill port calls to Manila and Hong Kong that reflected rising tensions with the Empire of Japan and strategic planning centered on Admiral Husband E. Kimmel's Pacific responsibilities.

World War II patrols and engagements

At the outbreak of hostilities following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Plunger conducted war patrols from Cavite and later from Surabaya and Tjilatjap in the Dutch East Indies, operating in waters contested by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Early patrols intersected with actions around Makassar Strait, Java Sea, and approaches to Singapore, engaging enemy shipping and performing reconnaissance that supported Allied forces including elements of the ABDA Command and convoys escorted by USS Class destroyers. Plunger made torpedo attacks against transports and escorts during the Battle of the Java Sea timeframe and participated in lifeguard and evacuation missions as bases fell under Japanese occupation.

Subsequent patrols saw Plunger operating from Pearl Harbor and later from advanced submarine tenders such as USS Holland (AS-3) and USS Canopus (AS-9), contributing to campaigns in the Solomon Islands, around New Guinea, and in the approaches to the Philippines campaign (1944–45). She conducted offensive patrols against convoys along sea lanes serving Truk and Rabaul, and performed reconnaissance that aided carrier operations by USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Yorktown (CV-5), and Task Force 58 elements. Crewmembers were involved in actions tied to torpedo problems of the era—issues later examined in inquiries involving Admiral Ernest J. King—and benefited from tactical revisions promulgated by Commander Charles A. Lockwood and submarine staff at CINCPAC. Plunger earned battle stars for patrols that interrupted Japanese convoy movements and provided intelligence for amphibious assaults such as Operation Cartwheel.

Post-war fate and decommissioning

After Japan's surrender following the Surrender of Japan and the Potsdam Declaration, Plunger returned to the continental United States, arriving at Bremerton Navy Yard and later transiting to New York Navy Yard for inactivation. Decommissioned on 14 November 1945, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 11 April 1946 and sold for scrapping in 1948 amid rapid postwar drawdown overseen by Secretary of the Navy James V. Forrestal and shipbreaking firms operating under Admiralty contracts. Her disposition paralleled that of contemporaries like USS Porpoise (SS-172) and reflected evolving submarine technology exemplified by GUPPY conversions and the emergence of nuclear submarine concepts championed by figures such as Hyman G. Rickover.

Commanding officers and crew highlights

Plunger's commanding officers included submarine skippers drawn from United States Naval Academy graduates and career officers from the Submarine School staff; among them were officers who later served in higher commands influenced by mentors at the Naval War College and Naval Academy. Notable crew achievements involved engineering innovations in diesel-electric operation linked to technicians with prior service aboard USS Sculpin (SS-191) and tactical contributions acknowledged by citations referencing actions concurrent with operations by Task Force 16 and South West Pacific Area commanders. Survivors and veterans' associations, including chapters of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc., have preserved Plunger's legacy alongside oral histories housed at repositories such as the Naval History and Heritage Command and archives at the National Archives and Records Administration. Medal of Honor and Navy Cross recipients from submarine service during the period influenced recognition patterns for valor among Plunger's contemporaries. Category:Porpoise-class submarines