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| USS Shark (SS-174) | |
|---|---|
| Ship name | USS Shark (SS-174) |
| Ship class | Porpoise-class submarine |
| Ship displacement | 1,305 long tons (surfaced) |
| Ship length | 307 ft 0 in (93.6 m) |
| Ship beam | 27 ft 3 in (8.3 m) |
| Ship draft | 13 ft 4 in (4.1 m) |
| Ship propulsion | Diesel engines; electric motors |
| Ship speed | 19.5 kn (surfaced) |
| Ship range | 11,000 nmi at 10 kn |
| Ship complement | ~54 officers and enlisted |
| Ship launched | 20 September 1936 |
| Ship commissioned | 15 April 1937 |
| Ship decommissioned | 11 March 1942 (sunk) |
USS Shark (SS-174) was a Porpoise-class diesel-electric submarine of the United States Navy commissioned in 1937 that conducted training, patrol, and combat operations in the Pacific Theater during the early months of World War II. She operated from bases including Pearl Harbor, Cavite Navy Yard, and Midway Atoll, undertaking war patrols against Imperial Japanese Navy shipping before being lost in 1942. The boat's service intersects with major figures and events such as Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, the Attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Guadalcanal Campaign.
Shark was laid down and built under designs developed by the Bureau of Engineering (United States Navy) and the Electric Boat Company for the Porpoise class, a lineage tracing to earlier classes like the S-class submarine (U.S. Navy) and the experimental designs influenced by Rear Admiral Charles A. Lockwood. Constructed at the Electric Boat Company yard in Groton, Connecticut, her keel was set in the mid-1930s amid interwar naval planning influenced by the London Naval Treaty and strategic thought from the Naval War College (United States). Naval architects incorporated lessons from World War I submarine operations, and armament plans reflected doctrine from the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and debates involving leaders such as Admiral William S. Sims.
As a Porpoise-class unit, Shark had diesel engines for surface cruising and electric motors for submerged operations, a configuration evolved from prototypes like the V-boat designs and improved through experience with USS S-1 (SS-105). Her torpedo armament used Mark 10 torpedos and later Mark 14 torpedos modifications, with four bow tubes and two stern tubes mirroring the layout of contemporaries such as USS Narwhal (SS-167). Deck armament included a 3-inch/50 caliber deck gun comparable to weapons mounted on USS Nautilus (SS-168), and she carried radio equipment compatible with OP-20-G signals intelligence practices and USS Enterprise (CV-6) task force communications. Hull form and ballast arrangements reflected standards promulgated by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and the Bureau of Ships.
Before World War II, Shark conducted training cruises and exercises with units of the United States Pacific Fleet and participated in fleet problems influenced by strategic planners such as Admiral Richmond K. Turner and staff at Fleet Problem XIX. She operated alongside submarines from Submarine Squadron 6 (United States Navy) and visited bases including San Diego, California, Balboa, Panama Canal Zone, and Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippine Islands. Crews trained in torpedo firing, periscope tactics, and coordinated operations that involved coordination with surface units like Battleship Division 1 and aviation elements such as Patrol Wing 2 (VP-2), reflecting doctrine from the War Plans Division.
Following the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States' entry into World War II, Shark deployed to the western Pacific under orders tied to the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC), operating in areas contested by the Imperial Japanese Navy and escort groups like those built around Mogami-class cruiser sorties. On her war patrols she sought to interdict Japanese convoys supplying operations in the Dutch East Indies and around the Philippines Campaign (1941–42), engaging targets consistent with directives from ComSubPacific (COMSUBPAC). Shark's patrols overlapped operational areas monitored by assets including Naval Intelligence Division assessments and signals decrypts from Station HYPO and Station CAST, and her missions were coordinated with carriers such as USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3) for broader interdiction efforts.
During the early 1942 campaign, Shark sustained damage consistent with depth charge attacks and antisubmarine warfare tactics developed by the Imperial Japanese Navy and practiced by destroyers like Fubuki-class destroyer units. Efforts to repair and refit involved facilities at Cavite Navy Yard and later at forward bases such as Midway Atoll when operationally feasible; coordination for repairs involved the Navy Department and logistics elements modeled on Service Force, Pacific Fleet. On 11 March 1942, Shark was lost with all hands in waters northeast of Honolulu, an event investigated in post-loss inquiries that referenced records from Bureau of Ships and operational reports compiled by Commander, Submarines, Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC). The loss has been attributed to enemy antisubmarine action and operational hazards faced by early-war US submarines employing the Mark 14 torpedo under difficult conditions.
Shark's complement numbered roughly 54 officers and enlisted sailors drawn from training programs at Naval Training Station (Great Lakes) and Submarine School (New London). Commanding officers during her service included skippers who served in the interwar and wartime submarine community and were subject to orders from flag officers including Admiral Thomas C. Hart and Admiral Ernest J. King. Crew responsibilities mirrored standards set by the Navy Enlisted Classification system and performance expectations issued by the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), with specialized roles in engineering, navigation, torpedo maintenance, and sonar operations interacting with technologies developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and sensor research at Harvard University-linked laboratories.
Shark's wartime loss contributed to changes in submarine tactics, training, and torpedo procurement overseen by the Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet and influenced inquiry work at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory and Naval Submarine Base New London. Memorialization includes mentions on lists maintained by the United States Navy Memorial and remembrances at cemeteries and memorials such as the Punchbowl (National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific) and the Pearl Harbor National Memorial. Her story is cited in historical treatments by institutions like the Naval History and Heritage Command, scholarly works at United States Naval Academy archives, and exhibits in museums including the National Museum of the United States Navy and local historical societies in Connecticut and Hawaii. Survivors' accounts and official records continue to inform research by organizations such as the Submarine Veterans of World War II and naval historians associated with the Naval War College.
Category:Porpoise-class submarines Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut Category:World War II submarines of the United States