USS Squalus (SS-192)

USS Squalus (SS-192)
Ship name	USS Squalus (SS-192)
Ship namesake	Squalus (shark)
Builder	Portsmouth Navy Yard
Laid down	1 August 1937
Launched	20 June 1938
Commissioned	1 March 1939
Reclassified	SS-192
Fate	Salvaged, recommissioned as USS Sailfish (SS-192); decommissioned 1945; scrapped 1948

USS Squalus (SS-192) was a United States Navy Sargo-class submarine commissioned in 1939 that suffered a catastrophic flooding during a final pre-World War II test dive in 1939. The sinking prompted a landmark submarine rescue and salvage that involved pioneering use of a rescue chamber and deep-diving salvage techniques. The vessel was raised, rebuilt, and returned to service as USS Sailfish (SS-192), serving in the Pacific Ocean during World War II.

Construction and commissioning

Laid down at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine under a contract with the United States Navy, the keel for the boat was set in 1937 during a period of rapid expansion of the United States Navy submarine force influenced by lessons from the Washington Naval Treaty era. The hull was launched in 1938 with a christening attended by Navy officials and delivered to the fleet following fitting out and trials at Newport, Rhode Island and the Bureau of Engineering inspection. Commissioned in March 1939 with commanding officers and crew drawn from submarine communities centered at Submarine Force Atlantic and trained at the Submarine School in New London, Connecticut.

Design and specifications

Built to the Sargo-class submarine plans developed by the BuOrd and the Bureau of Ships, the boat featured diesel-electric propulsion with four General Motors-built diesel engines and electric motors driving twin propeller shafts. The pressure hull incorporated high-tensile steel and internal compartmentalization consistent with contemporaneous designs at Electric Boat Company and included ballast systems, battery arrays, torpedo rooms compatible with Mark 14 torpedo loads, and deck armament similar to other prewar classes. Surface and submerged performance figures, sensor fits including early SD radar-class equipment and sound-searching gear from Asdic-era development, and crew accommodations reflected evolving doctrine from the Office of Naval Intelligence and peacetime training commands.

Early service and shakedown

After commissioning, the submarine conducted shakedown cruises and training missions off the New England coast, calling at Norfolk, Virginia, New York City, and participating in exercises with units from the Atlantic Fleet. The crew rotated through proficiency drills at the Submarine School and underwent acceptance trials with oversight from the Chief of Naval Operations and inspectors from the Bureau of Engineering (United States Navy). The boat prepared for acceptance trials under a schedule that included final deep-dive tests off the Isles of Shoals and training with fleet units including destroyers from Destroyer Squadron 2.

Sinking and rescue operations

During a routine test dive on 23 May 1939 off Portsmouth, New Hampshire and in waters near Isles of Shoals, the boat experienced catastrophic flooding through a malfunctioning main induction valve, causing rapid loss of buoyancy and an emergency grounding on the seabed south of Hampton Roads approach lanes. The vessel descended to approximately 243 feet, trapping crew in forward compartments and prompting an urgent multi-agency response involving units from Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, United States Coast Guard, Atlantic Fleet, and salvage contractors. The rescue employed the newly developed McCann rescue chamber, devised by Lieutenant Commander Charles B. "Swede" Momsen and furthered by engineers at Bureau of Ships, and sailors were transferred from the stranded hull to surface ships in a celebrated sequence of operations coordinated with commanders from Submarine Force Atlantic. Casualties and survivors were handled by medical teams from Naval Hospital Portsmouth and psychological support from fleet chaplains. The operation became a focal point in naval circles, drawing attention from the Secretary of the Navy and national press.

Salvage, recommissioning as USS Sailfish (SS-192)

Following the rescue, the Navy authorized an ambitious salvage led by the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard team in concert with Portsmouth technicians and private salvage firms such as Sperry Corporation-affiliated contractors. The raised hull was towed to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard where extensive repairs and modifications were performed under direction of the Bureau of Ships. As part of overhaul and reclassification, the boat was renamed USS Sailfish (SS-192) to avoid stigma and to honor Sailfish (fish), and underwent modernization including upgrades to propulsion, battery systems, and habitability to meet emergent Asiatic Fleet and Pacific operational standards. Recommissioned under the new name, the vessel joined submarine squadrons preparing for potential conflict in the Pacific Theater.

World War II service

As USS Sailfish, the submarine conducted war patrols from forward bases including Pearl Harbor, Midway Atoll, and later Australia and New Guinea staging areas, operating against Imperial Japanese Navy shipping lanes and participating in coordinated wolfpack-style patrols with units from Submarine Squadron 6 and Submarine Division 62. The boat's patrols involved engagements with convoy targets, reconnaissance missions, lifeguard duty for United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy air strikes, and interactions with Allied commands such as Commander, Submarines, Pacific Fleet. Throughout wartime operations, the crew managed torpedo employment issues associated with the Mark 14 torpedo controversy and benefited from improvements coordinated by the Bureau of Ordnance and Admiral Ernest J. King's staff. The submarine earned service recognition during campaigns connected to Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands campaign, and later operations supporting advances toward Philippines campaign (1944–45).

Decommissioning and fate

After hostilities ended, the aged hull and cumulative wartime wear led to decommissioning at a Norfolk Naval Shipyard-area facility. Sailfish was decommissioned in 1945 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register; the hulk was sold for scrap amid broader postwar reductions handled through War Shipping Administration disposal procedures. Components and lessons from the boat informed subsequent submarine rescue doctrine at institutions including the Submarine Force Library and Museum and modernized submarine design developments pursued by Electric Boat and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.

Category:Submarines of the United States Navy Category:Ships built in Kittery, Maine Category:United States submarine rescues