Submarine S-41 (SS-146)

S-41

Country	United States
Ship Class	S-class Submarine
Hull Number	SS-146
Builder	Bethlehem San Francisco Shipyard
Laid Down	17 Apr 1919
Launched	21 Feb 1921
Commissioned	15 Jan 1924
Decommissioned	13 Feb 1945
Displacement	868 tons standard; 1,079 tons submerged
Length	219 feet
Beam	21 feet
Draft	16 feet
Machinery	Two New London Ship & Engine diesel engines, General Electric electric motors, battery cells, two screws
Speed	14 knots
Crew	42
Armament	1x4in/50cal deck gun, 4x21in torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes
Submerged Speed	11 knots

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseSubmarine S-41 was commissioned into service in Jan 1924. Upon completion of her trials, she set sail for the Philippine Islands along with other vessels of Submarine Division 17, where she would join the US Navy Asiatic Fleet. In Jan 1932, during the First Battle of Shanghai in China, she was dispatched to Shanghai to assist in the evacuation of US nationals. On 8 Dec 1941 when Japan raided Pearl Harbor in the US Territory of Hawaii and thus bringing the United States directly into war, she was in Manila Bay. She was immediately dispatched on her first war patrol in the Tablas Strait between Mindoro and Tablas islands, and later shifting north to the Lingayen Gulf area. Her first war patrol ended as she made port call at Surabaya (Dutch: Soerabaja), Java, Dutch East Indies. Her second war patrol was spent in the Makassar Strait, where she would sink a Japanese transport on 18 Feb 1942. After an uneventful third war patrol in the Solomon Islands, her fourth war patrol in the same region resulted in her damaging two Japanese ships and a claimed sinking of a Japanese submarine. After patrolling the Ellice Islands for her fifth war patrol, she set sail for US Territory of Hawaii and then on to San Diego, California, United States for an extensive overhaul. Shifting to the US Territory of Alaska, her final war patrols had her patrolling waters in the Kurile Islands, where she would sink the fishing schooner Asuka Maru and one transport. After training duty and an overhaul, she operated out of Pearl Harbor for some time. She returned to San Diego for inactivation in Dec 1944, and was decommissioned in Feb 1945 prior to the end of the war. She was struck from the US Naval Vessel Register in Feb 1946 and was sold to the National Metal and Steel Corporation of Los Angeles, California for scrapping in Nov 1946.

ww2dbaseSources:
uboat.net
Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Jan 2023

Submarine S-41 (SS-146) Interactive Map

Photographs

USS S-41 fitting out at the Bethlehem Union Plant, San Francisco, California, United States, 27 Dec 1923

USS Canopus with submarines USS S-36, S-37, S-38, S-39, S-40, and S-41, Apra Harbor, Guam, 1924

Forward deck of USS S-41, off San Francisco, California, United States, 26 Feb 1924

USS Canopus with submarines USS S-36, S-37, S-38, S-39, S-40, and S-41, Apra Harbor, Guam, 29 Oct 1924

See all 14 photographs of Submarine S-41 (SS-146)

S-41 Operational Timeline

17 Apr 1919	The keel of S-41 was laid down at the Bethlehem shipyard in San Francisco, California, United States.
21 Feb 1921	S-41 was launched at the Bethlehem shipyard in San Francisco, California, United States, sponsored by the wife of John Conners.
15 Jan 1924	USS S-41 was commissioned into service.
17 Sep 1924	USS S-41 departed the west coast of the United States.
5 Nov 1924	USS S-41 arrived at Manila, Philippine Islands.
8 Dec 1941	USS S-41 departed Manila Bay in the Philippines for her first war patrol.
24 Dec 1941	USS S-41 departed Manila Bay in the Philippines after taking on fuel and supplies.
4 Jan 1942	USS S-41 departed Lingayen Gulf in the Philippines for the Dutch East Indies.
12 Jan 1942	USS S-41 patrolled waters in the western Celebes Sea.
15 Jan 1942	USS S-41 patrolled the Makassar Strait.
25 Jan 1942	USS S-41 arrived in Surabaya (Soerabaja), Java, Dutch East Indies, ending her first war patrol.
4 Feb 1942	USS S-41 departed Surabaya (Soerabaja), Java, Dutch East Indies, starting her second war patrol.
18 Feb 1942	USS S-41 fired four torpedoes at a Japanese transport off Cape Mangkalihat, Dutch Borneo in the northern end of the Makassar Strait, scoring one hit and sinking the ship.
10 Mar 1942	USS S-41 arrived at Fremantle, Western Australia, Austalia, ending her second war patrol.
9 May 1942	USS S-41 departed Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, starting her third war patrol.
6 Jun 1942	USS S-41 arrived at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, ending her third war patrol.
12 Jun 1942	While at Brisbane, Australia, Lieutenant Irvin Hartman was made the commanding officer of USS S-41, replacing Lieutenant George Holley, Jr.
22 Jul 1942	USS S-41 departed Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, starting her fourth war patrol.
7 Aug 1942	USS S-41 departed Brisbane, Queensland, Australia after receiving emergency repairs.
20 Aug 1942	USS S-41 fired four torpedoes at a Japanese convoy in the Solomon Sea, scoring four hits, damaging a transport and a tanker.
23 Aug 1942	USS S-41 fired three torpedoes at a Japanese submarine in the New Georgia Sound, scoring two hits and claimed it as a probable sinking.
2 Sep 1942	USS S-41 arrived at Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, ending her fourth war patrol.
21 Sep 1942	USS S-41 departed Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, starting her fifth war patrol.
4 Oct 1942	USS S-41 fired four torpedoes at a Japanese patrol craft in waters off the Ellice Islands; all four torpedoes missed.
13 Oct 1942	USS S-41 arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, ending her fifth war patrol.
29 Oct 1942	USS S-41 arrived at San Diego, California, United States.
30 Oct 1942	USS S-41 began a period of overhaul at San Diego, California, United States.
23 Apr 1943	USS S-41 departed San Diego, California, United States.
11 May 1943	USS S-41 arrived at Dutch Harbor, US Territory of Alaska.
15 May 1943	USS S-41 departed Dutch Harbor, US Territory of Alaska, starting her sixth war patrol.
21 May 1943	USS S-41 arrived in waters off the Kurile Islands.
28 May 1943	USS S-41 fired six torpedoes at a Japanese convoy in the Sea of Okhotsk, scoring one hit on a four-masted fishing schooner Asuka Maru, sinking her.
1 Jun 1943	USS S-41 fired three torpedoes at a Japanese transport in the Pacific Ocean off the Kurile Islands, scoring one hit and sinking her.
15 Jun 1943	USS S-41 arrived at Dutch Harbor, US Territory of Alaska, ending her sixth war patrol.
28 Jun 1943	USS S-41 departed Dutch Harbor, US Territory of Alaska.
3 Jul 1943	USS S-41 departed Attu, US Territory of Alaska, starting her seventh war patrol.
5 Jul 1943	USS S-41 fired two torpedoes at a Japanese patrol craft in the Pacific Ocean off of Kamchatka Peninsula; both torpedoes missed.
1 Aug 1943	USS S-41 ended her seventh war patrol.
10 Sep 1943	USS S-41 fired a torpedo at a Japanese transport in the Sea of Okhotsk; the torpedo missed.
20 Sep 1943	USS S-41 fired two salvoes of four torpedoes at a Japanese transport in the Pacific Ocean off the Kurile Islands; all torpedoes missed.
7 Oct 1943	John Reed was named the commanding officer of USS S-41, relieving Lieutenant Irvin Hartman.
13 Feb 1945	USS S-41 was decommissioned from service; John E. Gilman, Jr. was her final commanding officer.
25 Feb 1946	S-41 was struck from the US Naval Register.

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