World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseUSS S-26 was a submarine of Group I of the S-class design. She operated out of New London, Connecticut and Mare Island, California in the United States; operated out of the Panama Canal Zone and the Territory of Hawaii; and visited St. Thomas and Trinidad in the 1920s and the 1930s. After the United States entered WW2 in Dec 1941, she departed New London for the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal. After nightfall on 24 Jan 1942, she was involved in a fatal accident. She set sail alongside of USS S-21, USS S-29, and USS S-44 on a war patrol; sub chaser USS Sturdy was assigned to escort them into the Gulf of Panama. All ships sailed without lights in the darkness to avoid possible enemy detection. At 2210 hours, Sturdy, which was sailing about 1,500 yards (about 1,300 meters) in front of the leading submarine, visually signaled that her assignment was complete and she was to turn to the right to return to port. Only USS S-21, the leading submarine, received the message. At 2221 hours, the lookout on USS S-26 suddenly detected a ship, USS Sturdy, in their path. Evasive maneuvers failed, and Sturdy rammed into S-26 amidships on the starboard side. S-26's commanding officer, the executive officer, and the lookout were thrown off the ship; they would ultimately be the only ones lucky enough to survive. S-26 rolled, and water entered the submarine very quickly through the open bridge hatch. She sank bow first less than a minute after being rammed. US Navy divers located the sunken wreck on the next day at the depth of about 300 feet (about 90 meters) and heard tapping from the inside, and they observed that the bridge hatch was closed, thus concluding that at least one man must have been able to close the hatch after the sinking, thus preserving some air. 25 attempts were made to open the hatch, and no rescues were made. 46 men were killed in the sinking.

Submarine S-26 (SS-131) Interactive Map

Photographs

S-26 Operational Timeline