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| U.S.S. S-26 SS131 |
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(Entered on this site from a photo of the crew, 1923-1928, showing them holding a banner
made up as the Shark, but no Navy records support this assertion.) |
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| Class: |
S-1, S-20 Type, Test Depth, 200 feet |
| Displacement: |
854 tons (surfaced) 1,062 tons (submerged) |
| Dimensions: |
Length 219.2 feet, Beam 21.7 feet, Draft 15.9 feet |
| Speed: |
13 knots (surfaced) 9 knots (submerged) |
| Torpedo Armament: |
4 Forward 21-inch Torpedo Tubes |
| Deck Armament: |
A 4"/50 Caliber Deck Gun |
| Keel laid: |
November 7, 1918, at Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, MA |
| Launched: |
October 22, 1922, Sponsored by Mrs. Carlos Bean |
| Commissioned: |
October 15, 1923, Commanded by Lt. Edmund W. Burrough |
| Complement: |
Normally; 4 Officers, 34 Enlisted Men |
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This submarine USS S26, SS-131, was a coastal
and harbor defense submarine of riveted construction. It operated out of New
London, CT, after commissioning. Then, in 1925, she was deployed to the West
Coast and operated out of the California ports of San Diego, San Pedro, and
Mare Island --- eventually operating out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In 1938
she was returned to New London, CT.
On December 10, 1941, after the attack
on Pearl Harbor, she was deployed to the Submarine Base at Coco Solo, Panama
Canal Zone. There she conducted war patrols in the water approaches to the Panama Canal.
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On the night of January 24, 1942, she
was sailing from Balboa, Canal Zone, to her patrol station with USS S-21
(SS-126), USS S-29 (SS-134), USS S-44(SS-155), and a Submarine Chaser, as an escort,
USS PC-460. The PC-460 flashed a message that she was leaving the
formation and that they could proceed to the duty assigned, but S-21
was the only boat to receive this message. Shortly there after, 14 miles
west of the San Jose light, PC-460 struck the S-26
on the starboard side of the Torpedo Room and the submarine sank within a
few seconds to a depth of 300 feet.
The two officers and one enlisted man (the Captain, Executive Officer, and a lookout)
on the bridge, as well as three that had remained on shore, survived the
disaster. Salvage operations were started immediately but the depth was too
great and the rescue and salvage was not possible. The hull was not salvaged.
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Lost At Sea January 24, 1942, By Accidental Collision.
Struck From the Navy List January 24, 1942 (??).
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