S-26 SS131
U.S.S. S-26 SS131
(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.)
 ON ETERNAL PATROL
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

S-26 Patch         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.
WP Insignia

      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.


Lost At Sea January 24, 1942, By Accidental Collision.

Struck From the Navy List January 24, 1942 (??).



ETERNAL PATROL Text Photos Links 46 Submarine Heroes Lost on USS S-26, SS-131.
DISCOVERY MATERIALS
Reference Material Text Dictionary of American Navy Fighting Ships, Shark (1976) Vol. 6, p.186.
Reference Material Text Photos Links Naval Photo Achieves, S-26, SS-131
Of Interest Material Text Wikipedia Information and Links.
Of Interest Material Text Panama Canal Zone Map at Lost Paradise.
Of Interest Material Text The Submarine Chaser (Patrol Craft) USS Sturdy PC-460.
Of Interest Material Text World War II Naval Glossary and Terminology.
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