View source for USS Seawolf (SS-197)

{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
{{Other ships|USS Seawolf}}

{{More citations needed|date=July 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = 390 SS-197 SeaWolf Submarine World War II.jpg
| Ship caption = ''Seawolf'' underway
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1944}}
| Ship name = ''Seawolf''
| Ship namesake = [[Atlantic wolffish]]
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = [[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]], [[Kittery, Maine]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History|publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]]|year=1995|location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]]|pages=285–304|isbn=1-55750-263-3}}</ref>
| Ship laid down = 27 September 1938<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
| Ship launched = 15 August 1939<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 1 December 1939<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
| Ship decommissioned = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship struck = 20 January 1945
| Ship fate = Probably sunk by friendly fire from [[USS Richard M. Rowell (DE-403)|USS ''Richard M. Rowell'']] off [[Morotai]] on 3 October 1944<ref name="Register">{{cite book|last=Bauer|first=K. Jack|author2=Roberts, Stephen S. |title=Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=1991|location=[[Westport, Connecticut]]|pages=269–270|isbn=0-313-26202-0}}</ref>
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{sclass|Sargo|submarine|0}} [[Diesel-electric transmission|diesel-electric]] [[submarine]]<ref name="Register"/>
| Ship displacement = {{convert|1450|long ton|t}} standard, surfaced,<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 305–311</ref> {{convert|2350|long ton|t}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
| Ship length = {{convert|310|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
| Ship beam = {{convert|26|ft|10|in|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
| Ship draft = {{convert|16|ft|7+1/2|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
| Ship propulsion = 4 × [[Electro-Motive Diesel|General Motors]] Model 16-248 [[V16 engine|V16]] [[diesel engine]]s driving [[electrical generator]]s,<ref name="Register"/><ref name="FriedmanSubs1-composite-drive">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 202–204</ref> 2 × 126-[[Electrochemical cell|cell]] [[USS Sargo (SS-188)#Sargo batteries|''Sargo'']] [[Battery (electricity)|batteries]],<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> 4 × high-speed [[General Electric]] [[electric motor]]s with [[Reduction drive|reduction gears]],<ref name="Register"/> two shafts,<ref name="Register"/> {{convert|5400|shp|abbr=on}} surfaced,<ref name="Register"/> {{convert|2740|shp|kW|abbr=on}} submerged<ref name="Register"/>
| Ship speed = {{convert|21|kn|km/h|0}} surfaced,<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> {{convert|8.75|kn|km/h|0}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
| Ship range = {{convert|11000|nmi|km}} at {{convert|10|kn|km/h}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
| Ship endurance = 48 hours at {{convert|2|kn|km/h}} submerged<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
| Ship test depth = {{convert|250|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
| Ship complement = 5 officers, 54 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = 8 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 in (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (four forward, four aft; 24 [[torpedo]]es ({[[Mark 14 torpedo|Mark 14]]s as designed, mixed with [[Mark 10 torpedo|Mark 10]]s or [[naval mine|mine]]s during World War Two}),<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> 1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on}}]]/50 [[Caliber#Caliber as measurement of length|cal]] deck gun,<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> 4 × machine guns
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''USS ''Seawolf'' (SS-197)''', a {{sclass|Sargo|submarine}}, was the second submarine of the [[United States Navy]] named for the [[Atlantic wolffish|seawolf]].

==Construction and commissioning==
''Seawolf''′s [[keel]] was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 27 September 1938 by the [[Portsmouth Navy Yard]] in [[Kittery, Maine]]. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 15 August 1939, [[Ship sponsor|sponsored]] by Mrs. Syria Florence Kalbfus, wife of [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]] [[Edward C. Kalbfus]], and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 1 December 1939, [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] [[Frederick B. Warder]] in command.

==Service history==

===Inter-war period===
After fitting out, ''Seawolf'' departed [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]] on 12 April 1940 for her [[shakedown cruise]], which lasted until 21 June and took her as far south as the [[Panama Canal Zone]]. ''Seawolf'' was next assigned to the [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]], home ported at [[San Diego]]. In Autumn 1940, she proceeded to [[Manila Bay]] and operated from the [[Cavite Navy Yard]].

===World War II===
====First through fourth war patrols====
When war with Japan began, the submarine readied for sea and was on her first war patrol from 8–26 December 1941.

''Seawolf'' hunted Japanese shipping off [[San Bernardino Strait]]. On 14 December, she fired a spread of [[torpedo]]es at ''Sanyo Maru'' in [[Port San Vicente]]. One torpedo hit, but did not explode.<ref name=USNChron1941>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/TheOfficialChronologyOfTheUSNavyInWorldWarII|title=The official chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II|chapter=Chapter III: 1941|chapter-url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1941.html|first=Robert|last=Cressman|location=Annapolis, Maryland|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=2000|isbn=978-1-55750-149-3|oclc=41977179|access-date=2007-12-15|url-access=registration}}</ref> She promptly underwent her first [[depth charge]] attack but suffered no damage.

''Seawolf'' departed [[Manila]] on 31 December 1941 for Australia and arrived at [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] on 9 January 1942. She loaded 30–40 tons of [[.50 BMG|.50 cal (12.7 mm)]] antiaircraft ammunition for use by American forces on [[Corregidor]] and sailed for [[Manila Bay]] on 16 January. The submarine sighted seven Japanese [[cargo ship|freighter]]s accompanied by four [[destroyer]]s and a [[cruiser]] on 21 January, but had no opportunity to fire any of the eight torpedoes that she had aboard. The ammunition was unloaded on 28–29 January at Corregidor. 

''Seawolf'' then left Corregidor with sixteen torpedoes, submarine spare parts, and 25 passengers, that included a British intelligence officer, 12 Army pilots, 11 Navy pilots, and a [[Yeoman (United States Navy)|yeoman]].<ref name="jw">{{cite book |last1=Whitman |first1=John |title=Bataan: Our Last Ditch |date=1990 |publisher=Hippocrene Books |location=New York |isbn=0-87052-877-7 |page=409}}</ref>

''Seawolf'' sailed out of Surabaya on 15 February and began patrolling in the [[Java Sea]]-[[Lombok Strait]] area. On 19 February, she fired four torpedoes at two Japanese freighter-transports in the [[Badung Strait]]. Damage to one was not ascertained, but the other was reported last seen down by the stern and listing to starboard. (However, ''Sagami Maru'' had been damaged by [[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF]] air attack, not by ''Seawolf''{{'}}s torpedo.)

A week later, she fired her stern tubes at a freighter and watched one hit forward of the bridge before going deep to evade depth charges from an escorting destroyer at which she had also fired. In March, ''Seawolf'' was hunting between Java and [[Christmas Island]]. On 1 April, she stealthily approached the anchorage at Christmas Island where the [[Battle of Christmas Island|Japanese invasion force]] lay at anchor. ''Seawolf'' fired a spread at {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Naka||2}}. Though ''Seawolf'' was credited with a sinking at the time,<ref>Blair, Clay, Jr. ''Silent Victory'' (Bantam, 1976), p. 191.</ref> only one torpedo hit, causing significant damage to the ship, although not harming any of the crew.  ''Naka'' was forced to return to Japan for repairs and was out of the war for almost a year.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hara|first=Tameichi|year=1961|title=Japanese Destroyer Captain|publisher=Ballantine Books|location=New York|oclc=1070440}}</ref> Unaware she had hit her target, ''Seawolf'' then underwent 7{{frac|1|2}} hours of depth charge attacks. On 1 April, she attacked two cruisers. A violent explosion was heard, but no flames were seen. ''Seawolf'' ended her patrol on 7 April at [[Fremantle]] and received the [[Navy Unit Commendation]].
[[File:Japanese ship sunk by USS Seawolf (SS-197).jpg|thumb|Periscope photograph of a sinking Japanese ship, torpedoed by ''Seawolf'' during a war patrol in the Philippines-East Indies area in the fall of 1942. This may be ''Gifu Maru'', sunk on 2 November 1942 in Davao Gulf, Mindanao{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}]]
[[File:Sinking Japanese ship.jpg|thumb|Periscope photograph of a sinking Japanese ship, torpedoed by ''Seawolf'' in the Philippines-East Indies area during the fall of 1942. This ship carries at least one landing craft forward, has a searchlight above her pilothouse and a gun mounted at the aft end of the midships superstructure. Her general configuration resembles ''Gifu Maru'', sunk on 2 November 1942, but she could also be ''Keiko Maru'', sunk on 8 November. Note the boat hanging from one davit amidships, as crewmen attempt to lower another boat further forward.]]
[[File:Japanese Patrol Boat No.39 sinking after being torpedoed on 23 April 1943.jpg|thumb|Periscope photo of ''Patrol Boat #39'' (Japanese escort vessel, originally the destroyer ''Tade'', 1922) sinking after being torpedoed by ''Seawolf'' on 23 April 1943.]]
[[File:Sinking after being torpedoed 02.jpg|thumb|right|''Patrol Boat No. 39'' (ex-''Tade'')]]

====Fifth through tenth war patrols====
On her fifth patrol, from 12 May until 2 July (a total of 51 days at sea),<ref>Blair, p. 911.</ref> ''Seawolf'' patrolled the [[Philippine Islands]] area. She attacked freighters on 20 May, 23 May, 12 June, 13 June, 15 June, and 28 June. On 13 June, she fired at two ships and her crew heard four explosions, but no sinkings were confirmed. ''Seawolf'' returned to Fremantle for three weeks before beginning her sixth war patrol.

''Seawolf'' prowled the [[Sulu Sea]] and [[Celebes Sea]] from 25 July – 15 September. She attacked a tanker on 3 August, sank ''Hachigen Maru'' on 14 August and ''Showa Maru'' eleven days later. She returned to Fremantle to refit and then hunted in the [[Davao Gulf]] area from 7 October–1 December. ''Seawolf'' sank ''Gifu Maru'' on 2 November, ''Sagami Maru'' the next day, and ''Keiko Maru'' on 8 November. She ended her patrol at [[Pearl Harbor]], where [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] [[Royce Gross|Royce L. Gross]] relieved [[Commander (United States)|Commander]] Warder.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/08/pdf/0819733.pdf|title=History of the USS Seawolf (SS 197)|access-date=2023-08-14}}</ref> She then proceeded to the West Coast of the United States.

''Seawolf'' arrived at [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] on 10 December 1942 and underwent an overhaul<ref>Submarine by Commander Edward L. B each, USN, Chapter 6, page 74</ref> that lasted until 24 February 1943. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 13 March, and on 3 April stood out for another patrol near the [[Bonin Islands]]. On 15 April, she torpedoed ''Kaihei Maru'', sank an old destroyer now known as ''Patrol Boat Number 39'' on 23 April; and sank two 75-ton [[sampan]]s with her {{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} gun. She ended this patrol early, on 3 May, because she had expended all torpedoes on enemy shipping.

''Seawolf'' returned to [[Hunters Point Naval Shipyard]] for refitting and departed that island on 17 May and headed for the [[East China Sea]]. She ran into several large convoys as she prowled from [[Taiwan|Formosa]] to [[Nagasaki]]. The submarine tracked a convoy of 11 ships and fired a spread of torpedoes at a large freighter on 6 June. One torpedo hit the target but proved to be a dud, and another passed under the freighter and hit an escort. Two weeks later, she fired a spread at four ships. One was hit in the stern and sank in approximately nine minutes. This was ''Shojin Maru'' loaded with troops. ''Seawolf'' returned to Midway Island on 8 July and, four days later, steamed into Pearl Harbor.

Her next patrol was from 14 August–15 September. This patrol, in the East China Sea, was also ended prematurely due to firing all torpedoes. She sank 12,996 tons of enemy shipping, excluding two 75-ton sampans sunk by shellfire. ''Seawolf'' made contact with a six-ship convoy on her third day in the patrol area. She attacked day and night for three days before finally surfacing to sink ''Fusei Maru'' with her deck gun.

====Eleventh through fourteenth war patrols====
On ''Seawolf''{{'}}s 11th patrol, in the [[South China Sea]] from 5 October–27 November, she sank ''Wuhu Maru'', ''Kaifuku Maru'', and damaged a 10,000-ton cargo ship. The submarine refitted at Pearl Harbor, and on 22 December 1943, headed for the [[East China Sea]] on what was to be her most lucrative patrol. She attacked a seven-ship convoy on the night of 10–11 January 1944 and sank three ships totaling 19,710 tons.

On 14 January, ''Seawolf'' fired her last four torpedoes at two merchant ships in a convoy, damaging one and sinking ''Yamatsuru Maru''. She continued tracking the convoy while radioing its position to {{USS|Whale|SS-239|2}}. ''Whale'' arrived on 16 January and promptly attacked, damaging one ship and sinking ''Denmark Maru''. The next morning, ''Whale'' damaged another before action was broken off.

''Seawolf'' returned to Pearl Harbor on 27 January and sailed for San Francisco two days later. After undergoing a major overhaul at [[Bayview-Hunters Point, San Francisco|Hunters Point]], the submarine headed west on 16 May, with Lieutenant Commander Richard Barr Lynch in command. When she reached Pearl Harbor, she was assigned the task of photographing [[Peleliu Island]] in the [[Palau Islands]], in preparation for the forthcoming attack on that stronghold. She carried out this mission despite constant enemy air patrols from 4 June–7 July.

The submarine headed to [[Majuro]] for voyage repairs and was rerouted to [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]]. There, she received orders sending her on a special mission to [[Tawitawi]], in the [[Sulu Archipelago]]. The submarine approached to within {{convert|700|yd}} of the beach, offloaded supplies and men, picked up a Captain Frank Young, an [[Allied Intelligence Bureau]] coast watcher, and took him to [[Brisbane]].  The operation order also called for ''Seawolf'' to land a party and their supplies on northern [[Palawan (island)|Palawan Island]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.subsowespac.org/the-patrol-zone/special-missions-part-i.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181126135432/http://www.subsowespac.org/the-patrol-zone/special-missions-part-i.shtml|title=Special Missions - Southwest Pacific |website=SubSoWesPac |archive-date=2018-11-26|access-date=2023-08-14}}</ref>

====Fifteenth war patrol and loss====
''Seawolf'' stood out of Brisbane on 21 September to begin her 15th war patrol under the command of [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] Albert Marion Bontier. She reached [[Manus Island]] on 29 September, refueled, and sailed the same day carrying stores and Army personnel to the east coast of [[Samar (island)|Samar]].

''Seawolf'' and {{USS|Narwhal|SS-167|2}} exchanged [[radar]] recognition signals at 0756 on 3 October in the [[Morotai]] area. Shortly thereafter, a [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]] task group was attacked by {{Ship|Japanese submarine|Ro-41||2}}. The [[destroyer escort]] {{USS|Shelton|DE-407|2}} was torpedoed and sunk, and {{USS|Richard M. Rowell|DE-403|2}} began to search for the enemy.

Since there were four friendly submarines in the vicinity of this attack, they were directed to give their positions and the other three did, but ''Seawolf'' was not heard from. On 4 October, ''Seawolf'' again was directed to report her position, and again she failed to do so. One of two planes from the [[escort carrier]] {{USS|Midway|CVE-63|2}} sighted a submarine submerging and dropped two bombs on it even though it was in a safety zone for American submarines. The site was marked by dye. ''Rowell''{{'}}s commanding officer knew he was in a safety lane,<ref>Blair, p. 736.</ref> but, having failed to get word ''Seawolf'' was behind schedule,<ref>Blair, pp. 736-737.</ref> believed there was no U.S. submarine nearby and chose to attack. ''Rowell'' established sonar contact on the submarine, which then sent a series of dashes and dots which ''Rowell'' stated bore no resemblance to the existing recognition signals. Believing this an attempt to jam her sonar,<ref>Blair, p. 737.</ref> ''Rowell'' attacked with [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]]. The second attack was followed by [[underwater explosion]]s, and debris rose to the surface.

On 28 December 1944, ''Seawolf'' was declared overdue from patrol and presumed lost. She was stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 20 January 1945.

Post-war examination of Japanese records shows no attack listed that could account for the loss of ''Seawolf''. While it is possible ''Seawolf'' was lost to an operational casualty or as a result of an unrecorded enemy attack, it is more likely she was sunk by [[friendly fire]]. 83 officers and men as well as 17 Army passengers were lost. She was the thirty-fourth U.S. submarine lost in the Pacific War, the second to friendly fire.<ref>Blair, pp. 552fn, 737, 817, & 992.</ref> One of the Army passengers was Captain Howell S. Kopp, an [[Alamo Scouts|Alamo Scout]].  Kopp was en route to an undisclosed location in the Philippines to conduct a clandestine mission in support of the upcoming [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] landing on [[Leyte]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.alamoscouts.org/photo_archives/320_339.htm |website=Alamo Scouts |title=Photographs 320-339 |access-date=26 May 2015 |archive-date=26 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526151221/http://www.alamoscouts.org/photo_archives/320_339.htm }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/kopp-h-s.htm|title=Howell Stewart Kopp|website=On Eternal Patrol}}</ref>

==Honors and awards==
*{{ribbon devices|number=13|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}} [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] with 13 [[battle star]]s for [[World War II]] service

''Seawolf'' ranked [[List of most successful American submarines in World War II|fourteenth in confirmed tonnage sunk]] (71,609 tons), the most for a ''Sargo''-class submarine. She tied for seventh  with the submarines {{USS|Rasher|SS-269}} and {{USS|Trigger|SS-237}} in confirmed ships sunk, according to the postwar accounting of the [[Joint Army–Navy Assessment Committee]] (JANAC).

==Commemoration==
The contributions and sacrifices of ''Seawolf'' and her crew are officially commemorated in [[Seawolf Park]], located on [[Pelican Island (Texas)|Pelican Island]], just north of [[Galveston, Texas]].

==In popular culture==
''Seawolf'' is one of several submarines (along with the era's USS ''[[USS Tang (SS-306)|Tang]]'', ''[[USS Bowfin (SS-287)|Bowfin]]'', ''[[USS Growler (SS-215)|Growler]]'', and ''[[USS Spadefish (SS-411)|Spadefish]]'') whose war patrols can be re-enacted in the 1985 [[MicroProse]] computer game ''[[Silent Service (video game)|Silent Service]]'' and the game's various ports, including [[Konami]]'s 1989 release for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]].

==See also==
*[[List of most successful American submarines in World War II]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Refbegin}}
*{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/seawolf-i.html}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-seawolf-197.htm On Eternal Patrol: USS ''Seawolf'']
*[https://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/us_navy_pages/submarines/uss_seawolf_ss197_page_1.htm MaritimeQuest USS Seawolf SS-197]
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{{Sargo class submarine}}
{{October 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seawolf (Ss-197)}}
[[Category:Sargo-class submarines]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Lost submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kittery, Maine]]
[[Category:1939 ships]]
[[Category:Submarines lost with all hands]]
[[Category:Friendly fire incidents of World War II]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in October 1944]]
[[Category:Submarines sunk by United States warships]]