Sargo-class (SS-188)

Summary

Description

USS Sargo (SS-188) was a lead submarine of the Sargo class named after the sargo fish, serving the United States Navy. Constructed by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, its keel was laid on May 12, 1937. Launched on June 6, 1938, by Mrs. Catherine V. Nimitz, the submarine was commissioned on February 7, 1939.

The vessel had the distinction of being the first to be equipped with the "Sargo battery," a novel lead-acid battery designed to endure battle damage, featuring two concentric hard rubber cases with a soft rubber layer in-between to prevent sulfuric acid leakage that could result in steel corrosion, crew member burns, and poisonous chlorine gas production if mixed with seawater. This battery design set the benchmark until the advent of Sargo II and GUPPY batteries following World War II.

Before the war, Sargo conducted operations in the Eastern and mid-Pacific regions after initial shakedown along South America's eastern seaboard. It was at Manila when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The following day, under Lieutenant Commander Tyrell D. Jacobs, Sargo embarked on its first war patrol, targeting Japanese shipping along the coast of French Indochina and the Netherlands East Indies. Unfortunately, multiple attacks with the Mark VI torpedo exploder yielded no results, leading to doubts about the torpedo's reliability and design modifications.

During one of its patrols, Sargo played a crucial role in rescuing the crew of the submarine S-36 after it ran aground in the Makassar Strait. Sargo also contributed to the war effort by transporting essential .30-caliber ammunition to Allied forces in the Philippines and repatriating specialists and evacuees to safer grounds.

Under different commanders, Sargo continued to be an active participant in the war, with its operational engagements spanning various regions including the Gulf of Siam, the South China Sea, and areas around Australia. It engaged enemy shipping, albeit with mixed results initially due to issues with the torpedoes. However, the submarine eventually managed to sink several enemy vessels, such as the Konan Maru, Tago Maru, Kosei Maru, Nichiro Maru, Uchide Maru, and Wazan Maru, despite facing depth charge attacks and other challenges. Notably, Sargo survived an attack by a Royal Australian Air Force Lockheed Hudson bomber by mistake.

As the war drew to a close, Sargo was relegated to training submarine crews and acting as a target for anti-submarine warfare exercises in Eniwetok Atoll. Following the war's end, the boat returned to the United States and was decommissioned in June 1946.

Technical specifications