Sailing aboard submarines is a hazardous business. They operate in a hostile environment and do constant battle with the sea. On occasion, the sea wins. Sometimes all the crew dies, sometimes there are survivors. Seventy-five submarines built for the United States Navy have been lost during their service -- more than ten percent of the total number of submarines we built. Many were lost during declared wartime when the sea is not the only enemy and sailing in harm's way is a way of life. Others were lost when the sea was the only declared enemy but the hazards of maintaining peace required the submarines be put to sea. This list is for information, so we don't forget -- sailing aboard submarines is a hazardous business.
USS F-4 [ex-SKATE] (SS23) was lost on 21-Mar-1915 with the loss of 19 officers and men when it foundered off Honolulu Harbor.
USS S-4 (SS-109) was lost on 17-Dec-1927 with the loss of 34 officers and men when it was sunk after being rammed by USCG Paulding.
USS O-9 (SS-70) was lost on 20-Jun-1941 with the loss of 34 officers and men when it foundered off Isle of Shoals, 15 miles from Portsmouth, NH @ 42°59'48"N 20°20'27"W.
USS Shark (SS-174) was lost in February 1942 with the loss of 59 officers and men when it was sunk in the area of Menado, Celebes as a result of one of 3 attacks: 11-Feb-42 east of Menado; 17-Feb-42 north of Kendari; or, 21-Feb-42 east of Kendari.
USS Grunion (SS-216) was lost on 1-Aug-1942 with the loss of 70 officers and men when it was sunk near the entrance to Kiska (Alaska) Harbor.
USS Argonaut (SS166) was lost on 10-Jan-1943 with the loss of 84 officers and men when it was sunk off Rabaul near 05°155'N 153°50'E. (Another location given as 5°40'S 152°02' E).
USS Amberjack (SS-219) was lost on 16-Feb-1943 with the loss of 72 officers and men when it was sunk off Rabaul. Last Contact at 5°05'S 152°37'E.
USS Grampus (SS-207) was lost on 5-Mar-1943 with the loss of 72 officers and men when it was sunk in the Blackett Strait, possibly in Vella Gulf. Last contacts at 4°55'S 152°30'E.
USS Triton (SS-201) was lost on 15-Mar-1943 with the loss of 74 officers and men when it was sunk at 0°09'N 144°55'E.
USS Pickerel (SS-177) was lost on 3-Apr-1943 with the loss of 74 officers and men when it was sunk within lume of Shiramuka Light off Honshu. (aka Shiranuka Light).
USS R-12 (SS-89) was lost on 12-Jun-1943 with the loss of 42 officers and men when it foundered off Key West @ 24°24'30"N 81°28'30"W.
USS Runner (SS-275) was lost on 1-Jul-1943 with the loss of 78 officers and men when it was sunk somewhere between Midway Island and Hokkaido.
USS Pompano (SS-181) was lost on 1-Sep-1943 with the loss of 76 officers and men when it was sunk off the northeast coast of Honshu.
USS Grayling (SS-209) was lost on 9-Sep-1943 with the loss of 76 officers and men when it was sunk in or near Tablas Strait, PI.
USS Cisco (SS-290) was lost on 28-Sep-1943 with the loss of 76 officers and men when it was sunk in the Sulu Sea west of Mindinao @ 9°47'N 121°44'E.
USS Wahoo (SS-238) was lost on 11-Oct-1943 with the loss of 79 officers and men when it was sunk in or near La Perouse Strait.
USS Dorado (SS-248) was lost on 12-Oct-1943 with the loss of 78 officers and men when it was sunk in the western Atlantic, possibly near Cuba.
USS Corvina (SS-226)was lost on 16-Nov-1943 with the loss of 82 officers and men when it was sunk just south of Trukas the result of an attack at 151°10'E 5°50'N.
USS Capelin (SS-289) was lost on 1-Dec-1943 with the loss of 76 officers and men when it was sunk off the Celebes possibly off Kaoe Bay, Halmahera 1°34'N 123°07'E or in Molukka Passage.
USS Scorpion (SS-278) was lost on 1-Feb-1944 with the loss of 77 officers and men when it was sunk in the East China Sea.
USS Grayback (SS-208) was lost on 26-Feb-1944 with the loss of 80 officers and men when it was sunk near 25°47'N 128°45'E.
USS Trout (SS-202) was lost on 29-Feb-1944 with the loss of 79 officers and men when it was sunk near 22°40'N 131°45'E, middle of Philippines Basin.
USS Gudgeon (SS-211) was lost on 12-May-1944 with the loss of 80 officers and men when it was sunk off Saipan near Maug Island.
USS Herring (SS-233) was lost on 1-Jun-1944 with the loss of 80 officers and men when it was sunk within shore battery range of Point Tagan, Matsuwa Island, in Kuriles.
USS S-28 (SS-133) was lost on 4-Jun-1944 with the loss of 50 officers and men when it foundered off Hawaii, while operating with USCGC Reliance.
USS Golet (SS-361) was lost on 14-Jun-1944 with the loss of 82 officers and men when it was sunk near 41°04'N 14?°13'E.
USS Growler (SS-215) was lost on 8-Jul-1944 with the loss of 84 officers and men when it was sunk in the South China Sea.
USS Robalo (SS-273) was lost on 26-Jul-1944 with the loss of 84 officers and men when it was sunk 2 miles off west coast of Palawan.
USS Harder (SS-257) was lost on 24-Aug-1944 with the loss of 80 officers and men when it was sunk off Caiman Point near Bataan.
USS Escolar (SS-294) was lost on 1-Oct-1944 with the loss of 82 officers and men when it was sunk somewhere east of 33°44'N 127°33'E heading for 33°44'N 124°06'E.
USS Shark (SS-314) was lost on 24-Oct-1944 with the loss of 90 officers and men when it was sunk in channel midway between Hainan and Bashi Channel @ 20°41'N 118°27'E.
USS Seawolf (SS-197) was lost on 3-Oct-1944 with the loss of 102 officers and men when it was sunk just north of Morotai between PI and Indonesia, by USS Rowell @ 02°32'N 129°18'E.
USS Albacore (SS-218) was lost on 7-Nov-1944 with the loss of 86 officers and men when it was sunk near 41°49'N 141°11'E in channel between Hokkaido and Honshu.
USS Scamp (SS-277) was lost on 16-Nov-1944 with the loss of 83 officers and men when it was sunk off Inubo Saki near Tokyo Bay.
USS Barbel (SS-316) was lost on 4-Feb-1945 with the loss of 81 officers and men when it was sunk in southern entrance to Palawan Passage @ 7°49.5'S 116°47.5'E SW of Palawan.
USS Swordfish (SS-193) was lost on 15-Feb-1945 with the loss of 90 officers and men when it was sunk near Yaku Island off Kyushu in water
USS Kete (SS-369) was lost on 1-Mar-1945 with the loss of 87 officers and men when it was sunk somewhere between 29°38'N 130°02'E and Midway Island.
USS Trigger (SS-237) was lost on 28-Mar-1945 with the loss of 91 officers and men when it was sunk in area bounded by 32°16'N 127°50'E. (Perhaps near 32°16'N 132°05'E).
USS Snook (SS-279) was lost on 8-Apr-1945 with the loss of 84 officers and men when it was sunk within 100 miles east of 18°40'N 111°39'E, near Hainan Island in water less than 300 feet deep.
USS Lagarto (SS-371) was lost on 30-May-1945 with the loss of 88 officers and men when it was sunk off Malay Coast in or near the Gulf of Siam @ 7°55'N 102°00'E.
USS Bonefish (SS-223) was lost on 18-Jun-1945 with the loss of 86 officers and men when it was sunk in Toyama Wan near Suzu Misaki @ 37°18'N 137°25'E.
USS Bullhead (SS-332) was lost on 6-Aug-1945 with the loss of 84 officers and men when it was sunk in west end of Lombok Strait.
USS Thresher (SSN-593) was lost on 10-Apr-1963 with the loss of 129 officers and men when it sank while on sea trials near Isle of Shoals.
USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was declared lost on 2 June-1968 with the loss of 99 officers and men when it sank west of Azores while in transit from Mediterranean Sea.
USS F-1 [ex-CARP] (SS-20) was lost on 17-Dec-1917 with the loss of 19 officers and men when it was sunk after collision with F-3 off San Clemente.
USS H-1 (SS-28) was lost on 12-Mar-1920 with the loss of 4 officers and men when it grounded in Magdalena Bay, Mexico and sank in 9 fathoms of water while being towed off.
USS O-5 (SS-66) was lost on 18-Oct-1923 with the loss of 2 men when it was sunk after collision with SS ABAGAREZ (United Fruit Co.) off Panama Canal.
USS S-26 (SS-131) was lost on 24-Jan-1942 with the loss of 46 officers and men when it was sunk after being rammed by USS PC-460 in the Gulf of Panama, 14 Miles west of San Jose Light.
USS S-51 (SS-162) was lost on 25-Sep-1925 with the loss of 32 officers and men when it was sunk after collision with SS City of Rome off Block Island.
USS Squalus (SS-192) was lost on 23-May-1939 with a loss of 26 officers and men when it flooded and sank off Portsmouth, NH.
USS Sealion (SS-195) was lost on 10-Dec-1941 with the loss of 5 officers and men when it was scuttled in Manila Bay after damage at Cavite.
USS Perch (SS-176) was lost on 3-Mar-1942 with the loss of 8 officers and men when it was sunk near northwest Soerabia, Java. (60 officers and men were taken prisoner; 52 survived the war).
USS Grenadier (SS-210) was lost on 22-Apr-1943 with the loss of 4 officers and men when it was sunk near Penang, 10 Miles west of Lem Voalan Strait. (61 officers and men were taken prisoner; 57 survived the war).
USS S-44 (SS-155) was lost on 7-Oct-1943 with the loss of 56 officers and men when it was sunk one day out of Attu on 5th war patrol off Paramushiru, Kuriles (Northern). (2 men were taken prisoner; both survived the war).
USS Sculpin (SS-191) was lost on 19-Nov-1943 with the loss of 40 officers and men when it was sunk north of Groluk Island near Truk. (42 officers and men were taken prisoner; only 21 survived the war).
USS Tullibee (SS-284) was lost on 26-Mar-1944 with the loss of 79 officers and men when it was sunk in operating area just north of Palau. (One man was taken prisoner and he survived the war).
USS Flier (SS-250) was lost on 13-Aug-1944 with the loss of 80 officers and men when it was sunk in Balabac Strait near Mantangule Island. (Eight of the crew were taken prisoner; all survived the war).
USS Tang (SS-306) was lost on 25-Oct-1944 with the loss of 83 officers and men when it was sunk in north end of Formosa Strait in vicinity of Turnabout Island. (Nine of the crew were taken prisoner; all survived the war).
USS Cochino (SS-345) was lost on 26-Aug-1949 when it was sunk in Norwegian Sea after onboard fire. (One man from Cochino and 6 men from USS Tusk were lost in the rescue operation).
The Civil War submarine Alligator was lost in 1863 when it was sunk while under tow off Cape Hatteras. It was being towed south to aid Union efforts in forcing entrance into Charleston Harbor. The crew were on board the towing vessel.
USS S-5 (SS-110) was lost on 1-Sep-1920 when it foundered off Delaware Capes 1-Sep-20 40 miles offshore. All the crew escaped through a hole cut in hull in the tiller room.
USS S-36 (SS-141) was lost on 20-Jan-1942 when it was destroyed after grounding on Taka Bakang Reef in Makassar Strait, Indonesia, near Makassar City. The entire crew was rescued.
USS S-27 (SS-132) was lost on 19-Jun-1942 when it grounded off Amchitka Island, 400 yds off island near St. Makarius Point (near Constantine Harbor). The entire crew was rescued.
USS S-39 (SS-144) was lost on 1-Aug-1942 when it was destroyed after grounding on reef south of Rossel Island, Louisande Archipelago. The entire crew was rescued.
USS Darter (SS-227) was lost on 24-Oct-1944 when it became grounded on Bombay Shoal off Palawan then was destroyed. The entire crew was rescued by USS Dace.
USS Stickleback (SS-415) was lost on 30-May-1958 when it sank off Hawaii while under tow after collision with USS Silverstein (DE-534). The entire crew was taken off prior to sinking.
USS S-25 (SS-130) was lost on 4-Nov-1941 with the loss of all hands when it was sunk by allied escorts off Norway while on loan to Poland.
USS R-19 (SS-96) was lost on 21-Jun-1942 with the loss of all hands after being rammed by HMCS Georgian while on lease to England.
USS Blower (SS-325) was lost with the loss of all hands when it was sunk in Dardanelles after collision with Swedish ship Naboland (as Turkish submarine).
USS Diablo (SS-479) was lost with the loss of all hands in 1970 when it was sunk in Bay of Bengal (as Pakistani submarine Ghazi); possibly due to mine explosion.
USS Catfish (SS-339) was lost on 1-Jul-1981 with the loss of an unknown number of officers and men when sunk ( as Argentinian submarine Santa Fe) at St. Georgia Is. during Falkland war.
USS Atule (SS-403) was lost with the loss of an unknown number officers and men when it was sunk (as Peruvian submarine Pachocha) after being rammed by a Japanese merchantman off Callao, Peru.
ex-USS G-2 (SS-27)
was lost on 30-Jul-1919 when it sank with 3 crewmembers as a test vehicle for explosive tests. Sank in Two Tree Channel, one-quarter mile off Pleasure Beach, CT; counted here due to loss of life.USS Bonefish (SS-582) declared functional loss and decommissioned after onboard fire off Florida coast in which 3 crewmen lost their lives.
USS Nathanael Greene (SSBN-636) decommissioned instead of repairing after grounding. (To conform to SALT agreement)
View the WALL OF REMEMBRANCE