USS S-24 (SS 129) was EB 73 C design

She was built at Fore River Shipbuilding;
Her keel was laid 1 November, 1918;
She was launched 27 June, 1922;
Her sponsor was Mrs. H. B. Loper;
She was commissioned 24 August, 1923;
Her first Skipper was LCDR Louis E. Denfield;

History:

Dec. 1941, USS S-24 began patrols out of the Panama Canal Zone; 8 May 1942 she was assigned to SubRon 3 based out of Coco Solo with LCDR J. Corbus as Skipper; 10 August 1942, she was decommissioned and transferred to Great Britain where she became HMS P.555 and better known as the 'RELUCTANT DRAGON'.

While in Royal Navy service, her Skippers included Jeremy Nash, Edward Young, Singey Anderson & LCDR ANTHONY STEWART MELVILLE-ROSS (1930-+-1991). At the end of one patrol, according to MELVILLE-ROSS, he had departed his boat to make his report to the Flotilla Commander and the RELUCTANT DRAGON was alongside and began to charge batteries. Apparently, one of the men on duty was smoking or something sparked - but there was an explosion on board which resulted in the death of two men.

1945 - she was returned to the US Navy;
16 November 1945, Stricken from the Navy List and sold
25 August 1947; USS S-24 was destroyed.

WAR PATROLS OF USS S-24

WP#	DATE	Fm AREA	To AREA	DURATION
1	unk.	PA Canal Zone	PA	16 days
2	unk.	PA Canal Zone	PA	?? days
3	unk.	PA Canal Zone	PA	20 days
4	unk.	PA Canal Zone	PA	21 days

J. Corbus was Skipper of USS S-24 during all four war patrols. No attacks, no sinkings on any of these war patrols.

USS S-25 (SS 130) was EB 73 C design

She was built by Fore River Shipbuilding;
Her keel was laid on 16 October, 1918;
She was launched on 29 May, 1922;
Her Sponsor was Mrs. R. P. Schlabach;
She was commissioned 9 July, 1923;
Her first Skipper was LCDR George R. Fort;

History:

15 October, 1925 - While running submerged, USS S-25 collided with USS ORTOLAN off Point Loma, California during a training exercise resulting in two broken and bent periscopes as well as the destruction of the castings for searchlights, periscopes, induction line and radio masts. No lives lost.

There were no war patrols by USS S-25 in the US Navy, but on 4 October, 1941 she was decommissioned and loaned to Great Britain, where she was re-commissioned as HMS P.551.

Soon after going over to the Royal Navy, a Polish crew was trained by LCDR Augustus R. 'the SAINT' St. Angelo.

The Royal Navy turned USS S-25/HMS P.551 over to the Polish crew and the boat was recommissioned as JASTRZAB.

2 May, 1942 she was off Norway and was located by convoy escorts who thought she was a German U-Boat. She was attacked by the destroyer HMS ST. ALBANS and the minesweeper HMS SEAGULL and sunk with all hands.

USS S-26 (SS 131) was EB 73 C design

She was built by Fore River Shipbuilding;
Her keel was laid 7 November, 1918;
She was launched 22 October, 1922;
Her Sponsor was Mrs. Carlos Bean;
She was commissioned 15 October, 1923;
Her first Skipper was LT Edmund W. Burrough;

History:

10 December 1941, she sailed from New London for Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone for duty. 24 January, 1942 USS S-26 collided with USS PC-460 in the Gulf of Panama while making surface transit to her patrol area and was sunk with the loss of 46 men. Only 3 survived. This was the first US Navy submarine operational fatality of World War II.

The boat was proceeding from Balboa in the Canal Zone to her patrol area and traveling in company with other submarines ; USS S-21, USS S-29 and USS S-44 along with their escort, PC-460. At about 2210 hours, the escort sent a final message to the submarines that she was leaving formation and that they could proceed on their duty assignment. USS S-21 was the only submarine that received this message. Shortly thereafter, USS PC-460 struck USS S-26 on the starboard side of the torpedo room and the submarine sank within a few seconds.

In addition to the three men on the bridge who survived, an additional three men of the crew survived because they were in hospital ashore at this time. Another man from the bridge watch LCDR EARLE HAWK made it safely into the water at the time of the loss, but he was not recovered alive.

Salvage operations were started immediately under Captain T. J. Doyle, Commanding Officer of SubRon 3 and of the Submarine Base Coco Solo but they were not successful.

WAR PATROLS OF USS S-26

WP#	DATE	Fm AREA	To AREA	DURATION
1	unk.	PA Canal Zone	PA	17 days
2	24/01/42	PA Canal Zone	-	-

It was on the beginning of War Patrol #2 that USS S-26 was lost. Both War Patrols were under command of LCDR Earle Hawk, who was one of the three survivors from the sinking.