USS S-37 (SS 141) was EB 73B Design

She was built by United Iron Works;
Her keel was laid 12 December, 1918;
She was launched 20 June, 1919;
Her Sponsor was Miss Mildred Bulger;
She was commissioned 16 July 1923;
Her first Skipper was LT Paul Glutting

The history of USS S-37

September 1924 - She reported for duty to the Submarine Base, Cavite, Philippine Islands;

9 December 1941 - Underway from Manila Bay on first war patrol;

17 December 1941 - Returned to Manila for fuel and supplies, left as soon as loaded for second patrol;

8 February 1942 - First Japanese destroyer sunk by a US submarine was the 1,900 ton NATSUSHIO. During the third patrol while operating in the Makassar Strait (Netherlands East Indies) LT James C. Dempsey visually conducted a night- surface attack on three approaching destroyers. A spread of three torpedoes were fired, one for each destroyer. One torpedo hit and sank the NATSUSHIO, the other two missed. This was the largest combatant ship to be sunk by US forces during the whole East Indies campaign;

22 February 1942 - Third war patrol terminated at Soerabaja for much-needed repairs of damage received;

26 February 1942 - Efforts to refit subs at Soerabaja concluded this date with the hasty departure of USS S-37 for her fourth war patrol;

28 February 1942 - Rescued 2 American sailors who survived the sinking of the Dutch cruiser DE RUYTER and provided five days provisions and directions for reaching Java to a lifeboat loaded with 58 of the Dutch cruiser’s men following the Battle of the Java Sea;

19 March 1942 - Fourth war patrol terminated at Freemantle;

April 1942 - Relocated to Brisbane for extensive overhaul;

22 June 1942 - Underway from Moreton Bay for fifth war patrol;

8 July 1942 - LT James R. Reynolds commanding, conducted a daylight underwater periscope approach, fired three torpedoes, scored two hits and sank the 2,776 ton passenger-cargo carrier TENZAN MARU in the waters of the Bismarck Archipelago. This was the only Japanese ship to be destroyed in the South Pacific area in July;

21 July 1942 - Terminated fifth war patrol at Brisbane with many electrical and mechanical problems;

17 August 1942 - Underway for sixth war patrol in support of the Guadalcanal campaign;

2 September 1942 - Visually fired two torpedoes at a 1,500 ton destroyer during a night surface approach. Both were hits but the destroyer was only damaged;

6 September 1942 - Patrol terminated in Brisbane;

19 October 1942 - Departed Brisbane for picket line duty off Noumea, New Caledonia;

5 November 1942 - Underway for San Diego via Pearl Harbor for extended repairs followed by assignment as an ASW training ship in the area;

6 February 1945 - Decommissioned, stripped, and assigned as a target. Sunk by aerial bombing off the coast of Southern California in Spring of 1946.

WAR PATROLS OF USS S-37 (SS 142)

1st war patrol ran from 9 December to 17 December 1941; the boat patrolled from CV Mindoro to CV; duration 8 days; no sinkings.

2nd war patrol ran from 19 December 1941 to 23 January 1942; the boat patrolled from SJ Mindoro to SJ; duration 35 days; no sinkings.

3rd war patrol ran from 2 February to 21 February 1942; the boat patrolled from SJ Makassar to SJ; duration 19 days; on 8 February she sank the 1,900 ton Japanese destroyer NATSUSHIO at 05-36S x 119-16E.

4th war patrol ran from 27 February to 19 March 1942; patrolled from SJ Java S to FA; duration 20 days; no sinkings.

5th war patrol ran from 22 June to 21 July 1942; the boat patrolled from BA Bismarcks to BA; duration 29 days; on 8 July she sank the 2,775 ton TENSAN MARU at 04S x 151 E which is north of Rabaul

6th war patrol ran from 17 August to 13 September 1942; patrolled from BA Solomons to BA; duration 22 days; no sinkings.

USS S-37 earned 5 BATTLE STARS in World War II

WHERE IS USS S-37?

According to an old letter (13 October, 1985) received from STEVE TOMAN (SH 70) when he was a diver and before he entered the US Navy; the wreck of USS S-37 is resting in approximately 30 feet of water directly in front of the YMCA ‘Camp Surf’ summer camp which is located at 106 Carnation in Imperial Beach, California.

The Salvage of USS S-37

In September of 1962, an attempt was made to salvage USS S-37 which apparently was NOT bombed by aircraft, but broke her tow while en route to the target area. Details are rather sketchy, but it does not appear that the people trying to raise the submarine had a place to put her or much of a plan. They got the bow to come out of the water before they lost control. To the best of our knowledge USS S-37 is still resting on the ocean floor in 30 to 40 feet.

USS S-37 is Remembered

BOB BISHOP (SH 3523) rode this boat, and he wrote us about his time on board in a letter from 31 October, 1994. He tells us:

“It’s great to be part of your fine organization. I would like to share some history from an ‘S-Boat sailor’ of World War II.

I was attached and served on board USS S-37 (SS 142) from April 1938 through October 1943. We went through some rough times, since we were in the Manila area when WW II started on December 7, 1941. USS S-37 had just undocked from the same berth that USS SEA LION was sunk on the first day of the war; quite fortunate for us. We were about 500 yards from this area, i.e. Cavite Navy Yard at this time, emergency loading of stores such as torpedoes, ammunition, fuel etc. and diving every time a squadron of Japanese planes came overhead, to the bottom of the Manila Bay area to about fifty feet of water.

We finally made every effort to go on our first patrol and subsequent patrols thereafter. We were the first submarine in the Pacific to sink the first Japanese destroyer on 8 February 1942. This occurred off Makassar City, Dutch East Indies. The I.J.N. NATUSHIO was hit amidships after firing at the destroyers guarding the invasion force heading south. The Skipper was LT J. C. Dempsey; the Exec at the time was LT W. H. Hazzard and very instrumental in this attack. I was Chief of the Boat for five patrol runs (successful) on this boat before leaving after returning to the USA in 1943 to be an instructor at the submarine school in New London then to Chief of the Boat, USS STEELHEAD (SS280).”

BOB, many thanks for this excellent information. We are pleased that BOB listened to our pleas for YOUR history. Any of you guys who served in ANY capacity in ANY armed forces in ANY country - we need you to send your memories here so we may keep them forever. Let others know what it was like in WW II, don’t let your story go on ‘Eternal Patrol’ with you.

Thanks to Chief KEN HENRY (1468-1990) for a lot of the details that go into these histories of the S-Boats.