Hull Number: SS-195
Last Captain: LCDR Richard G. Voge
Date Lost: 10 December 1941
Location: Cavite Naval Base in the Philippine Islands
Fatalities: Fatalities: 5. A total of five men were lost, one from Seadragon and four from Sealion.
Cause: Bombed in the harbor
Construction
Sealion was a Sargo class submarine completed in November of 1939 by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, CT.
Loss Narrative
The first submarine casualty of World War 2 was an officer on the USS Seadragon (SS-194) which was next to Sealion and also in overhaul. He was killed when the first bomb hit the Sealion and sent a fragment through the conning tower of the Seadragon, striking him. Four members of the Sealion’s crew were lost when a second bomb penetrated the hull and exploded in the after engine room.
The Sealion was damaged beyond the capability of the local shipyard to repair within the combat zone. Classified materials were destroyed. On 25 December, three depth charges were detonated inside the hull. The Sealion was then left in place. It was found nearby, and in nearly the same condition, at the end of the war.
Seadragon was towed out into Manila Bay. After temporary repairs, she was able to get underway and, with an escort, make it to Surabaya. She would later make history when her pharmacist mate successfully performed the first appendectomy on an American submarine.
LCDR Voge, captain of the Sealion, would later serve as captain of the recommissioned USS Sailfish (SS-192). After completing five war patrols on that boat, he served with distinction on the staff of the Commander of the Submarine Force, U. S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Charles Lockwood. Voge retired as a rear admiral.
LT Reich, the executive officer (XO) of the boat would later assume command of the new Sealion, also known as Sealion II (SS-315), in 1944. Four of the torpedoes used by Sealion II to sink the IJN carrier Kongo carried the names of the four sailors lost in the bombing at Cavite: Foster, O’Connell, Paul and Ogilvie. The new Sealion II joined the USS Pampanito (SS-383) in the rescue of the British and Australian soldiers in September of 1944.
The Sealion was damaged beyond the capability of the local shipyard to repair within the combat zone. Classified materials were destroyed. On 25 December, three depth charges were detonated inside the hull. The Sealion was then left in place. It was found nearby, and in nearly the same condition, at the end of the war.
Seadragon was towed out into Manila Bay. After temporary repairs, she was able to get underway and, with an escort, make it to Surabaya. She would later make history when her pharmacist mate successfully performed the first appendectomy on an American submarine.
LCDR Voge, captain of the Sealion, would later serve as captain of the recommissioned USS Sailfish (SS-192). After completing five war patrols on that boat, he served with distinction on the staff of the Commander of the Submarine Force, U. S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Charles Lockwood. Voge retired as a rear admiral.
LT Reich, the executive officer (XO) of the boat would later assume command of the new Sealion, also known as Sealion II (SS-315), in 1944. Four of the torpedoes used by Sealion II to sink the IJN carrier Kongo carried the names of the four sailors lost in the bombing at Cavite: Foster, O’Connell, Paul and Ogilvie. The new Sealion II joined the USS Pampanito (SS-383) in the rescue of the British and Australian soldiers in September of 1944.
Prior History
In the spring of 1940, Sealion sailed with other submarines for the Philippine Islands where she joined the U. S. Asiatic Fleet. She operated between Luzon and the Sulu Archipelago. She then prepared for a routine overhaul which began on 8 December 1941. Two days later, she was damaged beyond repair by bombs.
This USS Sealion (SS-195) made no war patrols and, therefore, would not have sunk any enemy shipping.
This USS Sealion (SS-195) made no war patrols and, therefore, would not have sunk any enemy shipping.
Submarine Photo
Captain Photo
LCDR Richard G. Voge