Hull Number: SS-155
Last Captain: LCDR Francis E. Brown
Date Lost: 7 October 1943
Location: Off Paramushiro
Fatalities: Fatalities: 56. Two men survived.
Cause: Naval gunfire
Construction
S-44 was an S-42 class submarine completed by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company at Quincy, MA in February of 1925.
Loss Narrative
S-44 departed Attu in the Aleutians for her fifth patrol on 26 September 1943. She was not heard from again. The details of this last patrol were provided by the two surviving crewmen.
S-44 found what was thought, on radar, to be a small merchant ship. The captain decided to surface and sink the vessel with gunfire. However, the vessel turned out to be an escort ship, which opened fire. The captain gave the order to submerge again, but for unknown reasons the boat was slow to respond. S-44 was hit in the control room, conning tower and forward battery.
At this point, the captain gave the order to abandon ship and a crewman waved a pillowcase from the forward hatch. However, the escort did not cease firing and S-44 was hit several more times. Only about eight men managed to escape the sinking submarine and the Japanese picked up just two. These two men went to the Ofuna interrogation camp and then to work in the Ashio mines. They survived the war and were able to tell the story of the loss of S-44.
S-44 found what was thought, on radar, to be a small merchant ship. The captain decided to surface and sink the vessel with gunfire. However, the vessel turned out to be an escort ship, which opened fire. The captain gave the order to submerge again, but for unknown reasons the boat was slow to respond. S-44 was hit in the control room, conning tower and forward battery.
At this point, the captain gave the order to abandon ship and a crewman waved a pillowcase from the forward hatch. However, the escort did not cease firing and S-44 was hit several more times. Only about eight men managed to escape the sinking submarine and the Japanese picked up just two. These two men went to the Ofuna interrogation camp and then to work in the Ashio mines. They survived the war and were able to tell the story of the loss of S-44.
Prior History
S-44 operated off New England until departing for Panama, arriving at Coco Solo on 5 September 1925. She operated there, taking part in various exercises until the spring of 1927. She operated from San Diego until December of 1930 when she was transferred to Hawaii. Her division, SUBDIV 11, was home ported there for four years and then was transferred back to San Diego. In 1937, the division was transferred back to Coc Solo.
In the spring of 1941, as U. S. involvement in WW2 increased, the S-boats in Panama were ordered to New London and then to Philadelphia in November for overhauls. S-44 arrived on 16 January 1942 and took part in the rescue operations for the USS S-26 (SS-131). The division of S boats was ordered to the southwest Pacific, departing Panama in March and arriving in Brisbane , Australia in mid-April.
Prior to her loss, S-44 had been the most successful of the S class boats. She set out on her first war patrol on 24 April 1942. On 12 May 1942, she sank a 5,600-ton merchant ship. This earned her a depth charging but she avoided significant damage.
On her second patrol, S-44 sank a converted gunboat. The target blew up with such force that S-44 suffered some internal damage. This was seen by an enemy aircraft which then dropped a bomb close aboard causing further damage. S-44 managed to slip away.
Her third patrol was her most successful. In the Tulagi-Rabaul area near Guadalcanal, she spotted four Japanese cruisers. She fired four torpedoes at the nearest one, and sank the IJN Kako, a heavy cruiser. She was damaged again on her fourth war patrol, and was ordered back to the U. S. for an overhaul. After that was completed, she was assigned to Attu, from which she began her final patrol.
S-44 was lost on her fifth war patrol. JANAC credited her with three sinkings for 17,070 tons total for her WW2 service.
In the spring of 1941, as U. S. involvement in WW2 increased, the S-boats in Panama were ordered to New London and then to Philadelphia in November for overhauls. S-44 arrived on 16 January 1942 and took part in the rescue operations for the USS S-26 (SS-131). The division of S boats was ordered to the southwest Pacific, departing Panama in March and arriving in Brisbane , Australia in mid-April.
Prior to her loss, S-44 had been the most successful of the S class boats. She set out on her first war patrol on 24 April 1942. On 12 May 1942, she sank a 5,600-ton merchant ship. This earned her a depth charging but she avoided significant damage.
On her second patrol, S-44 sank a converted gunboat. The target blew up with such force that S-44 suffered some internal damage. This was seen by an enemy aircraft which then dropped a bomb close aboard causing further damage. S-44 managed to slip away.
Her third patrol was her most successful. In the Tulagi-Rabaul area near Guadalcanal, she spotted four Japanese cruisers. She fired four torpedoes at the nearest one, and sank the IJN Kako, a heavy cruiser. She was damaged again on her fourth war patrol, and was ordered back to the U. S. for an overhaul. After that was completed, she was assigned to Attu, from which she began her final patrol.
S-44 was lost on her fifth war patrol. JANAC credited her with three sinkings for 17,070 tons total for her WW2 service.
Submarine Photo
Captain Photo
LCDR Francis E. Brown