Hull Number: SS-197
Last Captain: LCDR Albert Bontier
Date Lost: 3 October 1944
Location: Off Manus, Admiralty Islands
Fatalities: Fatalities: 82. 17 embarked U. S. Army personnel also died.
Cause: Friendly fire
Construction
Seawolf was a Sargo class submarine completed by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at Kittery, Maine in December of 1939.
Loss Narrative
Seawolf departed Brisbane , Australia on her 15th war patrol on 21 September 1944 on a special mission. She was carrying 17 Army soldiers and their supplies to Samar in the Philippines. On 3 October, she exchanged recognition signals with USS Narwhal (SS-167). Shortly after this, the IJN RO-41, a submarine, sank an American destroyer escort (a DE). Another U. S. escort went in search of the Japanese submarine. Aircraft sighted a diving submarine nearby and dropped two bombs. The DE sped to the position marked by the aircraft.
There were four friendly submarines in the area and they were asked to give their positions. Only three did so. Seawolf failed to reply or perhaps was unable to. The destroyer escort then made sonar contact and attacked. It reported hearing sounds from the submarine sending signals but assumed the sub was just trying to jam their sonar equipment. After six attacks with hedgehogs, underwater explosions were heard and debris rose to the surface. Unfortunately, all of this occurred in a submarine safety lane, where no attacks at all were supposed to be made. It is assumed that this was the end of Seawolf, her crew and passengers.
There were four friendly submarines in the area and they were asked to give their positions. Only three did so. Seawolf failed to reply or perhaps was unable to. The destroyer escort then made sonar contact and attacked. It reported hearing sounds from the submarine sending signals but assumed the sub was just trying to jam their sonar equipment. After six attacks with hedgehogs, underwater explosions were heard and debris rose to the surface. Unfortunately, all of this occurred in a submarine safety lane, where no attacks at all were supposed to be made. It is assumed that this was the end of Seawolf, her crew and passengers.
Prior History
After sea trials and shakedown cruise, Seawolf was assigned to the Pacific Fleet at San Diego. In the autumn of 1940, she proceeded to Manila Bay and operated from Cavite. She continued training operations from there.
Right after the war broke out, Seawolf left Cavite in the Philippines on 8 December 1941 for her first war patrol. On the 14th, she fired eight torpedoes at a seaplane tender but missed. One was reported to hit but failed to explode. The patrol ended on 26 December. Her next patrol was a transit to Port Darwin, arriving on 9 January 1942. One week later, Seawolf was underway again, this time taking 30 tons of ammunition to the forces on Corregidor. There, she evacuated 25 airmen, spare parts and torpedoes, departing for Surabaya the next day.
Seawolf sailed from Surabaya for her fourth patrol on 15 February 1942 to patrol the Java Sea. She found plenty of targets but had limited success. She attacked two freighters, claiming only damage. Attacks on two more freighters, a destroyer and a cruiser netted nothing. However, on 1 April she did damage a cruiser. Her fifth patrol was more of the same with many attacks and few results. However, Seawolf did score her first sinking, a converted gunboat.
Her sixth patrol began on 25 July, 1942. On 2 August, she damaged a large tanker. On 14 August, she sank a small freighter. She sank another on 25 August. Her seventh patrol was more successful, sinking a freighter, a large transport and converted gunboat. This patrol ended on 1 December 1942 in Pearl Harbor before sailing to Mare Island Naval Shipyard for an overhaul. The shipyard period lasted until 24 February 1943.
She began her eighth patrol under a new captain on 3 April 1943. This patrol resulted in the sinkings of a freighter, an auxiliary, a patrol boat and a couple sampans. Her ninth patrol began on 17 May 1943. On this patrol she attacked two convoys with spreads of torpedoes. In the first attack, one torpedo hit a freighter but didn’t explode. Another ran under a target but hit a destroyer for damage. On the other attack, Seawolf sank a cargo ship carrying many soldiers. She ended the patrol at Midway and then proceeded to Pearl Harbor, arriving on 12 July.
Seawolf left Pearl Harbor on 14 August 1943 headed out for her tenth patrol which was in the East China Sea. There she found a six-ship convoy. She sank two medium freighters and seriously damaged a torpedo boat. Seawolf continued to track the remains of the convoy and sank a smaller freighter with a torpedo and then the deck gun. Two more sampans were sunk with the deck gun. The patrol ended on 15 September.
Her 11th patrol began on 5 October 1943 and took her to the South China Sea. She sank two more freighters and damaged another. After this, she sailed to Pearl Harbor for a refit. Her 12th patrol began on 22 December 1943 and Seawolf again sailed for the East China Sea. This was a very successful patrol, resulting in the sinkings of two large cargo ships and two more of medium size. Two additional ships were damaged. The patrol ended on 27 January 1944.
After this, Seawolf came to Hunters Point in San Francisco for a major overhaul. She would not return to action until 4 June 1944 under a new captain. Seawolf’s 13th patrol was primarily a reconnaissance mission around Peleliu in preparation for that invasion. The patrol ended at Darwin. Her 14th patrol began on 7 August 1944 and was another special mission. It entailed landing six men and ten tons of supplies on Tawi Tawi and a similar landing a few days later at Palawan. This patrol ended in Brisbane.
Seawolf was lost on her 15th war patrol. JANAC credited her with 18 sinkings for 71,609 tons total for her WW2 service.
Seawolf was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for patrols 4. 7, 10 and 12.
Right after the war broke out, Seawolf left Cavite in the Philippines on 8 December 1941 for her first war patrol. On the 14th, she fired eight torpedoes at a seaplane tender but missed. One was reported to hit but failed to explode. The patrol ended on 26 December. Her next patrol was a transit to Port Darwin, arriving on 9 January 1942. One week later, Seawolf was underway again, this time taking 30 tons of ammunition to the forces on Corregidor. There, she evacuated 25 airmen, spare parts and torpedoes, departing for Surabaya the next day.
Seawolf sailed from Surabaya for her fourth patrol on 15 February 1942 to patrol the Java Sea. She found plenty of targets but had limited success. She attacked two freighters, claiming only damage. Attacks on two more freighters, a destroyer and a cruiser netted nothing. However, on 1 April she did damage a cruiser. Her fifth patrol was more of the same with many attacks and few results. However, Seawolf did score her first sinking, a converted gunboat.
Her sixth patrol began on 25 July, 1942. On 2 August, she damaged a large tanker. On 14 August, she sank a small freighter. She sank another on 25 August. Her seventh patrol was more successful, sinking a freighter, a large transport and converted gunboat. This patrol ended on 1 December 1942 in Pearl Harbor before sailing to Mare Island Naval Shipyard for an overhaul. The shipyard period lasted until 24 February 1943.
She began her eighth patrol under a new captain on 3 April 1943. This patrol resulted in the sinkings of a freighter, an auxiliary, a patrol boat and a couple sampans. Her ninth patrol began on 17 May 1943. On this patrol she attacked two convoys with spreads of torpedoes. In the first attack, one torpedo hit a freighter but didn’t explode. Another ran under a target but hit a destroyer for damage. On the other attack, Seawolf sank a cargo ship carrying many soldiers. She ended the patrol at Midway and then proceeded to Pearl Harbor, arriving on 12 July.
Seawolf left Pearl Harbor on 14 August 1943 headed out for her tenth patrol which was in the East China Sea. There she found a six-ship convoy. She sank two medium freighters and seriously damaged a torpedo boat. Seawolf continued to track the remains of the convoy and sank a smaller freighter with a torpedo and then the deck gun. Two more sampans were sunk with the deck gun. The patrol ended on 15 September.
Her 11th patrol began on 5 October 1943 and took her to the South China Sea. She sank two more freighters and damaged another. After this, she sailed to Pearl Harbor for a refit. Her 12th patrol began on 22 December 1943 and Seawolf again sailed for the East China Sea. This was a very successful patrol, resulting in the sinkings of two large cargo ships and two more of medium size. Two additional ships were damaged. The patrol ended on 27 January 1944.
After this, Seawolf came to Hunters Point in San Francisco for a major overhaul. She would not return to action until 4 June 1944 under a new captain. Seawolf’s 13th patrol was primarily a reconnaissance mission around Peleliu in preparation for that invasion. The patrol ended at Darwin. Her 14th patrol began on 7 August 1944 and was another special mission. It entailed landing six men and ten tons of supplies on Tawi Tawi and a similar landing a few days later at Palawan. This patrol ended in Brisbane.
Seawolf was lost on her 15th war patrol. JANAC credited her with 18 sinkings for 71,609 tons total for her WW2 service.
Seawolf was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for patrols 4. 7, 10 and 12.
Submarine Photo
Captain Photo
LCDR Albert Bontier