Submarine Incidents
A comprehensive record of US submarine incidents throughout history, including accidents, collisions, groundings, and other notable events.
16
Total Incidents
10
Pre-WW2
3
WW2 Era
3
Post-WW2
Turtle
Date: October 9, 1776
Casualties: None
Description:
David Bushnell's boat was the first to attempt an attack on an enemy ship. It was contracted by the Continental Army, not the Navy. It later sank along with the sloop carrying it. There was no loss of life.
Status: Lost
First submarine to attempt attack on enemy ship. Continental Army contract, not Navy.
Alligator
Date: April 2, 1863
Casualties: None
Description:
It was a Navy submarine but never active in Civil War service. It was cut loose in a storm while being towed to Fort Sumpter. There was no loss of life.
Status: Lost
Never active in Civil War service. Cut loose during storm while under tow.
CSS Hunley
Date: February 17, 1864
Casualties: 8
Description:
A Confederate submarine that was lost while sinking the USS Housatonic during the Civil War. Eight men were lost in this, the third sinking of the Hunley. Submersibles such as this were still being powered by the men inside.
Status: Lost
Confederate submarine. Third sinking of this vessel. First successful submarine attack.
H-3 SS-30
Date: December 14, 1916
Casualties: None
Description:
Grounded entering Humboldt Bay. Relaunched 20 April 1917. No loss of life.
Status: Salvaged
Also known as Garfish. Returned to service after salvage.
A-5 SS-6
Date: April 15, 1917
Casualties: None
Description:
Foundered due to a leaking ballast tank at Cavite. No loss of life. Salvaged and in commission until 1921.
Status: Salvaged
Also known as Pike. Returned to service until 1921.
D-2 SS-18
Date: July 31, 1917
Casualties: None
Description:
It sank at the dock and was salvaged. No loss of life. Decommissioned in 1922.
Status: Salvaged
Also known as Grayling. Sank at dock, salvaged and served until 1922.
G-2 SS-27
Date: April 2, 1919
Casualties: 3
Description:
The boat was no longer in commission. It foundered while being prepared for testing, killing three inspectors.
Status: Lost
Also known as Tuna. Already decommissioned when incident occurred.
S-48 SS-159
Date: December 7, 1921
Casualties: None
Description:
Foundered in a pre-commissioning dive. The crew brought the bow to the surface and all escaped through the torpedo tubes. Raised and salvaged.
Status: Salvaged
Pre-commissioning incident. Crew escaped through torpedo tubes.
S-48 SS-159
Date: January 29, 1925
Casualties: None
Description:
Ran aground. All of the crew was rescued by the Coast Guard. Salvaged. Active from 1928 to 1935. Recommissioned in 1940. Training boat until 1945.
Status: Salvaged
Second incident with S-48. Returned to service multiple times.
R-8 SS-85
Date: February 26, 1936
Casualties: None
Description:
Decommissioned and sank at moorings. No loss of life. The boat was raised and used as a target.
Status: Raised
Already decommissioned. Raised and used as target vessel.
USS Bass SS-164
Date: August 17, 1942
Casualties: 26
Description:
Construction began in 1921 and was completed in 1925. On 17 August 1942, while Bass off the Panama coast, a major fire broke out in the after battery. It spread to the after torpedo room and the starboard main motor. The fire took the lives of 26 men by asphyxiation. However, the boat was not lost. It would then be restored as a cargo submarine and served until March of 1945. Though the incident was in 1942, it is usually not included in the list of lost WW2 submarines.
Status: Restored
Also known as USS V-2. Restored as cargo submarine, served until 1945.
USS Salmon SS-182
Date: October 30, 1944
Casualties: None
Description:
On her ninth war patrol, endured a severe depth charging. The damage included so many leaking fittings that she was forced to a depth that was more than twice her test depth. Steering gear and stern planes were out of commission. Engine exhausts were jammed. She finally got to the surface and had a brief opportunity to begin some repairs. Salmon fended off an attack by a Japanese coastal defense vessel in a close-range gun duel that included throwing cans of Coke at the enemy. Most of the topside crew of the Japanese vessel was killed or injured. Salmon then hid in a rain squall and radioed for help. She was escorted to Saipan by other boats where engineers determined it was not practical to repair her for combat. She was written off as a constructive war loss. She was sent back to the Portsmouth Naval Ship Yard for repairs and use in training.
Status: Constructive loss
Ninth war patrol. Famous gun duel including throwing Coke cans. Written off as constructive war loss.
USS Halibut SS-232
Date: November 14, 1944
Casualties: None
Description:
On her 10th war patrol, had fired torpedoes at a convoy when she was attacked by an enemy air escort. She was rocked by the airplane's depth bomb and then by depth charging. The conning tower was severely damaged and had to be abandoned. The depth charges damaged the control room, forward battery room and the main air bank. Then, for some reason, the Japanese backed off. The crew isolated the damaged sections of the boat and began repairs. Halibut surfaced at night and was able to find another boat in the wolfpack, the USS Pintado (SS-387) and get a message to Admiral Lockwood, COMSUBPAC. Pintado then escorted Halibut to Saipan. Temporary repairs were made there and at Pearl Harbor. Even so, the repair list at Portsmouth covered three typewritten pages. Plans to make Halibut a training boat were cancelled and the boat was scrapped.
Status: Scrapped
Tenth war patrol. Escorted to Saipan by USS Pintado. Damage too extensive for repair.
USS Guitarro SSN-665
Date: May 15, 1969
Casualties: None
Description:
Still under construction in Mare Island Naval Shipyard when she sank at the pier. Cables were running through the forward hatch and watertight doors. A team testing aft needed to have water in the after ballast tank. Another team testing forward needed the trim to be within ½ degree. Both teams were adding water to the ballast tanks. Safety procedures were violated and warnings were ignored. Eventually the forward hatch dipped below the water level and the river flowed in. The hatch and doors could not be closed due to the cables. The boat flooded and sank at the pier. It would be raised and repaired at a cost of about $20 million. Commissioning was delayed 32 months.
Status: Raised and repaired
Construction accident. Safety procedures violated. $20M repair cost, 32 month delay.
USS Bonefish SS-582
Date: April 24, 1988
Casualties: 3
Description:
The last diesel attack submarine that the US built. Completed and commissioned in 1959. In April of 1988 seawater began to leak onto cables in a battery-supply cableway. That caused an explosion and fire. Temperatures reached 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit, hot enough to melt the shoes of sailors in the spaces above the fire. The crew was ordered to abandon ship. Petty Officer 3rd Class Larry Grossman, an aviation rescue swimmer, spent three hours in the water, without a mask or life preserver, rescuing crewmembers. He was credited with saving 19 lives. Three sailors died due to the explosion and fire. After the fire was out, the boat was towed to Charleston, SC. However, the damage was too extensive to repair and the boat was scrapped.
Status: Scrapped
Last diesel attack submarine built by US. PO3 Larry Grossman saved 19 lives. 1,200°F fire.
USS San Francisco SSN-711
Date: January 8, 2005
Casualties: 1
Description:
Southeast of Guam when she hit an undersea mountain at high speed. One sailor died and 98 were injured in the accident. However, the crew was still able to save the boat and make it back to Guam. The mountain was not on charts, but the area was indicated as dangerous caution. The San Francisco had recently been overhauled and refueled. The submarine USS Honolulu (SSN-718) was due for the same overhaul. The Navy determined that it would be cheaper to attach the front of the Honolulu to the undamaged part of the San Francisco and decommission the rest of the Honolulu. The result was a submarine that sailors, as irreverent as usual, named the USS San Franlulu. After further service, the submarine was made inactive in 2016 and was decommissioned in 2022. The boat now serves as a moored training reactor in Charleston, SC.
Status: Repaired and returned to service
Nicknamed "USS San Franlulu" after bow of USS Honolulu attached. Now training reactor in Charleston.
Total Casualties
Across all recorded incidents: 41 casualties