US NAVY SUBMARINE PATCH SS 197 USS SEAWOLF

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

USS Seawolf (SS-197), a Sargo-class submarine, was the second submarine of the United States Navy named for the seawolf.Her keel was laid down on 27 September 1938 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 15 August 1939 sponsored by Mrs. Edward C. Kalbfus and commissioned on 1 December 1939 with Lieutenant Frederick B. Warder (Class of 1925) in command. After fitting out, Seawolf departed Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 12 April 1940 for her shakedown cruise which lasted until 21 June and took her as far south as the Panama Canal Zone. Seawolf was next assigned to the Pacific Fleet, home ported at San Diego, California. In the autumn of 1940, she proceeded to Manila Bay and operated from the Cavite Navy Yard. When war with Japan began, the submarine readied for sea and was on her first war patrol from 8 December to 26 December 1941. Seawolf hunted Japanese shipping off San Bernardino Strait. On 14 December, she fired a spread of torpedoes at a tender or supply ship in Port San Vicente with unknown results. She promptly underwent her first depth charge attack but suffered no damage. Seawolf departed Manila on 31 December 1941 for Australia and arrived at Darwin on 9 January 1942. She loaded between 30 and 40 tons of .50-caliber antiaircraft ammunition for use by American forces on Corregidor and sailed for Manila Bay on 16 January. The submarine sighted seven Japanese freighters accompanied by four destroyers and a cruiser on 21 January, but had no opportunity to fire any of the eight torpedoes that she had aboard. The ammunition was unloaded on 28 January and 29 January at Corregidor. Seawolf then loaded torpedoes and passengers, and headed for Surabaya, Java. Seawolf sailed out of Surabaya on 15 February and began patrolling in the Java Sea-Lombok Strait area. On 19 February, she fired four torpedoes at two Japanese freighter-transports in the Badung Strait. Damage to one was not ascertained, but the other was reported last seen down by the stern and listing to starboard. (However, Sagami Maru had been damaged by USAAF air attack, not by Seawolf's torpedo.) A week later, she fired her stern tubes at a freighter and watched one hit forward of the bridge before going deep to evade depth charges from an escorting destroyer at which she had also fired. In March, Seawolf was hunting between Java and Christmas Island. On April 1, she stealthily approached the anchorage at Christmas Island w the Japanese invasion force lay at anchor. Seawolf fired a spread at the Japanese light cruiser Naka. One torpedo hit, causing significant damage to the ship, although not harming any of the crew. Naka was forced to return to Japan for repairs (Hara, 1961) and was out of the war for almost a year. Unaware she had hit her target, Seawolf then underwent seven and one-half hours of depth charge attacks. On 1 April, she attacked two cruisers. A violent explosion was heard, but no flames were seen. Seawolf ended her patrol on 7 April at Fremantle and received the Navy Unit Commendation. From 12 May to 2 July, Seawolf patrolled the Philippine Islands area. She attacked freighters on 20 May and 23 May, and on 12 June, 13 June, 15 June, and 28 June. On 13 June, she fired at two ships and her crew heard four explosions. The submarine was credited with sinking converted gunboat Nampo Maru on 15 June. Seawolf returned to Fremantle for three weeks before beginning her sixth war patrol. Seawolf prowled the Sulu Sea and Celebes Sea from 25 July to 15 September. She attacked a tanker on 3 August, sank Hachigen Maru on 14 August and Showa Maru 11 days later. She returned to Fremantle to refit and then hunted in the Davao Gulf area from 7 October to 1 December. Seawolf sank Gifu Maru on 2 November, Sagami Maru (7189 tons) the next day, and Keiko Maru on 8 November. She ended her patrol at Pearl Harbor en route to the West Coast. Seawolf arrived at Mare Island on 10 December 1942 and underwent an overhaul that lasted until 24 February 1943. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 13 March and, on 3 April, stood out for another... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.