Lost Boats

Lost Harbor

There is a port of no return, where ships
May ride at anchor for a little space
And then, some starless night, the cable slips,
Leaving an eddy at the mooring place . . .
Gulls, veer no longer. Sailor, rest your oar.
No tangled wreckage will be washed ashore.

by Leslie Nelson Jennings

Lost Boats

One way we remember our shipmates still on patrol is through the Tolling of the Boats ceremony. Before beginning, the Master of Ceremony traditionally gives a short speech explaining the tradition. During the ceremony, the name, date, and loss of each submarine is read, followed by the striking of a bell. Other than the narrator, silence appropriate for a memorial ceremony is maintained. The chaplain may close with a prayer. It is our common prayer that this list is never added to. As time passes, more information is learned about these losses and this page will be updated.

Boat Date Loss
USS F-4 (SS-23)
25-Mar-1915 21 men lost.
USS F-1 (SS-20)
17-Dec-1917 19 men lost.
USS H-1 (SS-28)
12-Mar-1920 4 men lost.
USS S-5 (SS-110)
1-Sep-1920 No loss of life.
USS O-5 (SS-66)
29-Oct-1923 3 men lost.
USS S-51 (SS-162)
25-Sep-1925 33 men lost.
USS S-4 (SS-109)
17-Dec-1927 40 men lost.
USS Squalus (SS-192)
23-May-1939 26 men lost.
USS O-9 (SS-70)
20-Jun-1941 33 men lost.
USS Sealion (SS-195)
10-Dec-1941 4 men lost.
USS S-36 (SS-141)
20-Jan-1942 No loss of life.
USS S-26 (SS-131)
24-Jan-1942 46 men lost.
USS Shark (SS-174)
11-Feb-1942 59 men lost.
USS Perch (SS-176)
3-Mar-1942 59 POWs, 53 survived the war.
USS S-27 (SS-132)
19-Jun-1942 No loss of life.
USS Grunion (SS-216)
30-Jul-1942 70 men lost.
USS S-39 (SS-144)
13-Aug-1942 No loss of life.
USS Argonaut (SS-166)
10-Jan-1943 102 men lost.
USS Amberjack (SS-219)
16-Feb-1943 72 men lost.
USS Grampus (SS-207)
5-Mar-1943 71 men lost.
USS Triton (SS-201)
15-Mar-1943 74 men lost.
USS Pickerel (SS-177)
3-Apr-1943 74 men lost.
USS Grenadier (SS-210)
22-Apr-1943 76 POWs, 72 survived the war.
USS Runner (SS-275)
Between 26-Jun
and 15-Jul-1943
78 men lost.
USS R-12 (SS-89)
12-Jun-1943 42 men lost, 3 survived.
USS Grayling (SS-209)
9-Sep-1943 76 men lost.
USS Pompano (SS-181)
17-Sep-1943 77 men lost.
USS Cisco (SS-290)
28-Sep-1943 76 men lost.
USS S-44 (SS-155)
7-Oct-1943 56 men lost.
USS Wahoo (SS-238)
11-Oct-1943 80 men lost.
USS Dorado (SS-248)
12-Oct-1943 77 men lost.
USS Corvina (SS-226)
16-Nov-1943 82 men lost.
USS Sculpin (SS-191)
19-Nov-1943 43 men lost. 41 more were POWs, 21 survived the war.
USS Capelin (SS-289)
Between 23-Nov and 3-Dec-1943 76 men lost.
USS Scorpion (SS-278)
5-Jan-1944 77 men lost.
USS Grayback (SS-208)
26-Feb-1944 80 men lost.
USS Trout (SS-202)
29-Feb-1944 81 men lost.
USS Tullibee (SS-284)
26-Mar-1944 79 men lost. One POW survived the war.
USS Gudgeon (SS-211)
18-Apr-1944 79 men lost.
USS Herring (SS-233)
1-Jun-1944 83 men lost.
USS Golet (SS-361)
14-Jun-1944 82 men lost.
USS S-28 (SS-133)
4-Jul-1944 49 men lost.
USS Robalo (SS-273)
26-Jul-1944 77 men lost + 4 POWs died.
USS Flier (SS-250)
13-Aug-1944 78 men lost.
USS Harder (SS-257)
24-Aug-1944 79 men lost.
USS Seawolf (SS-197)
3-Oct-1944 83 crew + 17 Army personnel lost.
USS Escolar (SS-294)
17-Oct-1944 82 men lost.
USS Darter (SS-227)
24-Oct-1944 No loss of life.
USS Shark II (SS-314)
24-Oct-1944 87 men lost.
USS Tang (SS-306)
25-Oct-1944 78 men lost. 9 POWs survived the war.
USS Albacore (SS-218)
7-Nov-1944 85 men lost.
USS Growler (SS-215)
8-Nov-1944 86 men lost.
USS Scamp (SS-277)
16-Nov-1944 83 men lost.
USS Swordfish (SS-193)
12-Jan-1945 89 men lost.
USS Barbel (SS-316)
4-Feb-1945 81 men lost.
USS Kete (SS-369)
20-Mar-1945 87 men lost.
USS Trigger (SS-237)
28-Mar-1945 89 men lost.
USS Snook (SS-279)
8-Apr-1945 84 men lost.
USS Lagarto (SS-371)
3-May-1945 86 men lost.
USS Bonefish (SS-223)
18-Jun-1945 85 men lost.
USS Bullhead (SS-332)
6-Aug-1945 84 men lost.
USS Cochino (SS-345)
26-Aug-1949 1 Cochino man and 6 USS Tusk men were lost in the rescue operation.
USS Stickleback (SS-415)
29-May-1958 No loss of life.
USS Thresher (SSN-593)
10-Apr-1963 129 men lost.
USS Scorpion (SSN-589)
22-May-1968 99 men lost.

Finally, we remember all the brave submariners who died in the course of their duties aboard submarines, some individually and some in groups, but where the submarine itself was not lost.