Submarine USS S-39 (SS-144)

The keel of USS S-39 (SS-144) was laid down on 14 January 1919 by the Union Iron Works Division of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation...a subcontractor of the Electric Boat Company of New York City, New York...at San Francisco, California. The submarine was christened by Miss Clara M. Huber and launched on 2 July 1919. The S-boat was commissioned on 14 September 1923 with Lieutenant J. A. Scott in command.

When commissioned, the S-1 Class coastal and harbor defense submarine was 219'3" in length overall; had an extreme beam of 20'8"; had a normal surface displacement of 854 tons, and, when in that condition, had a mean draft of 15'11". Submerged displacement was 1,062 tons. The submarine was of riveted construction. The designed compliment was four officers and thirty-four enlisted men. The boat could operate safely to depths of 200 feet. The submarine was armed with four 21-inch torpedo tubes...installed in the bow. Twelve torpedoes were carried. One 4-inch/50 caliber deck gun was installed. The full load of diesel oil carried was 41,921 gallons, which fueled two 600 designed brake horsepower Model 8-EB-15NR diesel engines manufactured by the New London Ship and Engine Company at Groton, Connecticut...which could drive the boat...via a diesel direct drive propulsion system...at 14.5 knots on the surface. Power for submerged propulsion was provided by a main storage battery, divided into two sixty-cell batteries, manufactured by the Electric Storage Battery Company (EXIDE) at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...which powered two 750 designed brake horsepower main propulsion motors manufactured by the General Electric Company at Schenectady, New York...which turned propeller shafts...which turned propellers...which could drive the submarine at 11 knots for a short period of time when operating beneath the surface of the sea. Slower submerged speeds resulted in greater endurances before the batteries needed to be recharged by the engines and generators.

After commissioning and fitting out, USS S-39 (SS-144) joined Submarine Force, Battle Fleet; and, from October through December of 1923, conducted maneuvers off southern California. With the next year, 1924, she moved south to the Panama Canal Zone in Panama, thence proceeded into the Caribbean Sea for final trials, further exercises, and training dives. By April, she was back in California at the Mare Island Navy Yard at Vallejo for her first overhaul.

On 17 September 1924, USS S-39 departed San Francisco, California, for the Philippine Islands. Transiting via Pearl Harbor in the Territory of Hawaii, and Guam, the submarine arrived at Manila on 5 November 1924; joined the United States Asiatic Fleet as a unit of Submarine Division 17 (SubDiv 17); and commenced local operations and drills in the Luzon area. In mid-May 1925, she transited to the Asiatic mainland with her division; and, after brief stops at Amoy and Hong Kong, arrived at Tsingtao, whence she operated until early September. The submarine then returned to Manila; and, for the next sixteen years maintained, with few interruptions, a similar schedule: summers based at Tsingtao, with patrols along the China coast; and winters in the Philippines, for overhauls, engineering trials, joint Army-Navy maneuvers, type training exercises, and short patrols.

Just prior to the entry of the United States into the Second World War, USS S-39 patrolled off southern Luzon. Following the Japanese attack on the Territory of Hawaii on 8 December 1941 (Philippine date), the S-boat, under the command of Lieutenant James W. 'Red' Coe, was immediately ordered to the San Bernardino Strait to attack Japanese minelayers known to be active in that area. The enemy minelaying activities were well escorted and on the 11th USS-39 was subjected to a long and heavy depth-charge attack. On the 13th, the S-boat sighted a Japanese freighter of some 5,000 tons, and, after an unsuccessful attack, the escorts again appeared on the scene forcing Lieutenant Coe to abandon the attack. After no more sightings, the submarine returned to Manila, arriving on the 21st of December 1941.

Increased enemy air activity soon rendered naval installations in the area untenable, so USS S-39 was ordered to Java to join what would become, in mid-January 1942, the American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) command. Conducting her second war patrol en route, she arrived at Soerabaja on 24 January 1942; underwent an abbreviated availability; and departed for her third war patrol. Operating in the South China Sea and the Java Sea, she reconnoitered Chebia Island in the South China Sea, on a special mission to rescue Rear Admiral Spooner, Royal Navy, and a group of British refugees from the recently-captured garrison at Singapore. The party had sought refuge on the small island of Chebia. USS S-39 reached the island on 27 February, well before the arranged rendezvous time, but after two days of waiting with no apparent activity, Lieutenant Coe decided to lead a shore party to search for the British group. There was no shortage of volunteers and the submariners landed ready for any trouble that could come their way. However, the search was unsuccessful as the island was completely deserted, but tracks in the sand suggested a small boat carrying soldiers had captured the refugees.

After that mission, USS S-39 returned to the Java Sea in search of targets, and, on 4 March 1942, the submarine made a submerged attack on the 6,500-ton tanker "Erimo," sending it to the bottom with three solid torpedo hits.

On 18 March 1942, USS S-39 arrived in Fremantle, Australia, but five weeks later she reported to Brisbane...her new home base. She also had a new commanding officer, Lieutenant Francis E. Brown.

The submarine left Brisbane for her fourth war patrol on 10 May. During the next four weeks, she reconnoitered designated areas of the Louisiade Archipelago, then operated in the Solomons.

USS S-39's fifth war patrol, delayed twice by mechanical failures, and once by the necessity of hospitalizing her executive officer, who came down with pneumonia, requiring a replacement for the second in command, finally commenced upon departure from base on 10 August 1942.

After battling extremely heavy seas and high winds, USS S-39 believed she was east of Rossel Island in the Louisiades on the 13th. But an error in navigation was discovered the hard way when the S-boat went onto a submerged reef to the south of the island at 0200 on 14 August. Lieutenant Brown ordered the ballast tanks blown and did everything possible to lighten the submarine, but, even with the main engines backing "Emergency," the submarine did not move. The grounded submarine took on a 30 degree list to port. Heavy seas pounded the submarine and pushed the doomed vessel further up on the reef. Throughout the 14th, 15-to-20 foot breakers broke over the submarine, but the crew maintained its fight to refloat the ship. By the 15th, the list had increased to 60 degrees. The heavy seas had not abated and USS S-39 continued to be pounded against the reef. Efforts to evacuate the crew were begun. Lieutenant C. N. G. Hendrix and Chief Petty Officer W. L. Schoenrock swam ashore; secured mooring lines for use as riding lines; then assisted other crew members to safety. By noon, 32 men had reached shore. On 16 August 1942, Australian minesweeper HMAS Katoomba arrived on the scene and took the entire forty-four crew members of USS S-39 on board.

USS S-39 (SS-144) was left on the rocks to continue breaking up.

Her crew members were taken to Townsville and later reassigned to other submarines.

USS S-39 (SS-144) earned two battle stars for her sevices during the Second World War.

Lieutenant Brown, the commanding officer of USS S-39, was later assigned to USS S-44 (SS-155), only to be lost in that boat when she was shelled and sunk by a Japanese destroyer during a surface gun action engagement.

USS S-39's previous wartime skipper. 'Red' Coe, would be the successful commanding officer of USS Skipjack (SS-184), before losing his life in USS Cisco (SS-290).

---end---