Selected US Naval Submarine Force Statistics and Numbers.

A note on sources:  Much of this data has been researched and collected by the author.

For that data, the author is responsible.  Other sources are cited as necessary.

 

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General 

Number of submarines commissioned:  663

Number of submarines named for:

            Fish: 364

            States: 21

            Cities: 61

            People: 51

            Animals other than fish: 40

Note: Total counts USS Texas

Number of submarines that carried only letter/number designators: 126

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Losses

Number of submarines lost: 65 (See explanation of criteria)

Number of submarines lost in declared war: 53

Number of ‘peacetime’ losses: 12

Number of submarines “lost” then raised and recommissioned: 2

 

Number of personnel lost with ship: 3882

Number lost in single or group incidents: 145

Total number lost: 4027

Officers lost: 420

Enlisted lost: 3607

 

 

Locations of lost boats:

Short answer:

Of the 65 submarines we have lost 53 wartime, 12 peacetime;  Ten (10) are still on the bottom and in known locations.  Six (6) have been salvaged and either reused or disposed of.  Twenty four (24) are lost in locations which if the reports of loss are accurate have known locations within about ten (10) nautical miles (radius).  The remaining twenty five (25) are in unknown locations. 

 

Longer answer:

The 10 boats that are in known locations:

1. F-1 (wartime) is 3 miles off Bird Rock (La Jolla, CA).  It was dived on by DSRV’s in 1995 and photographed.

2. S-5 is off the entrance to Delaware Bay.

3. O-9 is off Isle of Shoals near Portsmouth NH.

4. Grenadier (wartime) is in shallow water off Penang (Malasia) and may have been dived on although no verified reports have been made.

5. R-12 (wartime) is 12 miles off Key West and reportedly has been dived on.

6. Darter’s  (wartime) remains were still visible on Bombay Shoal as late as the late 1980s.

7. Lagarto’s (wartime) location has recently been verified and the boat dived upon.

8. Stickleback is in deep water off Pearl Harbor.

9. Thresher is off Isle of Shoals near Portsmouth NH and is regularly dived on.

10. Scorpion is in the mid Atlantic and in a known location and is regularly dived on.

11. Perch (wartime) is about 20 miles NW of Soerabaja, Java has been dived and identified.

12. Wahoo is in LaPerouse Strait and has been dived and identified.

 

 

Boats whose location is known within 10 nmi.  Most of these boats have not been physically located and the location is based on reports which may be and are most probably in error.  The 10nmi circle is where one would begin looking. Some locations may be known to locals, but not generally reported.

 

H-1 is in or near the entrance to Magdalena Bay, Mexico and its location was unofficially reported in 1996 with no confirmed sightings or dive reports since.

S-36 (wartime) grounded on Taka Bakang Reef in the Makassar Strait

S-26 (wartime) is 14 miles west of San Jose Light in the Gulf of Panama

S-27 (wartime) Grounded 400 yards of Amchitka Island near Constantine Harbor

S-39 (wartime)  Grounded off Rossel Island in the Louisande Archepellego.  It was widely reported as visible from the air in 1978.

The following wartime loss locations are based on US or Japanese reports the 10 nmi circle is based on that report.

Argonaut, Pickerel, Corvina, Capelin, Grayback, Herring, S-28, Golet, Growler, Robalo, Harder, Flier, Shark, Tang, Seawolf, Albacore, Bonefish.

 

The peacetime loss, Cochino’s location is known within the accuracy of the navagation position of Tusk.

 

The following boats were lost and salvaged as noted.

F-4 was raised, studied and buried in a trench off the north side of the submarine base at Pearl Harbor.

O-5 was raised and sold for scrapping.

S-51 was raised, studied and scrapped.

S-4 was raised recommissioned and used as a submarine rescue test platform before being scuttled off Pearl Harbor.

Squalus was raised refurbished and renamed Sailfish.

Sealion (wartime) was destroyed off Sangley Point by US Forces.  There were some reports that the Japanese had raised and studied the wreck.  Sold for scrapping in the late 1950s,  and scrapped.

 

The rest have location possibilities that are quite large and therefore are classified as unknown.

All are wartime:

Shark, Gunnion, Amberjack, Grampus, Triton, Runner, Pompano, Grayling, Cisco, S-44, Dorado, Sculpin, Scorpion, Trout, Tullibee, Gudgeon, Escolar, Scamp, Barbel, Swordfish, Kete, Trigger, Snook, Bullhead.

 

 

Number of personnel lost: 4023 (1900 to 2006)

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History

 

First operational submarine accepted into the Navy: Alligator (Submarine Propeller) 13 June 1862.

First operational submarine commissioned: Holland  11 October 1900

 

Oldest US Naval Submarine in existance: Intellegent Whale (dates from 1864)

 

 

World War I statistics:

Note: These only cover the period of US involvement in WWI, viz August 1917 to November 1918

Number of war patrols: 105

Number of submarines lost: 1

Number of personnel lost: 23

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World War II statistics: 

Note: These only cover the period of US involvement in WWII, viz 7 December 1941 to 2 September 1945.

 

At the beginning of WWII the US had 112 submarines in commission: (Note, Germany had 57 in September of 1939 when WWII started.)

 

Location of submarines on 7 December 1941:

USS O-2 (SS - 63)                          New London

USS O-3 (SS - 64)                          New London

USS O-4 (SS - 65)                          New London

USS O-6 (SS - 67)                          Portsmouth Navy Yard

USS O-7 (SS - 68)                          New London

USS O-8 (SS - 69)                          New London

USS O-10 (SS - 71)                        New London

USS R-1 (SS - 78)                           New London

USS R-2 (SS - 79)                           Key West

USS R-3 (SS - 80)                           New London

USS R-4 (SS - 81)                           Key West

USS R-5 (SS - 82)                           New London

USS R-6 (SS - 83)                           New London

USS R-7 (SS - 84)                           ASW Patrol between New London and Bermuda

USS R-9 (SS - 86)                           New London

USS R-10 (SS - 87)                         Key West

USS R-11 (SS - 88)                         Key West

USS R-12 (SS - 89)                         New London

USS R-13 (SS - 90)                         Key West

USS R-14 (SS - 91)                         Key West

USS R-15 (SS - 92)                         ASW Patrol between New London and Bermuda

USS R-16 (SS - 93)                         En Route New London to Key West

USS R-17 (SS - 94)                         New London

USS R-18 (SS - 95)                         New London

USS R-19 (SS - 96)                         New London

USS R-20 (SS - 97)                         Key West

USS S-1 (SS - 105)                         At Philadelphia

USS S-11 (SS - 116)                       At Coco Solo, PCZ

USS S-12 (SS - 117)                       At Coco Solo, PCZ

USS S-13 (SS - 118)                       At Coco Solo, PCZ (Operating area)

USS S-14 (SS - 119)                       At Coco Solo, PCZ (Operating area)

USS S-15 (SS - 120)                       At St. Thomas, AVI

USS S-16 (SS - 121)                       At St. Thomas, AVI

USS S-17 (SS - 122)                       At Coco Solo, PCZ (Operating area)

USS S-18 (SS - 123)                       Mare Island or San Diego (not clear)

USS S-20 (SS - 125)                       New London

USS S-21 (SS - 126)                       New London

USS S-22 (SS - 127)                       Overhaul Key West

USS S-23 (SS - 128)                       Mare Island or San Diego (not clear)

USS S-24 (SS - 129)                       At Coco Solo, PCZ (Operating area)

USS S-26 (SS - 131)                       En Route New London to Coco Solo, PCZ

USS S-27 (SS - 132)                       Overhaul Mare Island

USS S-28 (SS - 133)                       Overhaul Mare Island

USS S-29 (SS - 134)                       At Coco Solo, PCZ (Operating area)

USS S-30 (SS - 135)                       Out of New London, Operating along New England Coast

USS S-31 (SS - 136)                       Overhaul Philadelphia

USS S-32 (SS - 137)                       New London

USS S-33 (SS - 138)                       Operating off Newfoundland (New London Based)

USS S-34 (SS - 139)                       San Diego

USS S-35 (SS - 140)                       San Diego

USS S-36 (SS - 141)                       Lingayen Gulf

USS S-37 (SS - 142)                       On patrol outside Manila Bay

USS S-38 (SS - 143)                       On patrol outside Manila Bay

USS S-39 (SS - 144)                       In San Bernadino Straits

USS S-40 (SS - 145)                       In Manila Bay

USS S-41 (SS - 146)                       In Manila Bay

USS S-42 (SS - 153)                       En Route Bermuda to Coco Solo

USS S-43 (SS - 154)                       Argentia, Newfoundland

USS S-44 (SS - 155)                       Overhaul Philadelphia

USS S-45 (SS - 156)                       Bermuda

USS S-46 (SS - 157)                       Bermuda

USS S-47 (SS - 158)                       Argentia, Newfoundland

USS S-48 (SS - 159)                       New London

USS Barracuda  V-1 (SS - 163)     Enroute New London to Panama

USS Bass  V-2 (SS - 164)              At Coco Solo, PCZ

USS Bonita  V-3 (SS - 165)           At Coco Solo, PCZ

USS Argonaut V-4 (SS - 166)      On patrol off Midway

USS Narwhal V-5 (SS - 167)         Pearl Harbor

USS Nautilus  V-6 (SS - 168)        Overhaul Mare Island

USS Dolphin  V-7 (SS - 169)        Pearl Harbor

USS Cachalot  V-8 (SS - 170)       Pearl Harbor

USS Cuttlefish  V-9 (SS - 171)     Overhaul Mare Island

USS Porpoise (SS - 172)               In Subic Bay

USS Pike (SS - 173)                       In Manila Bay

USS Shark (SS - 174)                     In Manila Bay

USS Tarpon (SS - 175)                  In Manila Bay

USS Perch (SS - 176)                     In Manila Bay

USS Pickerel (SS - 177)                 In Manila Bay

USS Permit (SS - 178)                    In Manila Bay

USS Plunger (SS - 179)                 125 Miles NE Oahu, transit Mare Island to Pearl Harbor

USS Pollack (SS - 180)                  125 Miles NE Oahu, transit Mare Island to Pearl Harbor

USS Pompano (SS - 181)              125 Miles NE Oahu, transit Mare Island to Pearl Harbor

USS Salmon (SS - 182)                  In Manila Bay

USS Seal (SS - 183)                       In Manila Bay

USS Skipjack (SS - 184)                In Manila Bay

USS Snapper (SS - 185)                In Manila Bay

USS Stingray (SS - 186)                In Manila Bay

USS Sturgeon (SS - 187)              At Manila

USS Sargo (SS - 188)                    In Manila Bay

USS Saury (SS - 189)                    In Manila Bay

USS Spearfish (SS - 190)              In Manila Bay

USS Sculpin (SS - 191)                 In Manila Bay

USS Sailfish (SS - 192)                  In Manila Bay

USS Swordfish (SS - 193)             In Manila Bay

USS Seadragon (SS - 194)            In Manila Bay

USS Sealion (SS - 195)                  In Manila Bay

USS Searaven (SS - 196)              In Manila Bay

USS Seawolf (SS - 197)                 In Manila Bay

USS Tambor (SS - 198)                 North of Guam

USS Tautog (SS - 199)                  Pearl Harbor

USS Thresher (SS - 200)               50 Miles NW Oahu, enroute Midway to Pearl Harbor

USS Triton (SS - 201)                    South of Guam

USS Trout (SS - 202)                     On patrol off Midway

USS Tuna (SS - 203)                     Overhaul Mare Island

USS Mackerel (SS - 204)              New London

USS Marlin (SS - 205)                   New London

USS Gar (SS - 206)                         Enroute Panama to Pearl Harbor

USS Grampus (SS - 207)               PSA Portsmouth NH

USS Drum (SS – 228)                    Outfitting Portsmouth NH

USS Grayback (SS - 208)              Refit Portsmouth NH

USS Grayling (SS - 209)                Enroute Panama to San Diego

USS Grenadier (SS - 210)              Refit Portsmouth NH

USS Gudgeon (SS - 211)              Lahina Roads

 

 

Number of submarines making patrols: 288 Source; Roscoe; “Submarine Operations in WWII”

Number of patrols made:

            Total: 1692: (SORG)

            Atlantic: 86 (Blair, “Silent Victory”)

            Pacific: 1606 (SORG minus Blair)

Number of ‘successful patrols: 1059

 

Number lost: (all causes) 52

Number lost in combat operations: 48

Number lost due to enemy action: 41

 

 

Average strength of force: 14,750

Number of personnel lost: 374 officers (375 officers (Blair, “Silent Victory”)) and 3131 men.  Note: this does not count all the personnel lost in single or small group incidents.  Source; Roscoe; “Submarine Operations in WWII”

Author’s count : 3523

                                   

Number of merchant ships sunk:

1178 (total: 5,053,491 tons) Source; Roscoe; “Submarine Operations in WWII”

(total 5,320,094 tons) (Blair, “Silent Victory”)

Number of warships sunk 214 (577,626) Source; Roscoe; “Submarine Operations in WWII”

Number of submarine Commanding Officers who commanded combat patrols: 465 (Blair, “Silent Victory”)

 

Number of aviators rescued: 504 Source; Roscoe; “Submarine Operations in WWII”

 

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Cold War

To be added

 

Strategic Deterrent Program.

Regulus Patrols: 39

Number of submarines:

            Polaris/Poseidon: 41 (note some of these were carried early Trident missiles)

            Trident: 14

Total Patrols:

Number of submarines cut apart to for initial Polaris Conversion: 1

 

 

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War on Terror

To be added