USS S-37 (SS-142)
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USS S-37
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| History | |
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| Name: | USS S-37 |
| Builder: | Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California. |
| Laid down: | 12 December 1918 |
| Launched: | 20 June 1919 |
| Commissioned: | 16 July 1923 |
| Decommissioned: | 6 February 1945 |
| Struck: | 23 February 1945 |
| Fate: | Broke tow and sank en route to be used a bombing target 20 February 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | S-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | |
| Beam: | 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m) |
| Draft: | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Propulsion: | |
| Speed: |
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| Range: | 168 tons oil fuel |
| Complement: | 42 officers and men |
| Armament: |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: | United States Asiatic Fleet |
| Victories: | Natsushio |
| Awards: | 5 Battle stars |
USS S-37 (SS-142) was an S-class submarine of the United States Navy. Her keel was laid down on 12 December 1918 by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California. She was launched on 20 June 1919 sponsored by Miss Mildred Bulger, and commissioned on 16 July 1923 with Lieutenant Paul R. Glutting in command.
After fitting out at Mare Island, S-37 departed San Francisco Bay at the end of July and joined Submarine Division (SubDiv) 17 at San Pedro, California, on 1 August. During that month, September, and into October, she conducted exercises and tests off the southern California coast.
On the afternoon of 10 October, while recharging her batteries in the harbor at San Pedro, California, S-37 was rocked by an explosion in the after battery compartment. Two men were killed as dense black smoke and gas fumes filled the flame and arc-lit room. Extensive material damage added to the difficulty of rescue operations, but three men were extracted from the compartment, one of whom died of his injuries before medical help arrived. Two of the rescuers were seriously injured. One of the enlisted men killed in the explosion was Virgil L. Dean of Huntington, West Virginia.
Once it was determined no one remained alive in the compartment, the compartment was sealed to cut off the supply of oxygen to the fire. However, by 0500 the next morning, so much pressure had increased in the compartment it forced the main hatch open. The compartment was re-sealed for another five hours, but when it was opened at 1030, the fire reflashed. The crew shut the hatch again for another hour. At 1130, the compartment was successfully ventilated and cooled enough to allow the crew to enter safely. Temporary repairs completed on 25 October, and S-37 headed to Mare Island for permanent repairs. On 19 December, she returned to duty at San Pedro, California.
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