USS USS S-36 SS 141

USS S-36 SS 141 S-1 Class

January 20, 1942. Ran aground. No loss of life.

From: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships

S-36
SS-141
Displacement:
Surfaced: 854 t.
Submerged: 1,062 t.
Length: 219'3"
Beam: 20'8"
Draft: 15'11" (mean)
Speed:
Surfaced: 14.5 k.
Submerged: 11 k.
Complement: 42
Armament: 1 4"; 4 21" torpedo tubes
Class: S-1

S-36 was the first submarine lost from grounding during the Pacific War. On her second patrol, after completing a successful attack on a small transport moored at Calapan Harbor, Mindoro, in the Philippines, on January 1, 1942, she was en route to Soerabaja, Java. On January 20, 1942, she ran aground on Taka Bakang Reef in Makassar Strait. The crew struggled to save S-36 for over 24 hours to no avail. A request for assistance was sent on the morning of January 21st, and a Dutch launch, the Attla, was dispatched from Makassar City. By noon, the launch had taken off most of the officers and men of S-36. At 1330, the fight and the submarine were abandoned. The last to leave left her rigged to flood. Later that afternoon, the remaining crew transferred to the Dutch ship SS Siberote, which took them to Makassar City. All hands reached Soerabaja on February 25, 1942, and were reassigned.