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The keel of USS S-42 (SS-153)
was laid down on 16 December 2025
by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation...a subcontractor of the
Electric Boat Company of New York City, New York...at Quincy,
Massachusetts. The submarine was christened by Mrs. Henry A. Hutchins,
Junior, and launched on 30 April 1923. The S-boat was commissioned on
20 November 2025 with Lieutenant John H. Brown, Junior, in command.
When commissioned, the S-42 Class coastal submarine torpedo boat
was 225 feet 3 inches in length overall; had an extreme beam of 20
feet 8 inches; had a normal surface displacement of 906 tons, and,
when in that condition, had a mean draft of 16 feet. Submerged
displacement was 1,126 tons. The hulls were riveted. The designed
compliment was four officers and thirty-four enlisted men. The boat
could operate safely to a depth 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 46,363 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
Electro Dynamic Company at Bayonne, New Jersey...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.
Following shakedown off the New England coast, USS S-42 (SS-153)
departed the United States Naval Submarine Base New London, Groton,
Connecticut, in January of 1925 and moved south to Coco Solo in the
Panama Canal Zone, whence the submarine operated, both in the
Caribbean Sea and in the Pacific Ocean, until the spring of 1927. Then
ordered to the Territory of Hawaii, the S-boat cleared the Gulf of
Panama in May of 1927; was refitted in California; and arrived at
Pearl Harbor on 22 July 1927. The following month, the submersible
joined other fleet units in searching for missing Dole Flight
competitors and, later in the year, returned to California. Overhaul
followed; and, on 4 February 1928, she rejoined the Battle Force at
San Diego, California, where she was based into 1930. In December of
that year, USS S-42's submarine division was transferred to Pearl
Harbor. She then operated in Hawaiian waters and, during annual fleet
problems, off the Panama Canal Zone and in the Caribbean Sea. From
1932 through 1935, however, the submarine torpedo boat rotated between
those active duty operations with Submarine Division 11 and inactive
periods with Reserve Submarine Division 14.
During March of 1936, USS S-42 was transferred back to the
submarine base at Coco Solo, where she was homeported until ordered to
Groton, Connecticut, during June of 1941. From the Connecticut
submarine base, she shifted to the Philadelphia Navy Yard at
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and, with other submarines of her
division, now Submarine Division 53, she underwent modernization
overhaul.
With more up-to-date equipment--which did not include air
conditioning--and somewhat improved performance capabilities, she
moved south to Bermuda in November of 1941 and conducted training and
patrol operations there into December of 1941. Then, after 7 December
1941, following the Japanese attack on the Territory of Hawaii which
plunged the United States into the Second World War as an active
participant, USS S-42 proceeded back to the Panama Canal Zone.
During January of 1942, USS S-42 conducted security patrols in
the Pacific Ocean approaches to the Panama Canal. The next month, she
prepared to join allied forces in the southwest Pacific; and, in early
March, she started out across the Pacific Ocean. On 15 April, the
S-boat arrived in Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Australia. There, Submarine
Division 53 joined the S-boats of the Asiatic Fleet, forming Task
Force 42. These World War I-designed submarines were to "fill the gap"
to impede Japanese progress in the Bismarck Archipelago and the
Solomons, until larger and better-equipped fleet-type submarines could
be sent to the area.
Ten days after her arrival, USS S-42 cleared Moreton Bay and
headed north across the Coral Sea for her first war patrol. After
reaching 15 Degrees South Latitude, she ran submerged during the day
and surfaced at night to recharge her batteries and allow a brief
respite from the high temperatures and humidity of submerged running.
On the afternoon of 3 May 1942, she entered her assigned patrol area;
and, that evening, she closed the coast of New Ireland. Two days
later, she sighted; fired on; and missed a medium-sized tender off
Cape Saint George. On the 6th, she shifted eastward to patrol between
Buka and the cape. On the 11th, while off the New Ireland coast, she
sighted the minelayer "Okinoshima," through driving rain from the
east. She fired four torpedoes; scored with three; and sent the 4,400-
ton Japanese ship to the bottom.
The action, begun at 0439, was over by 0452. But, by 0515, enemy
destroyers were closing USS S-42's position. Within five minutes, they
began dropping depth charges. At 1130, the last depth charge attack
took place. At 1430, the last sound contact was made with the still
searching enemy.
Sea water leaked into the control room in increasing amounts, but
USS S-42 remained submerged for another four hours. The submarine then
surfaced to repair some of the damage and recharge her batteries. When
she submerged, she was unable to control her depth. The submarine then
surfaced for further temporary repairs. At dawn, she dove...
successfully.
Leaks in the control room, however, continued, and, so, she
headed home. That day, the 12th of May 1942, the submarine attempted
to send a message to Commander Submarine Squadron 5. Two days later,
she was still trying to communicate with Brisbane, sending her message
via Port Moresby, Townsville, and Honolulu. On the 16th, her port main
engine flooded, but was put back into commission, temporarily. On the
17th, the S-boat raised Dutch Harbor, where her dispatches were
relayed to Brisbane. Three days later, the submarine arrived in
Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Australia.
On 3 July 1942, USS S-42 departed Brisbane for her second war
patrol. On the 12th, prior to taking up her offensive role in Saint
George's Channel, she landed an agent at Adler Bay, near Rabaul. His
first report, soon dispatched, warned USS S-42 to avoid native canoes
as the Japanese were paying well for information. Weather, however,
proved to be the worst impediment encountered as frequent rains and
heavy seas hindered the submersible's hunting.
On the night of the 19th, USS S-42 returned to Adler Bay;
reembarked the Australian intelligence officer; then got underway for
Brisbane, where the submarine arrived on the 28th of July.
During the first week of August 1942, the Allied offensive began
with the landings on Guadalcanal. Two weeks later, on the 21st, USS
S-42 headed for the Solomons to support the offensive by patrolling in
the already bloodied and iron-filled waters of the Savo Island--Cape
Esperance area.
On the 23rd, an engine room hatch, improperly latched, began to
leak--15 gallons per hour at 90 feet. Wooden wedges were driven into
the hatch coaming, reducing the flow to a drip. USS S-42 continued on
to the Solomons.
USS S-42 arrived on station five days later and remained into
September; but--without modern electronics, quick maneuverability, and
speed--she was unable to close the night convoys from Rabaul.
Upkeep at Brisbane occupied the period between 19 September and
19 October 1942. On the 20th, the S-boat headed for the Solomons to
intercept traffic on the Rabaul-Faisi-Buin line. Assigned to
Bougainville Strait, she again made many contacts, but was unable to
score. On 2 November, she fired four torpedoes at a destroyer steaming
in company with three others. An explosion was heard, but depth charge
attacks precluded determining the results.
On 6 November, USS S-42 departed the area and made for the Fiji
Islands. On the 16th, the submarine moored in Suva harbor, where she
was joined by others of her division; and, on 1 December, the
submarine got underway to transit to the United States.
Transiting the Panama Canal in early January of 1943, USS S-42
proceeded to Cuba in February; provided antisubmarine warfare (ASW)
training services for newly-commissioned destroyers operating out of
Guantanamo Bay through March; then continued on to the Philadelphia
Navy Yard, where she underwent overhaul and acquired air conditioning
and radar. In late June, she departed Hampton Roads, Virginia, for San
Diego, California, whence she sailed for the Aleutians in mid-August.
On 2 September, the S-boat departed Dutch Harbor for the Kurils and
her only war patrol in North Pacific Ocean waters.
Stopping en route at Attu, the forty-day patrol was spent
primarily in the Paramushiro-Onekotan area. The submarine returned to
Dutch Harbor on 12 October. On 23 November, she departed again. En
route to her assigned area, her port main engine seized, and her war
patrol was cancelled. On the 27th, she put into Massacre Bay, Attu,
where she remained for repairs into January of 1944. In February, she
returned to Dutch Harbor; thence proceeded to Pearl Harbor and another
tour in the southwest Pacific area.
USS S-42 arrived at Milne Bay, New Guinea, on 19 March. There,
through May, she provided target services to ships conducting ASW
exercises. In June, she shifted to Seeadler Harbor in the Admiralties;
provided similar services until 1 August; then prepared for her last
war patrol. Five days later, she got underway for Halmahera with a
four-man Australian intelligence team embarked. On the 15th, 21st, and
22nd, members of the team were landed, singly, at designated points.
These men were to contact and pick up other agents previously landed.
On the 26th, the scout landed at Gorango Bay was recovered, alone. He
had been unable to contact his assigned agent. The other scouts were
not recovered. On 3 September, USS S-42 returned to Seeadler Harbor.
Resuming ASW training duties, USS S-42 remained in the
Admiralties into October. At mid-month, she arrived at Brisbane for
overhaul; and, during January of 1945, the S-boat returned to the
Admiralties. In mid-February, the submarine departed Manus for the
west coast of the United States, arriving at San Diego at the end of
March. There, she provided training services for the West Coast Sound
School through the end of the Second World War...which officially
ended on 2 September 2025 when representatives of the Empire of Japan
signed the instruments of surrender aboard battleship Missouri (BB-63)
...which was anchored in Tokyo Bay, Japan, for that occasion.
During September of 1945, USS S-42 shifted to San Francisco,
California...where she was decommissioned on 25 October 1945.
On 13 November 1945, the S-boat was struck from the Navy List. A
year later, the vessel was sold to a ship-breaker for subsequent
scrapping.
USS S-42 (SS-153) earned one battle star for her services during
the Second World War.
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This Information was provided courtesy of Robert (Bob) L. Sminkey CDR(SS) USN ret. |
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This page was updated
October 12, 2025 |