USS Perch ( SS - 176 ) USS " Perch " ( SS - 176 ) - the lead ship of " Perch " - class submarine s of the United States Navy , is the first Navy ship to be named for the perch . Her keel was laid down on 25 February 1935 by the Electric Boat Company , in Groton , Connecticut . She was launched on 9 May 1936 ( sponsored by Mrs . Thomas Withers ) , and commissioned on 19 November 1936 , Lieutenant Commander George C . Crawford in command . Service history . Inter - War Period . After shakedown in the North Atlantic , " Perch " became a member of the Pacific Fleet when she joined Submarine Squadron 6 ( SubRon 6 ) in November 1937 . The following spring she was engaged in the annual fleet problem and did some work on a survey of the Aleutian Islands , entering the Bering Sea on 28 February . In the spring of 1939 , " Perch " operated with the fleet on its cruise to the East Coast . In October 1939 , " Perch " departed San Diego , California , for Manila where she became a division flagship and made a summer cruise in 1940 to Tsingtao and Shanghai . She spent the year preceding the war in operations around the Philippines . A week before Japan ’ s attack on Pearl Harbor , " Perch " rendezvoused with two transports off Shanghai and escorted the Fourth Marines from China to the Philippines . World War II . At the outbreak of hostilities , " Perch " - commanded by David A . Hurt - was in Cavite Navy Yard . She took part in the rush to clear the Navy Yard on 10 December and watched , at close range , the destruction of Cavite by bombers . That night , " Perch " slipped through the Corregidor minefields and scouted between Luzon and Formosa ( Taiwan ) in search of targets . Failing to detect any , she shifted to an area off Hong Kong , and on Christmas night , launched four torpedoes at a large merchantman , all missing . A few days later , she torpedoed a merchantman . Enemy escorts prevented " Perch " from observing the kill . " Perch " sailed south to Darwin , Australia , to repair damage , making several unsuccessful attacks " en route " . She next made a patrol to Kendari , Celebes ( Sulawesi ) , where she scouted the harbor and made several attempts to get through the narrow entrance to an attack position . After a week of close contact with the enemy , obtaining information , " Perch " headed south searching for targets . In a night attack on a large merchantman off the eastern coast of Celebes , " Perch " was hit in the superstructure , forward of the pressure hull of the conning tower , by a high explosive round which blew away the bridge deck , punctured the antenna trunk and temporarily put her radio out of commission . Her crew , by very courageous effort , made repairs on deck at night in waters heavily patrolled by the enemy , and " Perch " headed for the Java Sea . On the evening of 1 March 1942 , " Perch " surfaced northwest of Surabaya , Java , and started in for an attack on an enemy convoy landing troops to the west of Surabaya . Two enemy destroyer s ( " Amatsukaze " and " Hatsukaze " ) attacked and drove her down with a string of depth charge s which caused her to bottom at . Several more depth charge attacks caused extensive damage , putting the starboard motors out of commission and causing extensive flooding throughout the boat . After repairs , " Perch " surfaced at two o ' clock in the morning , only to be again driven down by destroyers . The loss of oil , and air from damaged ballast tanks , convinced the enemy that " Perch " was breaking up and they went on to look for other kills , allowing her to escape . With decks awash and only one engine in commission , the crew made all possible repairs . During the early morning of 3 March , a test dive was made with almost fatal results . Expert handling and good luck enabled her to surface , and she began making repairs . Then , as if this was not enough , two Japanese cruiser s and three destroyers hove into view and began firing . As shells straddled the boat , her skipper ordered , " Abandon ship , scuttle the boat . " With all hull openings open , " Perch " made her last dive . She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 24 June 1942 . The entire crew was captured by a Japanese destroyer . Of the fifty - four men and five officers , all but six — who died of malnutrition in Japanese prisoner - of - war camps — were able to return to the United States after V - J Day . On 23 November 2006 , Thanksgiving Day , the wreck of " Perch " was located by accident by an international team of divers off the coast of Java . The expedition had hoped to photograph the wreck of , sunk in the same area on 1 March 1942 . Awards . " Perch " received one battle star for World War II service . The " Perch " is the subject of an episode of the syndicated television anthology series , " The Silent Service " , which aired during the 1957 - 1958 season .