USS S - 32 ( SS - 137 ) USS " S - 32 " ( SS - 137 ) was an " S " - class submarine of the United States Navy . " S - 32 " was laid down on 12 April 1918 by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco , California . She was launched on 11 January 1919 sponsored by Miss Margaret Tynan , and commissioned on 15 June 1922 with Lieutenant Edward E . Hazlett , Jr . , in command . Soon after commissioning , " S - 32 " , assigned to Submarine Division 17 and homeported at San Pedro , California , was ordered to New London , Connecticut . She was decommissioned there on 25 September 1922 and , after engineering alterations by the prime contractor , the Electric Boat Company , and the engineering sub - contractor , the New London Ship and Engine Company , she was recommissioned on 21 February 1923 . Temporary duty with Division 11 then took her south to the Caribbean Sea and the Panama Canal Zone for winter exercises with the Fleet , after which she rejoined the S - boat s of her division , now designated Division 16 , and returned to San Pedro . During the summer of 1923 , she participated in cold weather exercises in the Aleutian Islands . In the fall , she resumed local operations off southern California and that winter , she returned to the Canal Zone . In April 1924 , she moved back to San Pedro , whence she operated into 1925 . Early that year , however , her division was transferred to the Asiatic Fleet and its submarines shifted to Mare Island to prepare for the trans - Pacific crossing . On 15 April 1925 , " S - 32 " departed San Francisco , California , for the Philippines . She arrived at Cavite in mid - summer and through the winter of 1926 conducted local exercises in the Luzon area . That spring , she deployed to the China coast , conducting exercises both en route to and from her summer base , the former German base at Tsingtao . Overhaul followed her September return to the Philippines and completed an annual employment schedule which she maintained for the next six years . In 1932 , Division 16 was ordered back to the eastern Pacific Ocean . " S - 32 " departed Manila Bay on 2 May and , at the end of the month , arrived at Pearl Harbor , her homeport for the next five years . In June 1937 , she sailed for the East Coast . In August , she reported for inactivation at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , and , on 7 December , she was decommissioned and berthed at League Island . World War II . Within two years , however , World War II had begun in Europe . Hostilities soon extended across the Atlantic ; and , in the summer of 1940 , " S - 32 " began activation . Recommissioned on 18 September 1940 and assigned to Division 52 , " S - 32 " conducted trials out of New London through November and , in December , proceeded to the Panama Canal Zone , whence she operated until April 1941 . She then returned to New London but , toward the end of April , moved south again , to Bermuda . Through May , she patrolled and conducted training exercises out of the base at St . George , Bermuda , that had been acquired in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement of 2 September 1940 . In late June , she resumed exercises out of New London . In September , she moved down to Philadelphia for an overhaul and , by December , she was back in Connecticut . With 1942 , however , she received orders back to Panama . First , Second , and Third War Patrols . She arrived at Coco Solo in February . During the spring , she conducted two defensive patrols in the Pacific approaches to the Panama Canal and , in June , she proceeded to San Diego , California , en route to the Aleutians . In early July , she arrived at Dutch Harbor ; and , on 7 July , she departed that Unalaska base on her first offensive war patrol . She patrolled the fog - covered waters of the Rat Islands and Oglala passes into August , then shifted to an area north of Attu , returning to Dutch Harbor on 10 July . Fourth War Patrol . Twelve days later , she departed on her fourth war patrol . Moving westward , she hunted in the Japanese traffic lanes between Kiska and Attu during the first week of the patrol . On 28 July , leaks developed in the after trim tank , but were compensated for by placing nine tons of water in the forward trim tanks . Although this meant that space was left to accommodate water for only one torpedo reload , depth control was regained , and with fuel suction shifted forward , reload capability slowly improved . On 29 August , she was off Amchitka to check for enemy shipping in sheltered areas on that island ' s north coast ; then , on 31 August , she headed east to cover the Allied occupation of Adak . On 14 September , she returned to the junction of Rat Island and Oglala passes where she continued her patrol for another six days . On 20 September , she headed for Dutch Harbor . Fifth War Patrol . Arriving on 23 September , " S - 32 " departed again on 8 October . During a trim dive , a fuel discrepancy , caused by the presence of water in the line during fueling at Dutch Harbor , was discovered . On 12 October , the S - boat ran out of reserve fuel in the number - three main ballast tank . The discrepancy was approximately 9000 gallons , but " S - 32 " continued west , into the Kuril Islands . On 17 October , she arrived off Paramushiro and , that evening , she took up station off the southeast coast of the island to patrol the entrances to Musashi Wan and Onekotan Strait . On the morning of 18 October , she sighted two ships at anchor in Musashi Wan , and , after a periscope check disclosed no other ships in the area , she began working her way to an attack position west or southwest of the targets . Moving slowly , with short and infrequent periscope exposures , through the calm and poorly charted bay , she went up for a final check at 10 : 23 . While looking , she struck an uncharted sand bar . The S - boat , her tubes ready for firing , angled up 10 degrees . Her depth gauge showed . During the next few seconds she slid over the bar , apparently showing periscope shears , bow , and , possibly , the whole bridge structure ; then , over the bar , she took a down angle at high speed . At 10 : 25 , she fired . Two torpedoes set at six feet , were sent against each of the targets . On firing the fourth and final " fish " , she changed course and maneuvered at high speed toward the open sea . Two explosions were heard as she cleared the immediate area . At 10 : 45 , she came to periscope depth to observe the damage . One of the targets was afire amidships and had settled somewhat ; she was anchored in shallow water and might have been resting on the bottom . The second target was obscured by the first . " S - 32 " went to and proceeded out of the bay . At 12 : 05 , she resumed her patrol east out of Onekotan Strait . That evening , she turned toward the Aleutians ; and , on 27 October , she arrived at Dutch Harbor . From Dutch Harbor , " S - 32 " returned to San Diego . Overhaul followed her 11 November arrival ; and , from 21 – 25 December , she tested newly installed equipment : a fathometer , radar , and keel - mounted sound gear . From 28 December 1942 to 26 January 1943 , she provided services to the West Coast Sound School , and on 6 February , she headed north toward Dutch Harbor . Sixth War Patrol . " S - 32 " departed Unalaska on her sixth war patrol on 25 February . En route to her assigned station off Attu , she encountered very rough seas , strong winds , rain , mist , and fog . On 26 February , rolling was measured as much as 65 degrees to starboard . Progress west was slow , but , on 1 March , she set a course toward Holtz Bay to check for enemy shipping . The next day , heavy mist and fog hindered her reconnaissance of Stellar Cove ; and she turned to the coastal shipping lanes to intercept enemy traffic between Cape Wrangell and Holtz Bay . The entrances to the latter , to Chichagof Harbor , and to Sarana Bay , however were her primary hunting grounds . On the night of 9 March , off Holtz Bay , she attacked and damaged an enemy destroyer , then underwent a brief depth charging . Leaks caused by the depth charging were minimized , and " S - 32 " continued her patrol . Four nights later , on 13 March , seventeen miles ( 27 km ) north of Holtz Bay , she attacked an enemy submarine which was lying to on the surface with her engines smoking . At 20 : 59 , the S - boat launched two torpedoes at ten - second intervals at the enemy . At 21 : 00 , she went deep , and as she passed , one torpedo exploded . At 21 : 20 , " S - 32 " came to periscope depth , but the fog had closed in . The target was no longer visible . On the afternoon of 15 March , a second submarine was sighted . The weather , for the first time , was " perfect for a periscope approach . " At 17 : 27 , " S - 32 " fired a three - torpedo spread , estimated range ; track angle favorable . About two and a half minutes later , a muffled explosion was heard in the torpedo room . No explosion was heard by the control party . The S - boat went to periscope depth . Smoke was pouring skyward from the enemy ' s conning tower . A photograph was taken of the scene as the damaged target headed for the nearest beach . At 17 : 36 , however , the enemy disappeared from view . Sound reported that the enemy ' s screws had stopped . " S - 32 " departed the Attu area early on the morning of 17 March . On 20 March , she moored at Dutch Harbor and , nine days later , she again sailed west . En route to Attu , cold weather caused icing on the superstructure , but the seas remained fairly calm and the sun was occasionally visible . On 3 April , however , as she approached Attu , more normal Aleutian weather closed in . From then to 16 April , snow and rain storms were almost continuous , seas were rough , winds were strong , and periods of sunlight were limited . At 01 : 57 on 10 April , while patrolling on a north - south line out of Holtz Bay , " S - 32 " picked up a target on radar , some away . Ten minutes later , a second smaller ship was detected ahead of the first target . Five minutes after the appearance of the second ship on the screen , the first ship was sighted , range about . " S - 32 " launched four torpedoes . Two very loud explosions were heard and were followed by distant rumblings . At 0219 , at a range of just over , all traces of the ships disappeared from the screen . Seventh War Patrol . On 16 April , " S - 32 " set a course for Dutch Harbor . On 20 April , she arrived and commenced refit . On 4 May , she again sailed west . En route to the Kurils , she patrolled across possible Japanese reinforcement routes to Kiska and Attu , but almost zero visibility during the passage hindered hunting . On 12 May , she entered her assigned area off Paramushiro . The next day , she obtained her first fix , off Onekotan , and commenced patrolling across the approaches to Onekotan Strait and Musashi Wan . Visibility remained poor ; seas were rough . Her radar , which had gone out of commission on 11 May , functioned improperly throughout her short time on station . On 15 May , the port main motor armature developed a zero resistance to ground . Repeated repair attempts failed , and the motor was secured . " S - 32 " turned back toward Unalaska and moored at Dutch Harbor on 23 May . Decommissioning . On 27 May , the submarine departed the Aleutians for the last time ; and , on 6 June , she arrived at San Diego , where she provided training services for the remainder of World War II . Then designated for inactivation , she arrived at San Francisco on 13 September 1945 and was decommissioned at Mare Island on 19 October . Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 November 1945 , and her hulk was sold for scrapping to the Learner Company of Oakland , California , in May 1946 .