About Revisions S-37 (SS-142) San Diego, Imperial Beach, CA More Info Max Depth: 26-30ft/8-9m Average Viz: 11-15ft/3-5m Entry Type: Boat Bottom Composition: Sand 5/04/2011 1:47 PM

S-37 (SS-142) was laid down on December 12, 1918 by the Union Iron Works, San Francisco and launched on June 20, 1919. However, by the time of her launch, the first world war was long over and it wasn’t until July 16, 1923 that she received her first commission. She carried a crew of 42 and was armed with one 4" deck gun and four 21" torpedo tubes.


After fitting out at Mare Island, she departed San Francisco and joined Submarine Division 17 at San Pedro on August 1 and conducted exercises off the coast of Southern California. On 10 October, she was badly damaged by an explosion in the after battery compartment which killed three crew men. The S-37 returned to Mare Island for repairs and by mid-December, returned to San Pedro. After transiting the Panama Canal and conducting exercises in the Caribbean, she returned to San Francisco to prepare to cross the Pacific. After a short stop at Pearl Harbor, the S-37 reached Manila Bay on November 4. For the next 16 years, the S-37 and the rest of SubDiv 17 worked out of the harbor of Cavite in the Philippines.


On December 8 1941 (Philippine Time), the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, prompting her to venture out on her first war patrol the next day. She was assigned to patrol the Philippine Islands and latter Java in the following months.


Click here to read full description at http://www.cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/S37.htm