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| USN Porpoise-class submarine 1,337 Tons (standard) 2,000 Tons (submerged) 287' x 25' .75" x 13' 9" 6 x 21" torpedo tubes (4 forward, 2 stern) with 16 torpedoes 1 x 4" 50 cal deck gun 2 x .30 cal MG  USN circa 1930s  USN circa 1930s |
Sinking History Built by Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut. Laid down October 24, 1933 as a Porpoise-class submarine. Launched May 21, 1935 as USS Shark (SS-174) named for the Shark as the fifth ship in the Navy with the name sponsored by Miss Ruth Ellen Lonergan, 12-year-old daughter of U.S. Senator Augustine Lonergan (D-CT). Commissioned January 25, 1936 in the U.S. Navy (USN) and underwent a shakedown cruise in the North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea then transits the Panama Canal. On March 4, 1937 arrives San Diego assigned to Submarine Squadron 6 (SubRon 6). For the next year and a half conducts training then overhauled at Mare Island Navy Yard on Mare Island. On December 16, 1938 departs San Diego bound for Pearl Harbor and assigned to Submarine Squadron 4 (SubRon 4) and operates off Hawaii for the next two years. Marked "P3" in white on the bow and conning tower. On December 3, 1940 departs Pearl Harbor bound for Manila and assigned to the Asiatic Fleet until the start of the Pacific War. First War Patrol On December 9, 1941 departs Manila on a patrol of Tayabas Bay. On December 19, 1941 ordered to return to Manila and was held in readiness to evacuate the U.S. Navy senior staff from the Philippines to establish new Asiatic Fleet headquarters in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI). On December 25, 1941 embarks Rear Admiral Francis W. Rockwell, Commander-in-Chief, Asiatic Fleet and his senior staff to Soerabaja (Surabaja) on Java. Second War Patrol On January 5, 1942 departs Soerabaja under the command of commanded of LtCdr Louis Shane, Jr. on her second war patrol. On January 6, 1942 Shark was almost hit by a torpedo from an Imperial Japanese Navy submarine. A few days later, she was ordered to Ambon Island where a Japanese invasion was expected and to operate with Dutch submarines. On January 27, 1942 directed to join other submarines patrolling the Molucca Passage, then to cover the passage east of Lifamatola and the Bangka Strait. On February 2, 1942 Shark arrives Soerabaja after being depth charged 12 miles off Tifore Island and had failed to sink a Japanese ship during a torpedo attack. On February 7, 1942 chases an empty cargo vessel to the northwest. Afterwards, no further communications were received from Shark. On February 8, 1942 ordered to Makassar Strait and to report information without any acknowledgment. On March 7, 1942 reported as presumed lost to unknown causes. Officially struck from the Naval Vessel Register on June 24, 1942. Sinking History On February 11, 1942 at 1:37am while operating off Menado, this submarine was believed to be sunk by destroyer Yamakaze that opened fire with her 127mm guns on a surfaced submarines and claimed it as sunk. Shark was the first U.S. submarine sunk by Japanese anti-submarine efforts. Fates of the Crew The entire crew of 56 were lost. After the sinking, the crew of Yamakaze claimed to hear voices in the sea but did not stop to rescue any of them. Awards For her World War II service, Shark earned one battle star. Memorials The entire crew earned the Purple Heart, posthumously. All are officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). All are memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. On October 17, 1943 Balao-class submarine USS Shark (SS-314) was launched, the next ship with the name. The entire crew is also memorialized at the U.S.S. Shark SS-174 Memorial in Muskogee, OK. Shane also has a memorial marker at Angel Hill Cemetery in Havre de Grace, MD References Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Shark I (SS 174) Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - US Navy Submarines Losses, Selected Accidents, and Selected Incidents of Damage Resulting from Enemy Action, Chronological Shark (SS-174) Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) - Casualties: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, Sunk or Damaged Beyond Repair during World War II, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945 "USS Shark (SS-174) probably sunk by Japanese destroyer Yamakaze east of Menado, Celebes, 11 February 1942." NavSource - Shark (SS-174) On Eternal Patrol - USS Shark (SS-174) American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Louis Shane Jr. FindAGrave - LCDR Louis Shane Jr. (photos, tablets of the missing) FindAGrave - LCDR Louis Shane Jr. (USS Shark SS-174 Memorial) FindAGrave - LCDR Louis Shane Jr. (memorial marker) Contribute
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