Wreck of USS Sculpin (SS-191)

Laid down in 1937 as the 4th member of the Sargo Class of Submarines, the USS Sculpin commissioned into active US Navy service in January 1939 and after very eventful sea trials and exercises she sailed to join the US Pacific Fleet.

Forward deployed in 1940 first to Pearl Harbor and eventually to Manila as part of Submarine Division 22, the Sculpin was on patrol when World War Two broke out against Japan. Operating for her first war patrol in abysmal weather in the Philippine Islands, the Sculpin was unable to attack any of the Japanese ships invading the area and was forced to leave the Philippine’s behind at the end of her first patrol. Over the next two years the Sculpin made seven further war patrols throughout the South Pacific and claimed three confirmed ships sunk for 9,835 tons sunk before she sailed from Pearl Harbor on her ninth war patrol. Under the command of Commander Fred Connaway and under operational command of Captain John. P Cromwell, the Sculpin proceeded South to Johnston Atoll and then West towards Tarawa in the Gilbert Islands.

Capt. Cromwell had been extensively briefed on the upcoming invasion and carried the top-secret ULTRA coding machine, for his use to coordinate wolfpack style Submarine attacks against Japanese shipping in the seas around Tarawa in advance of the American Invasion. Sculpin proceeded to her rendezvous point at this location, arriving on November 16th where she awaited the arrival of other US Submarines.

On the night of November 18th, the Sculpin sighted a large Japanese convoy passing her position, and Cromwell moved to attack. After spending the entire night maneuvering into a firing position the Sculpin surfaced shortly before dawn on November 19th and made a high speed run at the Japanese ships. Just before she was in range to launch her torpedoes, one of the Destroyers escorting the convoy made a sudden turn towards the Sculpin and opened fire, forcing the Sub to crash dive. The evasive maneuver worked, and the after a few hours the Sculpin resurfaced and made another run at the convoy.

Unfortunately for the Sculpin, a the Destroyer HIJMS Yamagumo had remained behind the convoy to wait for the sub and quickly moved in to attack from only 600 yards away. Again crash diving to escape, the Sculpin avoided the first string of depth charges but was caught by the second, which knocked out the ship's depth gauge. Frantically maneuvering underwater the Sculpin managed to lose the Destroyer in a rain squall and attempted to come up to periscope depth for a look around. Due to her damaged depth gauge the sub continued to rise past her periscope depth and surfaced, alerting the Japanese Destroyer once again.

Forced into yet another crash dive, the Sculpin was caught in the middle of an 18-depth charge pattern which severely damaged the sub and sent it sinking below its max depth. Frantic damage control efforts got the sub back in control but her extreme depth had opened up seams in her hull, slowly flooding the ship. Forced to run her engines at top speed, the Sculpin was an easy target for the Yamagumo which sent another salvo of depth charges downward and further battered the sub.

Realizing that the ship was on the verge of sinking, Commander Connaway ordered the ship to the surface so her crew could make a stand against their attacker. The Sculpin blew her ballast tanks and surfaced, and despite her entire top deck being underwater her crew scrambled to battle stations and opened fire on the Yamagumo with their deck gun. The Destroyer’s main guns returned fire and several rounds struck the Sculpin, the most devastating of which hit her conning tower, where it killed most of her bridge watch, Commander Connaway and most of the deck gun crew. With the ship unable to defend itself and sinking, Lieutenant G. E. Brown, her highest ranking officer still alive ordered the sub abandoned.

As the crew went over the sides, Lt. Brown informed Capt. Cromwell that the ship was going to be scuttled. Rather than risk giving up the information he knew of the upcoming invasion plans under torture, Cromwell elected to remain onboard the Sculpin as she sank Stern first at this location on November 19th, 1943 with 17 of her crew onboard.

42 members of her crew were picked up by the Yamagumo and were held as POWs until the end of the war. For her actions on the date of her loss, USS Sculpin earned her eighth and final Battle Star for World War Two service.

www.navsource.org/archives/08/08191.htm