Wreck of USS Argonaut (SM-1 / APS-1)

 Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, submarine, United States Navy

Laid down on May 1st, 1925 as the first member of her class of large Minelaying Submarines, the USS Argonaut was commissioned as the USS V-4 in April 1928 and was assigned to the US Atlantic Fleet. Designed with four torpedo tubes forward and two minelaying tubes aft, at the time of her launching the V-4 was the largest submarine ever built in the United States and remained the largest Submarine to have served with the U.S. Navy service for 30 years. Owing largely to the complicated nature of her minelaying apparatus, the V-4’s large dimensions made her slow and challenging to control both on the surface and while submerged, and she was also found to be easily identifiable even with the with primitive sonar of the mid to late 1930’s. As a result of her less than-stellar performance, the V-4’s planned five-member class was cancelled and her sisterships were completed as conventional submarines.

Serving with Submarine Division 12 out of Newport, RI for her trials and shakedown period, the V-4 eventually departed the Atlantic Fleet and joined Submarine Division 20 at San Diego in March 1929 as a member of the Pacific Fleet. As part of a fleet-wide naming convention for the older S & V boats, the V-4 was renamed USS Argonaut in March 1931 and had her hull designation changed from SF-7, or Fleet Submarine, to SM-1, indicating her place as the first (and only) Submarine Minelayer in the Navy. Engaged in several major Pacific Fleet exercises during the next decade, the Argonaut shifted her homeport to Pearl Harbor in 1932 and eventually served as the Flagship of Submarine Squadron 4 from 1939-1940 before returning to her normal patrol and exercise routine. At sea on patrol off Midway on December 7th, 1941, the Argonaut’s role in the Second World War began with the sighting of a formation of Japanese Destroyers which were shelling the US Base as they withdrew from the Hawaiian Islands chain. Argonaut’s Captain made an approach to attack two of the enemy ships, but the unwieldy Submarine couldn’t keep pace with the quickly moving Destroyers and was soon overhauled and at risk of being discovered and depth charged. Wisely electing to disengage the Argonaut remained undetected returned to her patrol, again encountering a formation of Japanese Destroyers a week later and again forced to remain idle due to the sub’s limited offensive and defensive capabilities.

After she exhausted her load of mines around Midway the Argonaut terminated her first War Patrol at Pearl Harbor in January 1942 and was found to be essentially useless as a fighting ship in her present configuration. Promptly ordered to the Mare Island Navy Yard for a major overhaul, the Argonaut spent the next seven months having her underpowered diesel engines replaced, her minelaying gear removed and her electronics suite upgraded. Returning to Pearl Harbor in July 1942, the now-spacious interior of the Argonaut’s Stern was fitted with bunks, storage and facilities for up to 125 troops and two extra torpedo tubes were placed on her deck for watertight storage. The reasoning for this hasty conversion soon became clear to Argonaut’s crew in early August when she embarked 121 men of Companies A&B, US Marine Corps 2nd Raider Battalion and unsealed orders for what is now known as the Makin Island Raid. Joining her similarly-converted sistership USS Nautilus (SS-168), the Argonaut arrived off Makin Atoll in the early morning hours of August 17th, surfaced and discharged her cargo of raiders who proceeded to wipe out the Japanese Garrison on Makin, with small losses. After recovering her load of Marines in rough seas the following day, the Argonaut returned to Pearl Harbor on August 26th, her first wartime mission successful and having earned her first Battle Star.

Reclassified as a Submarine Transport to match her new capabilities and wearing the hull classification APS-1, the Argonaut departed Pearl Harbor in October 1942 for her new homeport of Brisbane, Australia, arriving in early November. After provisioning she departed on her second War Patrol in late December, bound for the dangerous waters between New Britain and Bougainville Islands where she would take up a station off the large Japanese Naval Base at Rabaul. Celebrating the new year by notching her first kill on the Japanese Gunboat Ebon Maru on January 2nd off New Britain’s north-west coast, the Argonaut reported the sighting of a eastbound five-ship merchant convoy under heavy escort on the night of January 9th and indicated she would attempt an attack. The following morning, the Argonaut was closing on the Japanese formation at near-periscope depth when her enormous outline was spotted by a patrolling Japanese aircraft.

Quickly moving to attack, the Japanese pilot reported his sighting to the nearby Destroyers and then released his load of three depth charges directly onto the unsuspecting Argonaut. Rocked and heavily damaged by all three close-quarter detonations, the crew of Argonaut struggled to gain control of their ship as three Japanese Destroyers closed in and picked up the Argonaut on their sonar systems. Depth charges were soon raining down on the already battered Submarine, causing further damage and flooding which threatened to sink her. Argonaut’s Captain likely realized the perilous situation of his ship and crew, and probably ordered an emergency blow of her ballast systems to bring her to the surface where his crew could make a stand against their attackers with her twin 6-inch deck guns, or if need be, abandon ship.

At the same time, a US Army Air Corps B-25 returning from a bombing mission over New Guinea happened to pass over the Argonaut’s position, and reported sighting the bow of the Submarine break the surface, along with portions of its conning tower. A single torpedo lashed out of the sub at one of her attackers, but exploded prematurely and failed to damage its target. Two of the closest Japanese Destroyers, HIJMS Maikaze and HIJMS Isokaze, quickly opened fire on the stricken sub with their deck guns from point blank range and sent round after round into the Argonaut’s hull. Mortally wounded, the Argonaut lost her battle against the sea and slipped Stern-first beneath the surface at this location, carrying her crew of 102 officers and enlisted sailors with her to the bottom. Her loss with all hands was the worst single loss of life in the US Submarine Service during the Second World War.

For her actions on the date of her loss, USS Argonaut received her second and final Battle Star for World War Two service.

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