>From the “Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,” 

(1976) Vol. 6, pp.408-411.





SEADRAGON





		Seadragon:  A small fish more commonly called the 

dragonet.





SS-194



Displacement:

	Surfaced:  1,450 t.

	Submerged:  2,340 t.

Length:  310’6”

Beam:  27’1”

Draft:  13’8” (mean)

Speed:

	Surfaced:  20 k.

	Submerged:  8.75 k.

Complement:  55

Armament:  1 3”; 8 21” torpedo tubes

Class:  SARGO



	The first SEADRAGON (SS-194) was laid down on 18 April 

1938 by the Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn.; christened 

during an attempted launching on 11 April 1939; sponsored by 

Mrs. J. O. Richardson; and commissioned on 23 October 1939, 

Lt. John G. Johns in command.



	Following a shakedown cruise off the east coast and in 

the Caribbean, SEADRAGON returned to New England and, on 23 

May 1940, departed New London for the Philippines.  With 

ComSubDiv 17 embarked, she arrived at Cavite on 30 November 

and commenced training operations as a unit of the Asiatic 

Fleet.  A year later, she prepared for overhaul; and, by 8 

December 1941 (7 December east of the International Date 

Line), she had started her yard period at the Cavite Navy 

Yard.



	Two days later, on 10 December, she and sister ship 

SEALION (SS-195), moored together, were caught in an enemy 

air raid against Cavite.  SEALION took a direct hit which 

demolished that submarine and damaged SEADRAGON.  The force 

of the explosion ripped off part of the latter's bridge.  

Shrapnel and splinters punctured her tanks and pierced her 

conning tower, killing one and wounding five.  The heat of 

the explosion scorched her hull and blistered her black 

paint.



	Fires and explosions raged along the wharf.  A nearby 

torpedo shop went up and flames reached toward a lighter, 

loaded with torpedoes, alongside SEADRAGON and SEALION.  

Submarine Rescue Vessel PIGEON (ASR-6), however, disregarded 

the danger and moved in to tow SEADRAGON out into the 

channel, whence the submarine continued into Manila Bay 

under her own power.



	Temporary repairs were accomplished by submarine tender 

CANOPUS (AS-9) and PIGEON; and, on the night of 15 December, 

she embarked members of the Asiatic Fleet staff.  At 0000, 

16 December, she headed out of Manila Bay.



	Escorted by destroyer BULMER (DD-222), SEADRAGON moved 

south, via Surigao and Makassar strait to Soerabaja, where 

she disembarked her passengers; received further repairs, 

exclusive of a paint job, and prepared for her first war 

patrol.



	On 30 December, the submarine departed the Dutch naval 

base and set a course for the South China Sea to intercept 

Japanese shipping off the coast of Indochina.  On 8 January, 

she was in the sea lanes to Cam Ranh Bay.  Two days later, 

she sighted a destroyer, fired two torpedoes which missed, 

then watched as the destroyer continued on its course 

without attempting to attack the submarine.  SEADRAGON 

remained in the area.  Shortly after noon, a convoy was 

heard.  One-half hour later, it was sighted, and the 

submarine began closing the last ship in the column.  

Shortly after 1300, she fired; missed; and again tried to 

close to firing position.  Within an hour, however, the 

convoy was safely into Cam Ranh Bay.  SEADRAGON retired 

eastward.  After dark while on the surface, recharging, she 

sighted a destroyer and attempted to slip away undetected.  

The destroyer spotlighted her.  SEADRAGON went deep and 

worked her way eastward through two depth charge attacks.



	She spent the morning of the 12th evading Japanese 

patrol planes.  In the afternoon, she closed a six-ship 

convoy; but, as she came to periscope depth for a final 

check, she was spotted from the air.  Three salvos of bombs 

dropped close aboard, but SEADRAGON went deep and again made 

her way eastward--this time to investigate the cause of the 

plane sightings.  She surfaced after 1800.  No oil or air 

leaks were spotted, but her black paint was coming off the 

entire hull.  Red lead undercoating showed from the 

waterline to the side plating, and, "in spots," on the bow 

planes and propeller guards.  In shallow tropical waters, 

her original black paint was easily spotted against a light 

colored background.  With red showing, she stood out 

regardless of the color of the seabed.  From then on, 

SEADRAGON ran at 140 feet between periscope exposures except 

in areas known to be patrolled by air.  She then went to 200 

feet.



	On the 14th, she patrolled in the Cape Varella area.  

On the 15th, she shifted southward, and, on the 16th, she 

stood off Hon Lon to wait for a convoy.  At 1115, after a 

periscope observation, she was again spotted and bombed from 

the air.  She returned to Cape Varella where the depth of 

the water permitted a closer patrol to the shore line.



	During the next six days, she sighted several targets 

but had no luck with her torpedoes.  Early on the 23d, she 

sighted a four-ship convoy which she stalked until daylight, 

then attacked.  At 0806, she fired at the lead ship and 

scored with a hit on the port quarter.  She then fired two 

at the ship and missed.  The third and fourth ships ran off 

to the southeast and west respectively.  The second ship 

moved in toward the first; then, listing to port and down by 

the stern accompanied it as it ran for the beach.  SEADRAGON 

surfaced and went after the third ship, but the appearance 

of an enemy plane forced her to break off the attack.



	The submarine remained off the Indochina coast for 

another four days, then set a course back to Luzon.  On the 

29th, she began patrolling along the coast from Subic Bay to 

Lingayen Gulf.  On 1 February, she took up station off San 

Fernando and, early on the morning of the 2nd, conducted a 

night submerged attack on a five-ship convoy.  TAMAGAWA 

MARU, the fourth ship in line, went down, depriving the 

Japanese occupation force of a number of the reinforcement 

troops and the equipment she carried.



	After the sinking, SEADRAGON patrolled southward.  On 

the 4th, she arrived off Luzon Point; and, that night, she 

moved into Manila Bay to take on cargo and passengers at 

Corregidor.  Mooring at 2203, she completed loading 

torpedoes, radio equipment, and submarine spare parts at 

0300 on the 5th.  Shortly thereafter, she moved out; rested 

on the bottom until after dark, then surfaced to take on 

passengers.  At 1946, she got underway for the Netherlands 

East Indies.



	She arrived at Soerabaja on 13 February.  On the 21st, 

she left for Tjilatjap, whence she was ordered on to 

Australia.  She reached Fremantle on 4 March and two weeks 

later, again headed for the Indochina coast for her second 

war patrol.  At the end of the month, she was diverted to 

Cebu to take on fuel and food for Corregidor.  On the 

evening of 8 April, she arrived off that besieged base.  At 

2053, she moored alongside PIGEON, to which she transferred 

fuel; offloaded 7 tons of food; took on 21 passengers; and, 

at 2129, she got underway to resume her patrol.



	She remained in the waters off southwestern Luzon and 

recommenced her patrol off the entrance to Subic Bay.  On 

the 11th, she sighted several targets but was able to attack 

only one, a patrolling destroyer.  At 1720, she fired three 

torpedoes.  Twenty-nine seconds later the first torpedo 

exploded halfway to the target.  The second torpedo broached 

and circled abeam of the target.  The destroyer avoided the 

third torpedo.  SEADRAGON changed course and went to 200 

feet to avoid the circling torpedo and the expected depth 

charging.  None of the depth charges was close, but a second 

destroyer soon joined the first, spotted the submarine as 

she came up for a periscope observation, and turned on her.  

SEADRAGON again went deep, then cleared the area.



	On the 12th, the submarine started south.  On the 20th, 

she cleared Lombok Strait; and, on the 26th, she returned to 

Fremantle.



	On her third patrol, 11 June to 2 August 1942, 

SEADRAGON returned to the South China Sea.  Arriving in her 

assigned area on 27 June, she patrolled along the 

Singapore-Hong Kong routes to the end of the month; then 

shifted to the Cape Varella area.  On the morning of 4 July, 

she fired a torpedo at the leader of a three ship formation.  

The torpedo missed ahead, all three ships changed course 

toward SEADRAGON with the leader proceeding down the torpedo 

track firing her bow gun.  Depth charges were dropped 

indiscriminately.  Ten minutes later, the three had turned 

toward shore.  SEADRAGON then shifted southward to intercept 

enemy traffic off Hon Lon Light.



	A few hours later, she sighted two freighters and fired 

tubes 1 and 2 at the lead ship.  Her No. 1 tube did not 

fire, and her No. 2 torpedo missed astern.  Two more 

torpedoes were fired at the ships, but both missed.  Enemy 

planes arrived on the scene soon afterward and for over two 

hours aerial depth charges in salvos of 2 and 3 were 

dropped.  Despite water depth of 75 fathoms, submarines were 

visible at any depth against the light colored bottom.



	SEADRAGON survived the close bombing and continued her 

patrol.  During the next week, she attempted to close 

several ships, but was unable to attain attack positions.  

On the night of the 11th, her losing streak ended.  Just 

prior to midnight, she sighted smoke and opened out to the 

westward to overtake the target.  At 0156 on the 12th, she 

began her approach; and, 14 minutes later, she fired three 

torpedoes.  Two hit, but the third missed astern.  A 

merchantman, HIYAMA MARU, began settling.  By 0219, she had 

been abandoned.  SEADRAGON submerged and resumed her patrol 

eight miles northeast of Cape Varella.



	On the morning of the 13th, SEADRAGON torpedoed and 

sank her second victim of the patrol.  SHINYO MARU was hit 

approximately 50 feet abaft the beam and settled 

immediately.  SEADRAGON moved out of the area and hunted 

along the Haina Varella routes for a few days.  On the 16th, 

she was back off Cape Varella; and, soon after 1030, she 

fired on a four-ship convoy.  Five minutes later, the 

torpedoes exploded on the beach.  The four ships turned 

toward SEADRAGON and commenced firing their guns.  SEADRAGON 

fired two more torpedoes and went deep.  A few minutes 

later, she came to periscope depth.  Only three ships 

remained on the surface.  HAKODATE MARU had been sunk.



	On 20 July, SEADRAGON departed the South China Sea and 

made her way south to Australia.  On 26 August, she departed 

her Australian base for her fourth war patrol and again set 

a course for the coast of Indochina.  On 10 September, she 

moved through Apo East Pass.  On the 11th, her progress into 

the South China Sea was delayed by an emergency appendectomy 

performed successfully by the pharmacist's mate.  On the 

12th, she arrived on station and commenced patrolling the 

steamer lanes west of Macclesfield Bank.  At dusk on the 

16th, she headed for Cape Varella.



	Not until the 22d, however, while off Cam Ranh Bay was 

she able to gain a firing position on a suitable target.  On 

that morning, she fired four torpedoes at a cruiser escorted 

by two destroyers.  No explosions were heard, but her 

torpedoes were seen, and the enemy ships turned on SEADRAGON 

and delivered a "well executed depth charge attack."



	A week later, on the night of the 29th, the submarine 

tracked a five-ship convoy; and, at 0122 on the 30th 

conducted a surface torpedo attack which damaged one ship.  

She then ran eastward to attain a position ahead of the 

convoy but was spotlighted by an escort which had shifted 

stations.  SEADRAGON went deep; the escort dropped six depth 

charges and then rejoined the convoy.  The submarine 

surfaced and attempted to make up for lost time.  Three 

hours later, she had overheated her main motor cables and 

was forced to give up the chase.



	On the evening of 3 October, SEADRAGON departed the 

South China Sea and, five days later, commenced patrolling 

the approaches to Balikpapan.  On the 10th, she attained a 

position for a stern tube shot on SHIGURE MARU.  The 

cargoman disappeared 47 seconds after the first explosion.  

On the 11th, the submarine patrolled off Capes William and 

Mandar.  On the 12th, she was off Makassar City.  On the 

14th, she transited Lombok Strait; and, on the 20th, she 

returned to Fremantle.



	Refit was started by submarine tender HOLLAND (AS-3) at 

Fremantle and completed by tenders GRIFFIN (AS-13) and 

FULTON (AS-11) at Brisbane.  On 23 November, she departed 

the latter and headed for the Bismarck Archipelago for her 

fifth war patrol.  On the 29th, she entered her area and 

commenced patrolling the Rabaul-Shortland routes.  On 1 

December, she closed the New Britain coast to intercept Buna 

traffic, and, during the next 10 days, conducted several 

unsuccessful approaches on enemy formations.  On the morning 

of the 11th, she sighted a freighter with one escort 

rounding Cape St. George and fired two torpedoes at the 

merchantman.  One hit under the main mast, damaging but not 

sinking the target.  The escort delivered a depth charge 

attack then took the damaged vessel under tow for Rabaul.  

Enemy planes prohibited SEADRAGON from delivering the ‘coup 

de grace.’



	On the 21st, SEADRAGON sighted an enemy submarine, made 

her approach, and fired three torpedoes at the target.  The 

first missed ahead.  The second exploded about 18 seconds 

after firing.  The third torpedo hit the enemy submarine.  

I-4 sank with her bow vertical.  The second torpedo 

explosion, however, had damaged SEADRAGON.  The force of the 

explosion had knocked down the personnel in the forward 

torpedo room, and the torpedo in No. 1 tube, the outer door 

of which was open, was forced against the tail buffer.  The 

countereffect forced the torpedo forward shearing off the 

guide stud and tripping the starting lever.  The outer door 

could not be closed.  Depth control was lost.  The torpedo 

was fired.  Control was regained as the torpedo exploded on 

her port quarter.



	On the 25th, SEADRAGON damaged another cargoman, and, 

on the 26th, departed the area for Pearl Harbor where she 

arrived on 7 January 1943.



	From Pearl Harbor, SEADRAGON continued on to the west 

coast.  Between 16 January and 8 April, she underwent 

overhaul at Mare Island, receiving new batteries and radar 

and changing the position of her 3" mount from aft to a 

forward position.  In mid-April, she sailed west again; and, 

on 9 May, she departed Pearl Harbor for her 6th war patrol.



	On the 15th, SEADRAGON crossed the 180th Meridian and 

moved toward Micronesia.  On the 19th, she commenced 

patrolling in the Carolines.  On the 20th, she surprised and 

was in turn surprised by sighting a surfaced submarine on a 

parallel course.  The other submarine submerged immediately.  

On the 22d, she took up station off the Truk Islands and for 

the next 11 days patrolled the sea lanes to the major enemy 

anchorage enclosed by Dublon, Fefan, and Uman islands.  On 4 

June, she departed Truk and moved eastward to reconnoiter 

Ponape, thence proceeded into the Marshalls to patrol the 

sealanes converging on Kwajalein.  There, the enemy's 

omnipresent surface and aerial escorts inhibited hunting, 

but, on the 13th, SEADRAGON was able to damage a freighter.  

Four days later, she cleared the area, and, on the 21st, she 

arrived at Midway, whence she returned to Pearl Harbor for 

repairs to her steering gear.



	From 18 July to 30 August, SEADRAGON conducted her 7th 

war patrol.  Of the 44 days, 31 were spent on station near 

Wake and in the Marshalls where increased enemy air activity 

again hindered hunting and limited SEADRAGON's score to five 

freighters damaged.  In mid-August, she reconnoitered Wotje; 

and, at the end of the month, she returned to Pearl Harbor.



	On her 8th war patrol, 24 September to 5 November, 

SEADRAGON again returned to the Marshalls and spent 31 days 

hunting in the sea lanes to Kwajalein.  Again Japanese 

antisubmarine measures hindered hunting; and, of the five 

ship contacts made, only two could be developed and only one 

attack was made.  On 13 October, she damaged an enemy 

transport.



	SEADRAGON's 9th war patrol, 14 December 1943 to 5 

February 1944, took her back to the Carolines where she 

hunted enemy shipping on the Truk-Saipan route and damaged 

two, possibly three, cargomen.



	Refit brought the replacement of SEADRAGON's 3" deck 

gun with a 4", and, on 1 April, she cleared Pearl Harbor for 

the Japanese home islands for her 10th war patrol.  On the 

5th, she crossed the International Date Line.  On the 15th, 

she entered Japanese waters.  On the 16th, she moved past O 

Shima, and, that night, commenced patrolling off the Bungo 

Strait and Kii Channel entrances to the Inland Sea.  On the 

morning of the 23d, she sighted four freighters, escorted by 

three patrol boats, moving toward Shiono Misaki.  She closed 

the convoy; fired on the third ship, the heaviest laden; 

then went deep and rigged for depth charging.  The patrol 

boats moved toward SEADRAGON as DAIJU MARU sank and, during 

the next two hours, delivered a 40 depth charge attack.  

Later that day, the submarine conducted an unsuccessful 

attack on a naval auxiliary; and, on the 26th, she moved out 

into the Tokyo-Manila shipping lanes where she damaged a 

freighter on the 27th.



	On 28 April, she commenced patrolling the Nagoya-Saipan 

route.  In May, she took station off the entrance to Sugura 

Wan and, on the 3d, shifted to the Tokyo-Guam-Saipan-Truk 

sea lanes.  Two days later, she hunted enemy traffic at the 

entrance to Sagami Wan.  On the 13th, she headed for Midway.  

On the 17th, she caught an armed trawler in a surface 

attack; set it afire with 4" gun salvos, then closed the 

target to take off the uniformed enemy crew.  The surviving 

crew members refused to surrender, and SEADRAGON continued 

eastward.  On the 21st, she crossed the 180th Meridian and 

stopped at Midway; thence got underway for Pearl Harbor, 

arriving on the 25th.



	Reengined at Mare Island during the summer, SEADRAGON 

returned to Pearl Harbor on 7 September and departed on her 

11th war patrol, a coordinated patrol with submarines SHARK 

(SS-314) and BLACKFISH (SS-221), on the 23d.  She arrived at 

Saipan to top off on 3 October.  On the 4th, SHARK and 

BLACKFISH continued on to the wolfpack's assigned area in 

the northern China Sea.  SEADRAGON, delayed by the need for 

repairs, did not depart until the 5th.  On the 9th, she 

arrived off Batan Island, established contact with SHARK and 

BLACKFISH, and took position in a scouting line in the 

pack's assigned area.



	On the night of 21 October and the morning of the 22d, 

the group went after an enemy warship formation lead by a 

carrier.  At 0615 on 24 October, SHARK reported a contact, 

and SEADRAGON headed for the scene.  At 0730, the contact 

was sighted through the high periscope, but it proved too 

distant.  At 0920, SEADRAGON sighted three enemy merchantmen 

in a loose column with a torpedo boat destroyer and an 

airplane as escorts.  At 1055, she fired four torpedoes at 

the lead freighter.



	The first torpedo broached and ran erratic, alerting 

the escort which started for SEADRAGON.  SEADRAGON rigged 

for depth charging.  Soon thereafter, two torpedo explosions 

were heard, and, at 1101, the first of 8 depth charges was 

dropped.  At 1154, SEADRAGON went to periscope depth.  The 

escort was milling around picking up survivors four miles 

astern.  The remaining merchant ships were ahead of the 

submarine and making only 2 or 3 knots.  As SEADRAGON 

prepared to fire again, the destroyer rejoined the 

formation.  At 1114, SEADRAGON fired four more torpedoes.  

Three hits were observed.  The submarine's second target of 

the day sank in less than two minutes.



	SEADRAGON went deep.  Fifteen depth charges followed.  

At 1310, the submarine returned to periscope depth.  The 

deck of the sole remaining freighter was crowded.  The 

freighter was smoking heavily and moving slowly.  The escort 

circled the freighter.  At 1404, SEADRAGON fired.  The first 

torpedo tore off the freighter's bow.  The rest of the ship 

went under quickly.  At 1405, the first of 25 depth charges 

was dropped.



	Postwar examination of Japanese records identified the 

sunken ships as the cargo ship, EIKO MARU, and the 

passenger-cargomen, TAITEN MARU, and KOKURYU MARU.



	At 1858, SEADRAGON tried unsuccessfully to raise SHARK.  

She had been sunk after attacking the contact of her 0615 

transmission.



	On 26 October, SEADRAGON headed toward Luzon.  On the 

27th and 28th, she searched for downed aviators; and, on the 

29th, she was ordered to return to Midway.



	Arriving at her destination on 8 November, she 

commenced refit; and, on 3 December, she headed west for her 

12th war patrol.  The patrol took her back into Japanese 

waters where she hunted enemy shipping and searched for 

downed aviators into January 1945.  On the 10th, she moved 

into the Bonins, where she continued those two roles.  On 19 

January, she set a southerly course; and, on the 22d, she 

arrived at Guam to complete her last war patrol.



	The next day, SEADRAGON continued on to Pearl Harbor, 

and, after refit, returned to California to provide training 

services to naval air units.  In May, she was transferred 

back to the Atlantic Fleet and for the final months of the 

war, provided training services at Guantanamo Bay and Key 

West.  In September, she moved north to New London, thence 

to Boston where she was decommissioned on 15 November 1945.  

Less than four months later, on 8 February 1946, she was 

recommissioned to assist in the inactivation and 

preservation of submarines, including U-boats, at Hingham, 

Mass.  On 29 October 1946, she was again decommissioned and 

berthed as a unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet where she 

remained until struck from the Navy list on 30 April 1948.



	SEADRAGON earned 11 battle stars during World War II.





Transcribed by Michael Hansen

mhansen2@home.com