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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

S-40 (SS-145)

Radio Call Sign: November - India - Papa - Lima
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons



Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Yangtze Service Medal
Second Row - China Service Medal - American Defense Service Medal (with Sea Clasp) - American Campaign Medal
Third Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Philippine Defense Medal
S-18 Class Submarine (Holland-type): Laid down, 5 March 1919, at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., San Francisco, CA.; Launched, 5 January 1921; Commissioned, USS S-40 (SS-145), 20 November 1923; Decommissioned, 29 October 1945, at San Francisco, CA.; Struck from the Naval Register, 13 November 1945; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping 19 November 1946, to Salco Iron and Metal Co., San Francisco, CA., scrapped in July 1947. S-40 earned one battle star for her World War II service.
Partial data submitted by Yves Hubert.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 854 t., Submerged: 1,062 t.; Length 219' 3" ; Beam 20' 8"; Draft 15' 11"(mean); Depth Limit 200'; Speed, Surfaced 14.5 kts, Submerged 11 kts; Complement, 4 Officers, 34 Enlisted; Armament, four 21" torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes, one 4"/50 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel-electric, New London Ship & Engine diesel engines, HP 1200, Fuel Capacity, 41,192 gals.; General Electric Co., electric motors, Battery Cells, 120, twin propellers.
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sboats
0814300		 7.80k Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California.
Photographed during World War I, with four-piper destroyers under construction at the Risdon Iron Works in the lower right. Four submarines and one destroyer hull in dry-dock are at the piers in the center, along with some large merchant ships. Risdon, part of Union, is to the lower right of the ink line. 1-Cafeteria, 2-Store room, 3-Iron Foundry, 4-Brass Foundry, 5-Machine shop, 6-Pattern shop, 7-Erecting machine shop, 8-Administration building, 9-Power house, 10-office bldg., Govt. offices, 11-Blacksmith shop, 12-Bioler shop, 13-Joiner shop, 14-Joiner shop, Annex with oil storage tanks underneath, 15-Warehouse and office bldg., 16-Pipe and copper shop, 17-Steel storage, 18-Plate shop, 19-Gate house, 20-Building slips 4&5, 21-Building slips 1.2 & 3, 22-Wharf #2, 23-Wharf #3, 24-Floating dock, capacity 2000 tons, 25-Floating dock, capacity 6500 tons, 26-Wharf #4, 27-Wharf #5, S-Storage space 2--Risdon Plant shown south and east of red lines: 1-Copper storage, 2- Oil tank, 3-Office building, 4-Office building, 5-Yarrow boiler shop, 6-Warehouse, 7-Power house, 8-Blacksmith shop, 9-Storehouse, 10-Sheet metal shop, 11-Sheet metal shop, 12-Marine machine shop, 13-Wharves, 14-Wharves, 15-Wharves.
Appearing here in no order are vessels that were constructed but not necessarily here: 6 of 27 R-class submarines
first keel laid: R-16 (SS-93), 26 April 1917, last: R-19 (SS-96), 23 June 1917
first launch: R-15 (SS-92), 10 December 1917, last: R-19, 28 January 1918
R-15 (SS-92) ... R-20 (SS-97)
12 of 51 S-class submarines S-30 (SS-135) ... S-41 (SS-146)
26 of 111 Wickes-class destroyers for the United States Navy between 1917 and 1919
first keel laid: Ringold (DD-89), 20 October 1917, last: Stansbury (DD-180), 9 December 1918 first launch: McKee (DD-87), 23 March 1918, last: Stansbury, 16 May 1919, 8 are launched on 4 July 1918
McKee (DD-87) ... Gridley (DD-92), Schley (DD-103), ... Ludlow (DD-112), Burns (DD-171) & ... Stansbury (DD-180)
40 of 156 Clemson-class destroyers for the United States Navy between 1918 and 1921 Chauncey (DD-296) ... Melvin (DD-335) 		Photo courtesy of history.navy.mil
<S-40 666k A photo marking the launching of S-40 (SS-145), at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp, Ltd., Union Plant, Potrero Wks. on 5 January 1921. The ship's sponsor, Mrs. John H. Rosseter is shown on the left. USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
<S-40 162k S-40 (SS-145) fitting out at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's Union Plant, Potrero Works, San Francisco, CA., 27 September 1923. The steamship Cethana is in the right background. USN photo # 19-LC-49S-2, now in the collections of the US National Archives. Courtesy of the US Naval Historical Center.
Canopus & Friends 85k Canopus (AS-9) in Apra Harbor, Guam, with Submarine Division 17 alongside, 29 October 1924. Submarine Division 17's members were:
S-36 (SS-141),
S-37(SS-142);
S-38 (SS-143);
S-39 (SS-144);
S-40 (SS-145) and
S-41 (SS-146). 		USN photo # NH 55048, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
Canopus 76k Canopus (AS-9), in Apra Harbor, Guam, 29 October 1924, with all six members of Submarine Division 17 alongside.
The division consisted of:
S-36 (SS-141);
S-37 (SS-142),
S-38 (SS-143),
S-39 (SS-144),
S-40 (SS-145) and
S-41 (SS-146). 		USNHC photograph # NH 104940.
SS 135 - 46 113k The S-boat was the culmination of E.B. single-hull design for the U.S. Navy. This is a typical unit of the S-30-41 (SS-135-46) group, as completed. Ballast tunks are indicated. Lines below the hull show the location of the fuel tanks forward & aft (the foremost two tanks of the after group are the lubricating oil tank & sump tank). Arrows indicate the two Fessenden oscillators under the boat's keel, fore & aft. Arrows in the bridge structure indicate the three periscopes (one in the conning tower, soon removed) the telescoping radio mast & the radio tube leading down into the radio room.
In the control room the wheels controlling the planes were on the port side: the three levers for the Kingston valves were on the opposite side, abaft the chart table. The radio room, (below the radio tube, into which the antenna leads ran) was set into the after port side of the control room.
Abaft the main motors were auxillaries: the low pressure main ballast pump on the centerline, the high pressure main ballast pump on the starboard shaft, the motor for the Fessenden oscillator on the port shaft. 		Drawing & Text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
S-40 125k Starboard quarter view of the S-40 (SS-145), circa 1924, possibly when she completed her final trial runs at San Francisco, then prepared for transfer to the Asiatic Fleet. USN photo courtesy ussubvetsofwwii.org.
Partial text courtesy of DANFS.
<S-40 400k Three Asiatic submarines on maneuvers during the mid - late 1920's. The S-40 (SS-145) in the center is the only identifiable boat. USN photo courtesy of Angie Mattke.
S-40 63k The S-40 (SS-145) and some of the local folk out for a cruise, circa 1930. USN photo from The World Encyclopedia of Submarines, by John Parker, courtesy of Robert Hurst.
S-401.14kSail Forty Surfacing for L.R.B.P.
Tinted drawing of S-40 (SS-145) surfacing. Embossed with "Sail Forty Surfacing for L.R.B.P."
Lewis Parks served on the S-40 in 1930 as Executive Officer.		Photo # 2015-25 courtesy of trumanlibrary.org.
<S-40 71k S-40 (SS-145), circa 1930s, probably in the Far East. USN photo courtesy of USNI.
Canopus 64k Canopus (AS-9), with the Asiatic Fleet's Submarine Squadron Five alongside, during the 1930s. The submarines present include (from left to right): S-37 (SS-142); S-40 (SS-145); S-36 (SS-141);S-38 (SS-143); S-41 (SS-146); S-39 (SS-144). US National Archives photo # 80-G-1014615, a USN photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
SS 143 106k S-40 (SS-145), nested inboard of sister submarines S-38 (SS-143), and S-41 (SS-146), alongside Canopus (AS-9) off Tsingtao, China, in 1930. Note the submarines' 4"/50 deck guns.
USN photo # NH 51833, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
SS 143 123k S-40 (SS-145), nested inboard of sister submarines S-38 (SS-143), and S-41 (SS-146), alongside Canopus (AS-9) at Tsingtao, China, in 1930. Note awnings spread aft on these submarines.
USN photo # NH 51831, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-40 92k The boats of SubDiv 17, Asiatic Fleet, moored alongside Canopus (AS-9) at Tsingtao, China, in 1930. Submarines in the foreground include (from left to right):
S-40 (SS-145);
S-38 (SS-143); and
S-41 (SS-146).
Another submarine is approaching, in the center distance. 		USN photo # NH 59969, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-40 90k S-40 (SS-145) alongside Pigeon (ASR-6), at Shanghai, China in 1932. Photographed by Gustave J. Freret, Jr., USN.
USN photo # NH 51815, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-37 68k Boats of SubRon 5 at Olongapo, Philippine Islands, circa 1933-1934. Submarines present are S-37 (SS-142), S-38 (SS-143), S-39 (SS-144) and S-40 (SS-145).
 USN photo # NH 80142, courtesy of the US Naval Historical Center. Photo courtesy of Captain G.K. Bishop, USAF, 1974.
S-40 76k S-40 (SS-145) underway during gunnery exercises in Philippine waters, circa 1933-1934. A target raft is visible in the right distance.
USN photo # NH 80143 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Photo courtesy of Captain G.K. Bishop, USAF, 1974.
S-40 127k Inspection of S-40 (SS-145) crew by Commander Submarines, Asiatic Fleet, 1935. The submarine's deck gun, a 4"/50 wet mount, is in the center of the photograph. USN photo # NH 59971 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-23 73k An 1942 oil painting on board, by the artist William F. Draper entitled "Sub and Yippy Tie Up."
In a quiet inlet of the Bering Sea in 1942, a YP boat gets a coat of paint and an S-boat ties up for fuel and provisions. The short Alaskan day is ending and lights may be seen in the barracks until total darkness requires a blackout.
The S-boats that served in the Aleutians theater were:
S-18 (SS-123),
S-23 (SS-128),
S-27 (SS-132),
S-28 (SS-133),
S-30 (SS-135),
S-31 (SS-136),
S-32 (SS-137),
S-33 (SS-138),
S-34 (SS-139),
S-35 (SS-140),
S-36 (SS-141),
S-40 (SS-145),
S-41 (SS-146),
S-42 (SS-153),
S-44 (SS-155),
S-45 (SS-156),
S-46 (SS-157), &
S-47 (SS-158). 		Sub and Yippy Tie Up by William F. Draper.
Painting #13 / 88-189-N. Courtesy of the USNHC.
View the S-40 (SS-145)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
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