S-28

S-28 had a long career with the USN. Unfortunately, PigBoats is lacking in pictures of her for now. These two pictures show her after a major wartime overhaul and modernization at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA. The date of the photo is June 24, 1943. She is in Sinclair Inlet just off the Navy Yard, which is to the right. To the left background is the town of Port Orchard. Behind and to the right of the submarine can be seen four barges with barrage balloons moored to them. To the left of the submarine is one of the small wooden freighters that plied the Puget Sound waters up into the late 1950's carrying cargo to ports around the sound.

The S-28's refit included work to her electrical systems including replacement of battery well boxes and supports. Overhauling all battery blowers, recalibration of hydrogen detectors, repair leaking water tanks. Inspection of Port Main Motor. Overhaul of the engine order telegraphs and gyro compass. Checking and timing of the engines, rebabbitt and realign shafts and their bearings, installation of radar, and installation of air conditioning. The conning tower fairwater was cut down and platforms for 20 mm anti-aircraft guns were installed.

Puget Sound Navy Yard Photo / NARA Seattle Collection

A photo taken at the same time as the one above, Sinclair Inlet off Puget Sound, June 24, 1943 following a major overhaul and modernization. The whole aft superstructure has been rebuilt, and this photo gives a view of the new gun platform aft of the conning tower fairwater.

To the left background is Bainbridge Island and Point White seen dead head of the submarine. To the right of the submarine is Waterman Point. Between the two points, in front of the submarine, is Rich Passage, a route that the Seattle to Bremerton ferry's take. It is approximately one hour by ferry to Seattle from this position. The passage turns to the right (south) and then continues east, around the south end of the island, and into Puget Sound and on to Seattle.

Despite all of this work, the S-28 remained a 20-year-old submarine, and the basic structure of her hull had endured tens of thousands of miles of steaming and thousands of compression cycles from all of her dives. While on a submerged training mission just off the southern coast of Oahu on July 4, 1944, her hull catastrophically failed in the area around the torpedo room bulkhead. She sank immediately, and the extreme depth of the water insured that any remaining parts of her hull imploded before she hit the bottom. The entire crew was lost. While the exact cause of her loss could not be determined, it was suspected that 20-year-old rivets in her hull finally gave way under pressure, causing the hull failure.

On September 20, 2017 the Lost 52 Project located and surveyed her wreck.

Puget Sound Navy Yard Photo / NARA Seattle Collection

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