S-32

S-32 seen from the deck of S-31 (SS-136) on the China Station, circa 1926-1928.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

A starboard side view of S-32 off Tsingtao, China, mid 1920's. Note that the aft superstructure skeg is still in place, and the boat has not yet received safety upgrades.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

A closeup of the photo above, showing details of the S-32's midship area. The half-moon cutouts in the superstructure under the gun is a "sea ladder", used to ease access to a small boat waiting alongside. Note the V-shaped brace on the aft deck used to support the radio aerial wires.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

S-32 is seen here moored outboard to the submarine tender USS Beaver (AS-5), with several other S-class submarines. Location is likely somewhere off China, mid 1920's.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

A view of the S-32's conning tower fairwater, circa 1928. This photo was taken at sea, likely from another submarine steaming with the S-32 during a formation exercise. The number of men topside indicates that the boat has likely recently surfaced and the men are trying to cool off a little. The triangular symbol in the center of the fairwater is the squadron insignia for Submarine Division 16.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

S-32 diving, location unknown but likely off China, mid 1920's. Her bow is already completely underwater, with her stern still above the waves. The normal procedure was to retain a very slight positive buoyancy, so the boats were driven under using the diving planes and the power of the propellers.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

The S-32 is seen entering Dutch Harbor, Alaska on March 20th, 1943. She arrived after her most successful war patrol for a refit. Japanese activity in the Aleutians, including the capture of Attu and Kiska, forced the USN to send submarines to the area to interdict Japanese shipping and disrupt their threat to the Alaskan sea frontier. The area had unforgiving weather conditions, with mountainous seas, heavy winds, thick fog, and snow and ice. The conditions were difficult for the old S-boats and harsh to the crews.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

In another view taken at the same time as the one above, the iced over conning tower fairwater of S-32 is seen with two of her crewmen. Left to right are Buster Ferrell, an Engineman and Edward McGloughlin, a Motor Machinist Mate. The boat is flying a broom from one of her periscopes (meaning a clean sweep of the enemy) and a woman's brassiere from the other. It was given by some patriotic lady as a good luck charm for the submarine. The right-side photo is annotated by a S-32 crewmember.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman, with thanks to Wendy Gully of the Submarine Force Library & Museum for annotated photo.

More of the S-32's crew at the end of the February/March 1943 patrol. Someone on the pier is speaking to them. The boats had to be careful of the amount of ice allowed to accumulate on the upper works of the boat. The weight of the ice could cause stability issues.

Photo courtesy of Wendy Gully of the Submarine Force Library & Museum.

A closeup of the photo above. One of the two officers in the foreground wearing the combination caps is likely the boat's commanding officer, LCDR Max G. Schmidt.

Photo courtesy of Wendy Gully of the Submarine Force Library & Museum.

Another closeup showing more of the S-32's crew. If anyone can identify these men, please let us know.

Photo courtesy of Wendy Gully of the Submarine Force Library & Museum.

Men on the bridge of the S-32. The Dutch Harbor shoreline can be seen in the background. Looks pretty cold and uninviting. The man seen in profile may be Buster Ferrell as noted in other images above.

Photo courtesy of Wendy Gully of the Submarine Force Library & Museum.

This could very well be the last known photo taken of the S-32. She arrived September 13, 1945 in San Francisco. The S-32 was decommissioned at Mare Island on 19 October. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1945. The flags in the foreground are attached to the USS Tautog (SS-199) while she was open for public visits during Sept/Oct 1945. There are two tugs alongside the submarine, likely towing her across the bay to Oakland where she was scrapped in May, 1946.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

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