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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patch courtesy of
Don McGrogan BMCS, USN (ret.)

Snapper (SS-185)

Radio Call Sign: November - Alpha - Romeo - Juliet
Salmon Class Submarine: Laid down, 23 July 1936, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, NH; Launched, 24 August 1937; Commissioned, USS Snapper (SS-185), 16 December 1937; Decommissioned, 17 November 1945, at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.; Struck from the Naval Register, 31 April 1948; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 18 May 1948, to Interstate Metals Corp., New York, NY. Snapper earned six battle stars for World War II service.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,449 t., Submerged: 2,198 t.; Length 308' ; Beam 26' 1"; Draft 14' 2"; Speed, Surfaced 21 kts, Submerged 9 kts; Complement 5 Officers 50 Enlisted; Armament, eight 21" torpedo tubes, 24 torpedoes, one 3"/50 deck gun, two .50 caliber machine guns, two .30 caliber machine guns; Propulsion, diesel-electric, four Hoover, Owens, Rentschler Co. diesel engines, (replaced in 1943-1944 with four General Motors 278A diesel engines), 5,500 hp, Fuel Capacity, 96,025 gals. four Elliot Motor Co. electric motors, 3,300 hp, Battery Cells 252, twin propellers.
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For Full Size		Size Image Description Source
SS 185 23k Commemorative postal cover on the occasion of Snapper's (SS-185) launching, 24 August 1937, at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, 24 August 1937. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
SS 185 388k Snapper (SS-185) slides down the ways at 2:20 PM EST at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, 24 August 1937. USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
SS 185 93k Mrs. Harold R. Stark,Sponsor of Snapper (SS-185) holds the Sponsor's bouquet during the submarine's launching ceremonies, at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, 24 August 1937. Collection of Admiral Harold R. Stark, USN. Official USN photo # NH 99100, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
SS 185 24k Commemorative postal cover on the occasion of Snapper's (SS-185) commissioning, 16 December 1937. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
SS 185 14k Commemorative postal cover on the occasion of Snapper's (SS-185) shakedown cruise, 15 June 1938. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
SS 185 73k Commemorative postal cover on the occasion of Snapper's (SS-185) birthday, 16 December 1938. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
SS 185 287k Pre war image of the Snapper (SS-185). USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Seal 60k Commemorative postal cover on the occasion of Navy Day 1938 honoring the six Salmon-class (SS-182-187) submarines:
Salmon (SS-182)
Seal (SS-183),
Skipjack (SS-184)
Snapper (SS-185)
Stingray (SS-186) &
Sturgeon (SS-187). 		USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
SS 185 72k Snapper (SS-185) photographed during the later 1930s. Official USN photo # NH 99096, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Fleet Problem XX 43k Commemorative postal cover marking Snapper (SS-185), Stingray (SS-186), Skipjack (SS-184), Plunger (SS-179), Cachalot (SS-170), Salmon (SS-182), Perch (SS-176) & Pollack (SS-180) participating in Fleet Problem XX, 28 January 1939. Courtesy of Jack Treutle (of blessed memory).
SS 185 225k Bow view from ahead of the Snapper (SS-185) in Drydock, Portsmouth (N.H.) Navy Yard, 10 April 1939. USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.org.
AS 3 59k Panoramic photograph of Holland (AS-3) moored at Buoy 19, San Diego, CA, 1940, with eleven submarines alongside. Submarines are (from left to right):
Salmon (SS-182);
Seal (SS-183);
Stingray (SS-186);
Perch (SS-176);
Pollack (SS-180);
Cachalot (SS-170);
Cuttlefish (SS-171);
Skipjack (SS-184);
Sturgeon (SS-187);
Snapper (SS-185)
and Sargo (SS-188).
SS-182 through SS-187 were members of Submarine Division 15, commanded by R.W. Christie. Richmond (CL-9), flagship of the Commander Submarine Force, Pacific, is in the right distance. 		USN photo # NH 68481, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, courtesy of US Naval Institute, James C Fahey Collection.
SS 182 103k Submarines in San Diego harbor, California, 1940 Moored alongside Holland (AS-3) , from which the photograph was taken, the submarines are (from left to right): Salmon (SS-182); Seal (SS-183); Pickerel (SS-177); Plunger (SS-179); Snapper (SS-185) and Permit (SS-178). Note the small motor boats, of the type carried by fleet submarines prior to World War II. One of the men standing on Salmon's (SS-182) deck is Yeoman Clayton Johnson, who in 1969 was a Commander serving at the Naval History Division. Enterprise (CV-6) is in the distance, tied up at Naval Air Station, North Island. USN photo # NH 68479,from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, courtesy of the U.S. Naval Institute. James C. Fahey Collection.
185
0818516		 NR One of that comparatively unsung company of American heroes who are fighting the war undersea, where it hits the Jap the hardest, is Lt. Comdr. Clementson, submarine skipper whose ships have taken a fat toll of dwindling enemy tonnage. Their score adds up to more than 30,000 tons of enemy shipping sunk, including a destroyer, and 5,000 tons damaged...
Navy Cross
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS DURING World War II Service: Navy GENERAL ORDERS: Pacific Fleet Board Awards: Serial 53 (March 24, 1944) CITATION:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Navy Cross to Commander [then Lieutenant Commander] Merrill Kinsell Clementson (NSN: 0-72597), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession as Commanding Officer of the Snapper (SS-185), on the SEVENTH War Patrol of that submarine in enemy controlled waters during the period from 26 July 1943 to 17 September 1943. Alert and aggressive as he navigated dangerous seas in search of Japanese shipping, Commander Clementson conducted bold attacks against the enemy and, maintaining a high standard of efficiency throughout this important patrol, succeeded in sinking three vessels totaling over 20,000 tons and in damaging another ship of 5,000 tons. A brilliant and fearless leader, Commander Clementson inspired confidence and maximum effort among the officers and men of his submarine, inflicting heavy losses upon the enemy and bringing his ship to port undamaged despite intensive hostile countermeasures. His skilled tactics, courageous conduct and gallant devotion to duty during a daring undersea offensive reflect great credit upon Commander Clementson, his intrepid command and the United States Naval Service.		 Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo & text by Evening Star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 04 June 1944, Image 85, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Text for Silver Star via valor.militarytimes.com.
SS 185 78k Snapper (SS-185) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 24 February 1945. Official USN photo # 19-N-80171, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.
SS 185 366k Snapper (SS-185) underway off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 24 February 1945. Navy Photo # 1404-45, from the collection of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum & submitted by Darryl L. Baker.
SS 185 71k Snapper (SS-185) seen from ahead, while underway off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 24 February 1945. Official USN photo # NH 99098, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
SS 185 70k Snapper (SS-185) seen from astern, while underway off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 24 February 1945. Official USN photo # NH 99099, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
SS 185 322k Amidships looking forward view of Snapper (SS-185) at Mare Island on 26 February 1945. Snapper was in overhaul at Mare Island from 9 November 1944 until 9 March 1945. USN photo # 1452-45, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
SS 185 112k Snapper (SS-185) plan view, looking aft, taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 26 February 1945. White outlines mark recent alterations to the submarine. Note ready service ammunition lockers built into the superstructure; radar antennas and radio-direction finding loop atop the periscope shears . Barge YF-465 is in the left distance. Photograph # NH 19-N-80176, from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Sand Lance245k Bow on view of Sand Lance (SS-381) off Mare Island on 26 February 1945.
In the background is a stern view of either Snapper (SS-185), Cero (SS-225), & Raton (SS-270). All were out in the bay that day. 		USN photo # 1445-45, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
SS 185 53k Bow on view of the Snapper (SS-185) underway, circa 1937-45. Courtesy of Aryeh Wetherhorn from Vol XV, of S.E. Morison U.S. Naval Operations in WW II.
SS 185 79k Photographed off the U.S. coast on 5 April 1945, Snapper (SS-185) shows a prominent raised casings above her engine rooms. They accommodate the new mufflers installed in wartime. The Gato's (SS-212-84) had raised after decks and slightly smaller mufflers, so they showed no such bulges. The gun is a 4 in/50 salvaged from an old S-boat. Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
View the Snapper (SS-185)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Ep-21 (1) - Victory At Sea ~ Full Fathom Five - HQ
PigBoats.COM TM, a Historic Look at Submarines
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