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

Seadragon (SS-194)

Radio Call Sign: November - Echo - Lima - Papa
Sargo Class Submarine: Laid down, 18 April 1938, at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT.; Launched, 11 April 1939; Commissioned, USS Seadragon (SS-194), 23 October 1939; Decommissioned, 15 November 1946, at Boston, MA.; Recommissioned, 8 February 1946; Decommissioned 29 October 1946; Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; Struck from the Naval Register, 30 April 1948; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in 1948. Seadragon earned eleven battle stars during World War II.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,450 t., Submerged: 2,350 t.; Length 310' ; Beam 27' 1"; Draft 13' 8"; Speed, Surfaced 20 kts, Submerged 7.75 kts; Max Operating Depth, 250'; 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, 90,000 gals. four General Electric Co. electric motors, 2,740 hp, Battery Cells 252, twin propellers.
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Seadragon 19kCommemorative postal cover marking the Seadragon's (SS-194) keel laying 18 April 1938, at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT.Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Seadragon 52k Seadragon (SS-194) being towed to dock 21 April 1939, at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT.Electric Boat / US Navy photo courtesy ussubvetsofwwii.org.
Seadragon 20kCommemorative postal cover marking the Seadragon's (SS-194) launching, 11 April 1939, at Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT.Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Seadragon 132kSeadragon (SS-194) full length, bow view at Provincetown, Mass, 28 August 1939.US Navy photo # 19-N-20953, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
Seadragon 109kSeadragon (SS-194) full length, broadside at Provincetown, Mass, 28 August 1939.US Navy photo # 19-N-20952, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
Seadragon 118kSeadragon (SS-194) full length, broadside at a speed of 19.5 knots at Provincetown, Mass, 28 August 1939.US Navy photo # 19-N-20950, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
Seadragon 112kSeadragon (SS-194) portside view at Provincetown, Mass, 28 August 1939.US Navy photo # 19-N-20946, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
Seadragon 67kCommemorative postal cover marking Seadragon's (SS-194) commissioning, 23 October 1939.Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Seadragon 19kCommemorative postal cover marking the first day of postal service on the Seadragon (SS-194) on her commissioning day, 23 October 1939.Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Navy Day46k Commemorative post mark on the occasion of Navy Day, 27 October 1940, commemorating the participation of:
Sailfish (SS-192),
Seadragon (SS-194),
Sealion (SS-195),
Searaven (SS-196),
Seawolf (SS-197),
Tambor (SS-198),
Tautog (SS-199),
Thresher (SS-200), &
Triton (SS-201).
Note: YN1 Loyal Day was a plankowner of Sealion and aboard when she was bombed on Dec 10, 1941.
Courtesy of Ric Hedman.
Sealion & Seadragon214k Direct hit! Two bombs strike Sealion (SS-195) almost simultaneously. First U.S. submarine casualty of the war, she went down in the shambles of Cavite - was later raised from the shallows off Machina wharf and sunk in Manila Bay to prevent capture. Seadragon (SS-194) (shown at right) narrowly escaped the blast.
 Drawing by Lt. Cmdr. Fred Freemen, Courtesy of Theodore Roscoe, from his book "U.S. Submarine Operations of WW II", published by USNI.
Seadragon 61k Seadragon (SS-194) photographed from directely ahead, while underway off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 17 April 1943. Note the escort ship (DE) fitting out in the background. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102911, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 76k Seadragon (SS-194) photographed from directely astern, while underway off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 17 April 1943. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102912, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 80k Plan view of the Seadragon (SS-194) at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 13 April 1943. White outlines mark recent alterations to the submarine. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102913,from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 262k The Seadragon (SS-194) off Mare Island on 17 April 1943. USN photo # 2682-43, courtesy of Darryl Baker. Photo added 03/09/09.
Seadragon 102k Plan view aft of the Seadragon (SS-194) at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 13 April 1943. White outlines mark recent alterations. YC-833 is in the right center background. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102914, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 38kSeadragon (SS-194) portside view, April 17th, 1943 off Mare Island, Ca.US Navy photo courtesy of John Hummel.
Seadragon 61k Broadside view of the Seadragon (SS-194) off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 5 August 1944. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102915, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 88k Seadragon (SS-194) seen from almost directly ahead, while off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 5 August 1944. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102916, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 68k Seadragon (SS-194) seen from astern, while underway off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 5 August 1944. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102917, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 91k Plan view, aft, of the Seadragon (SS-194) at Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 5 August 1944. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102918, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 88k Plan view, amidships looking aft, taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 5 August 1944. White outlines mark recent alterations on the Seadragon (SS-194). YF-198 is in the right background (second barge from right). Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102919, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 63k Seadragon (SS-194) off the Hunters Point Navy Yard, San Francisco, California, 24 May 1945. Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 102920, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Seadragon 84kPassing the stern of an unidentified aircraft carrier, the Seadragon's (SS-194) flag fluters in the breeze in this undated photo. US Navy photo courtesy of David Buell.
View the Seadragon (SS-194)
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
Through the Looking Glass, A Historic Look at Submarines
Full Fathom Five, U.S. Submarine War Against Japan
Back To The Main Photo IndexBack To the Submarine Index

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