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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Contributed by Mike Smolinski

Scorpion (SS-278)

Gato Class Submarine: Laid down, 20 March 1942, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME.; Launched, 20 July 1942; Commissioned USS Scorpion (SS-278), 1 October 1942; Sunk on 4th patrol by mine in January-February 1944 in the Yellow Sea, all hands lost; Struck from the Naval Register, (date unknown). Scorpion received three battle stars for World War II service.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 1,526 t., Submerged: 2,410 t.; Length 311' 8"; Beam 27' 4"; Draft 15' 3"; Speed, Surfaced 20.25 kts, Submerged 8.75 kts; Complement 6 Officers 54 Enlisted; Operating Depth, 300 ft; Submerged Endurance, 48 hrs at 2 kts; Patrol Endurance 75 days; Cruising Range, 11,000 miles surfaced at 10 kts; Armament, ten 21" torpedo tubes, six forward, four aft, 24 torpedoes, one 3"/50 deck gun, two .50 cal. machine guns, two .30 cal. machine guns; Propulsion, diesel electric reduction gear with four Fairbanks Morse main generator diesel engines, HP 5400, Fuel Capacity, 94,400 gals., four General Electric main motors, HP 2740, two 126-cell main storage batteries, twin propellers.
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Scamp & Scorpion 124k Scamp (SS-277), on left & Scorpion (SS-278) at right, dual commissioning ceremony on 20 July 1942, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME. U.S. Navy photo, courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.
Scorpion 35k Scorpion (SS-278) all decked out with flags for her commissioning ceremony in the Piscataqua River at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME. 1 October 1942. Courtesy of MMCM (SS) Greg Peterman USN, Retired.
Scorpion 106k Stern view of the Scorpion (SS-278), probably during her trials at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME., circa July 1942 - Feb 1943. USN photo.
Scorpion 78k Scorpion (SS-278) at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME, October 1942. Courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.org.
Scorpion 21k Scorpion (SS-278) in the Piscataqua River at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME. sometime between 20 July 1942 & January 1943. Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
Scorpion 40k Port broadside view of the Scorpion (SS-278), circa 1943-44; additions are a forward cigarette deck with a 20mm gun and her bridge/conn is the cut down war type style with a lower silhouette. USN photo, text courtesy of John Hummel.
Scorpion 37k In memory of the Scorpion (SS-278). Courtesy of Tom Kermen.
East China & Yellow Seas 88k Map area showing the East China & Yellow Seas, where the Scorpion (SS-278) was believed to be at the time of her loss.
Photo courtesy of CIA World Factbook / wikipedia.org.
East China & Yellow Seas 88k Google Earth satellite photo of the East China & Yellow Seas, where the Scorpion's (SS-278) last approximate position based during post-war debriefings. This position is thought to be the final resting place of the Scorpion and her crew.
View courtesy of Google Earth. Photo added 04/24/08.
Scorpion 10k Maximilian Gmelich Schmidt, Commander (Commanding Officer) of the Scorpion (SS-278) at the time of her loss. USN photo courtesy of oneternalpatrol.com.
Tolling the Boats 117k The wife of a World War II U.S. submarine veteran, tosses a flower into a reflecting pool to honor the memory of one of the 52 submarines lost during World War II at the National Submarine Memorial-West on board Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Calif. On this Veterans Day, the Submarine Veterans of World War II transferred ownership of the memorial to the U.S. Navy.

The following text is from The Coming Fury by Bruce Catton., pg. 478.
"Major Sullivan Bullen of Illinois was killed in the battle, and just before it he had written to his wife, Sarah, to tell her that he believed he was going to be killed and to express a tremulous faith that could see a gleam of light in the dark:
"But O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and float unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you in the gladdest days and in the gloomiest nights, always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your chest it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait, for we shall meet again!"		 U.S. Navy photo # N-1159B-021 by Journalist 2nd Class Brian Brannon, courtesy of news.navy.mil.
Scorpion 16k Scorpion (SS-278) stern view off Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME., circa July 1942 - Feb 1943.


In Memorium:
In the Second Book of Shmuel (Samuel), 22nd chapter, 5th through the 20th verses, translated from the original in Hebrew and published by the Koren Publishers of Jerusalem, Israel, 1982, can perhaps aptly describe the fate of the crew and all other U.S. submariners who died defending their county:

"When the waves of death compassed me / the floods of ungodly men made me afraid; / the bonds of She'ol encircled me; / the snares of death took me by surprise; / in my distress I called upon the Lord, / and cried to my G-D: / and he heard my voice out of his temple, / and my cry entered into his ears. / Then the earth shook and trembled; /the foundations of heaven moved / and shook because of his anger /...the heavy mass of waters, and thick clouds of the skies /... And the channels of the sea appeared, / the foundations of the world were laid bare, / at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast at the breath of his nostrils. / He sent from above, he took me; / he drew me out of many waters; / he delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me. / They surprised me in the day of my calamity: / but the Lord was my stay / He brought me forth also into a large place: / he delivered me because he delighted in me./"		 Courtesy subnet.com.
View the Scorpion (SS-278)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway .
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association
Additional Resources and s of Interest
On Eternal Patrol
Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet USS SCORPION (SS 278) January 5 1944 - 76 Men Lost
Full Fathom Five, U.S. Submarine War Against Japan
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