USN
V-Boat Submarine

Ship History
The first USS Argonaut (SM-1/SF-7/SS-166/APS-1), was laid down as V-4 on 1 May 1925 at Portsmouth Navy Yard. She was launched on 10 November 1927, sponsored by Mrs. Philip Mason Sears, the daughter of Rear Admiral William D. MacDougall, and commissioned on 2 April 1928, Lieutenant Commander W.M. Quigley in command. Argonaut earned two battle stars for her World War II service.

Wartime History
On 28 November 1941, Argonaut (commanded by Stephen G. Barchet) left Pearl Harbor and was on patrol near Midway Island when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. After sunset on 7 December, Argonaut surfaced and heard naval gunfire around Midway. It was assumed the Japanese were landing a large invasion force. Argonaut then submerged to make a sonar approach to the "invasion force." While designed to be a minelayer and not an attack submarine, Argonaut made the first wartime approach on enemy naval forces.

The "invasion force" turned out to be two Japanese destroyers whose mission was shore bombardment on Midway. The ships may have detected Argonaut, and one passed close by the submarine. They completed the bombardment then retired before Argonaut could make a second approach.

One week later, Argonaut made contact with three or four Japanese destroyers. Barchet wisely decided not to attack. On 22 January 1942, she returned to Pearl Harbor and, after a brief stop, proceeded to the Mare Island for conversion to a troop transport submarine.

Argonaut returned to action in the South Pacific in August. Admiral Chester W. Nimitz assigned Argonaut and Nautilus (SS-168) to transport and land Marine Raiders on Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands for the Makin Raid. This move was designed to relieve pressure on American forces that had just landed on Guadalcanal. On 8 August, the two submarines embarked troops of Companies A and B, 2d Raider Battalion, and got underway for Makin. Conditions during the transit were unpleasant, and most of the marines became seasick. The convoy arrived off Makin on 16 August; and, at 0330 the next day, the marines began landing. Their rubber rafts were swamped by the sea and most of the outboard motors drowned. The Japanese -- either forewarned or extraordinarily alert because of the activity on Guadalcanal -- gave the Americans a warm reception. Snipers were hidden in the trees, and the landing beaches were in front of the Japanese forces instead of behind them as planned. However, by midnight of 18 August, the Japanese garrison of about 85 men was wiped out; radio stations, fuel, and other supplies and installations were destroyed, and all but 30 of the troops had been recovered. {21 KIA + 9 captured/executed}
[edit]Final battle

Argonaut arrived back in Pearl Harbor on 26 August. Her hull classification symbol was changed to APS-1 (transport submarine) on 22 September. (Argonaut was never formally designated SS-166, but that hull number was skipped in her honor.) Her base of operations was transferred to Brisbane, Australia, later in the year.

Sinking History
In December, she departed Brisbane under Lieutenant Commander John R. Pierce to patrol the hazardous area between New Britain and Bougainville, south of St. George's Channel. On January 2, 1943 "Argonaut" sank a Japanese gunboat "Ebon Maru" in the Bismark Sea.

On January 10, 1943, Argonaut spotted a convoy of five freighters and their escorts, Japanese destroyers Maikaze, Isokaze, and Hamakaze, returning to Rabaul from Lae. A B-25 Mitchell returning from a mission out of bombs, was by chance flying in the vicinity and witnessed the attack on Argonaut.

A crewman on board the plane saw one destroyer hit by a torpedo, and the destroyers promptly counterattack. Argonaut's bow suddenly broke the water at an unusual angle. It was apparent that a depth charge had severely damaged the submarine. The destroyers continued circling Argonaut and pumping shells into her. She slipped below the waves and was never heard from again. One hundred and five officers and men went down with the submarine.

Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on February 26 1943.

Japanese reports recorded a depth charge attack followed by artillery fire that "destroyed the top of the sub".

On the basis of the report given by the Army flier who witnessed the attack in which Argonaut perished, she was credited with damaging a Japanese destroyer on her last patrol. (Postwar, the JANAC accounting gave her none.) Since histories of none of the three escorting destroyers report damage on 10 Jaunary; the destroyer "hit" may have been a premature torpedo explosion.

Relatives
Gordon Bowker (son of Bowker)
"My father died aboard the Argonaut on January 10th, 1943"

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