View source for USS Argonaut (SM-1)

{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
{{Redirect|SF-7|other uses|SF7 (disambiguation){{!}}SF7}}
{{other ships|USS Argonaut}}

{{Use American English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox ship
|section1={{Infobox ship/image
 |image=USSArgonautSS166.jpg
 |image_caption=USS ''Argonaut'' underway.
 }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career
 |hide_header=
 |country=United States
 |flag={{USN flag|1943}}
 |name=USS ''Argonaut''
 |namesake=
 |ordered=
 |builder=[[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]], [[Kittery, Maine]]<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">{{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History|publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]]|year=1995|location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]]|pages=285–304|isbn=1-55750-263-3}}</ref>
 |laid_down=1 May 1925<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
 |launched=10 November 1927<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
 |acquired=
 |commissioned=2 April 1928<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/>
 |decommissioned=
 |in_service=
 |out_of_service=
 |struck=
 |fate=Sunk by Japanese [[destroyer]]s off [[Rabaul]] on 10 January 1943<ref name="Register">{{cite book|last=Bauer|first=K. Jack|author2=Roberts, Stephen S. |title=Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=1991|location=[[Westport, Connecticut]]|pages=266–267|isbn=0-313-26202-0}}</ref>
 }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics
 |hide_header=
 |header_caption=
 |class=[[V-boat]] V-4 composite direct-drive [[diesel engine|diesel]] and [[Diesel-electric transmission|diesel-electric]] [[submarine]]<ref name="Register"/>
 |displacement=*'''Surfaced:''' {{convert|2710|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}<ref>Alden, John D., Commander, USN (retired). ''The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy'' (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1979), p. 211.</ref> (standard); {{convert|3046|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (full load)<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 305–311</ref>
               *'''Submerged:''' {{convert|4161|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
 |length={{convert|358|ft|abbr=on}} ([[Length at the waterline|waterline]]),<ref>Lenon, H. T. ''American Submarines'' (New York: Doubleday, 1973), p. 31.</ref> {{convert|381|ft|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> ([[Length overall|overall]])
 |beam={{convert|33|ft|9.5|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
 |draft={{convert|16|ft|.25|in|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/><!--Lenton says 15' 3"-->
 |propulsion=*'''As Built:''' 2 × [[Bureau of Steam Engineering|BuEng]] ([[MAN SE|MAN]]-designed) [[direct-drive]] main [[diesel engine]]s, {{convert|1400|hp|abbr=on}} each.<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/><ref name= "FriedmanSubs1-p259">''U.S. Submarines Through 1945'' pp. 259</ref>
             **1 × BuEng MAN auxiliary [[diesel-electric]] diesel generator, {{convert|300|kW|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/><ref name="FriedmanSubs1-p259"/><ref name="Alden, p.211"/>
             *'''Re-Engined 1942:''' 4 × [[General Motors]] [[Electro-Motive Diesel|Winton]] main diesel engines, {{convert|1200|hp|abbr=on}} each,<ref name="Friedman, p. 176">Friedman, p. 176</ref>
             **1 × GM Winton {{convert|300|kW|abbr=on}} and 1 × GM Winton {{convert|150|kW|abbr=on}} auxiliary diesel generators,<ref name="Friedman, p. 176"/>
             **2 × 120-cell [[Exide]] ULS37 [[battery (electricity)|batteries]],<ref name="Alden, p.211"/>
             **2 × Ridgway [[electric motor]]s, {{convert|1100|hp|abbr=on}} each,<ref name="Register"/><ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
             **2 × shafts
 |power=
 |speed=*'''Surfaced:''' {{convert|15|kn|mph km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}} (design);<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> {{convert|13.6|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} (trials)<ref name="Register"/>
        *'''Submerged:''' {{convert|8|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} (design);<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> {{convert|7.43|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} (trials)<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
 |range={{convert|8000|nmi|mi km|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}};<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> {{convert|18000|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} @ {{convert|10|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} with fuel in main [[ballast tank]]s<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
 |endurance=10 hours @ {{convert|5|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
 |test_depth={{convert|300|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
 |capacity={{convert|173875|USgal|L|abbr=on}} diesel fuel<ref>Alden, p. 28; Lenton, p. 31, says 696 tons.</ref>
 |complement=*'''As Built:''' 8 officers, 78 men<ref name="Alden, p.28">Alden, p. 28.</ref>
             *'''1931:'''<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> 7 officers, 9 [[Chief Petty Officer|chief petty officer]]s,<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> 71 enlisted<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
 |armament=*'''As Built:''' 4 × 21 inch (533 mm) [[torpedo tube]]s (bow; 16 [[torpedo]]es),<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/><ref name="Alden, p.28"/>
           **2 × 40 inch (1,016 mm)<ref name="Alden, p.28"/>[[Minelayer|minelaying]] tubes aft (60 [[Naval mine|mines]]),<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
           **2 × [[6"/53 caliber gun|6 inch (152 mm)/53 caliber]] Mark XII Mod 2<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> wet type<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> [[deck gun]]s<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/>
           *'''1942:''' 6 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern external; 20 torpedoes),<ref name="Alden, p.28"/>
           **minelaying tubes removed,<ref name="Alden, p.28"/>
           **2 × 6 inch deck guns as above,
           **2 × [[20 mm Oerlikon|20 mm cannon]],
           **2 × [[M1919 Browning machine gun|.30 caliber machine gun]]s
 |notes=Two Battle stars
 }}
}}

'''USS ''Argonaut'' (V-4/SF-7/SM-1/A-1/APS-1/SS-166)''' was a [[submarine]] of the [[United States Navy]], the first boat to carry the name. ''Argonaut'' was laid down as '''''V-4''''' on 1 May 1925 at [[Portsmouth Navy Yard]]. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 10 November 1927, [[Sponsor (military)|sponsored]] by Mrs. Philip Mason Sears, the daughter of [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] William D. MacDougall, and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 2 April 1928. Although never officially designated as "SS-166", at some point she displayed this number on her conning tower.<ref>[http://navsource.net/archives/08/168/0816656.jpg Photo of ''Argonaut'' at ''NavSource'' with "166" on the conning tower.]</ref>

She was sunk by Japanese [[destroyer]]s while engaging their convoy near [[Rabaul]] in [[Oceania]] on 10 January 1943, with the loss of 102 lives.<ref name="Register"/>

==Design==
''V-4'' was the first of the second generation of [[V boat|V-boat]]s commissioned in the late 1920s, which remain the largest non-nuclear submarines ever built by the United States. ''V-4'' was the behemoth of its class. These submarines were exempt by special agreement from the armament and tonnage limitations of the 1922 [[Washington Naval Treaty]]. Her configuration, and that of the following ''V-5'' and ''V-6'', resulted from an evolving strategic concept that increasingly emphasized the possibility of a naval war with Japan in the far western Pacific. This factor, and the implications of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, suggested the need for long-range submarine "cruisers", or "strategic scouts", as well as long-range minelayers, for which long endurance, not high speed, was most important. The design was possibly influenced by the German "U-cruisers" of the [[German Type U 139 submarine|Type U-139]] and [[German Type U 151 submarine|Type U-151]] [[U-boat]] classes, although ''V-4'', ''V-5'', and ''V-6'' were all larger than these. ''V-4'' and her [[sister ship|near-sister]]s ''V-5'' ({{USS|Narwhal|SS-167|2}}) and ''V-6'' ({{USS|Nautilus|SS-168|2}}) were initially designed with larger and more powerful [[MAN SE|MAN-designed]] diesel engines than the [[Busch-Sulzer]] engines that propelled earlier V-boats, which were failures. The specially built engines failed to produce their design power, and some developed dangerous crankcase explosions. ''V-4'' was ultimately completed with smaller MAN diesels of {{convert|1400|hp|abbr=on}}, compared with {{convert|2350|hp|abbr=on}} for ''V-5'' and ''V-6''. The smaller diesels were required to allow sufficient space for mine storage.

The engine specifications as built were two [[Bureau of Steam Engineering|BuEng]]-manufactured, [[MAN SE|MAN]]-designed direct-drive 6-[[Cylinder (engine)|cylinder]] [[Four-stroke engine|4-cycle]] main [[diesel engine]]s, {{convert|1400|hp|abbr=on}} each.<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/><ref name="FriedmanSubs1-p259"/> A BuEng MAN 6-cylinder 4-cycle auxiliary diesel engine of {{convert|450|hp|abbr=on}}, driving a [[Ridgway Dynamo & Engine Co|Ridgway]]<ref name="Alden, p.211">Alden, p. 211.</ref> {{convert|300|kW|abbr=on}}<ref name="Alden, p.211"/> [[electric generator]],<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/><ref name="FriedmanSubs1-p259"/> was provided for charging batteries or for additional [[diesel-electric]] propulsion power.

A more successful propulsion improvement in ''V-4'' was the replacement of earlier submarines' pairs of 60-[[electrochemical cell|cell]] [[battery (electricity)|batteries]] with a pair of 120-cell batteries, thus doubling the available voltage to the electric motors when submerged. This battery configuration would be standard until the [[GUPPY]] program following World War II. ''V-4'' and her sisters were slow in diving and, when submerged, were unwieldy and slower than designed. They also presented an excellent target for surface ship [[sonar]] and had a large turning radius.

For the first time in U.S. submarine construction, the Portsmouth Navy Yard utilized welding during the assembly process. Led by Navy welding expert James W. Owens, welding was used in non-critical areas such as the superstructure, piping brackets, and support framing. ''V-4'' ended up being built to a mixed method construction, with both the inner and outer hulls still riveted. Owens was eager to expand the use of welding in ship construction, and its use on ''V-4'' was entirely successful. All subsequent submarines built for the USN used welding to some extent, with the method adopted in whole in 1936.<ref>Johnston, David "No More Heads or Tails", pp. 52, 56–57</ref>

Designed primarily as a minelayer, and built at a cost of [[United States dollar|US$]]6,150,000,<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> ''V-4'' was the first and only such specialized type ever built by the United States. She had four [[torpedo tube]]s forward and two minelaying tubes aft. At the time of construction, ''V-4'' was the largest submarine ever built in the U.S., and was the largest in U.S. Navy service for 30 years.<ref name="Alden, p.28"/>

Her minelaying arrangements were "highly ingenious, but extremely complicated",<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> filling two aft compartments.<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> A compensating tube ran down the center of the two spaces, to make up for the lost weight as mines were laid, as well as to store eight additional mines.<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> The other mines were racked in three groups around this tube, two in the fore compartment, one aft,<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> with a hydraulically driven rotating cage between them.<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> Mines were moved by hydraulic worm shafts, the aft racks connecting directly to the launch tubes,<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> which had vertically sliding hydraulic doors<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> (rather than the usual hinged ones of torpedo tubes). Each launch tube was normally loaded with four mines,<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> and a water 'round mines (WRM) tube flooded to compensate as they were laid, then pumped into the compensating tube.<ref>Alden, pp. 28–29.</ref> Eight mines could be laid in 10 minutes.<ref name="Alden, p.29">Alden, p. 29.</ref>

==Interwar period==
Following commissioning, ''V-4'' served with Submarine Division 12 based at [[Newport, Rhode Island]].

She proved perennially underpowered, but engine replacement was postponed by war,<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> and her [[MAN SE|MAN]] diesels were a constant source of trouble.<ref>Blair, Clay, Jr. ''Silent Victory'' (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1975).</ref>

In January–February 1929, ''V-4'' underwent a series of trials off [[Provincetown, Massachusetts]]. On a trial dive during this period, she submerged to a depth of {{convert|318|ft|m|abbr=on}}. This mark was the greatest depth an American submarine had reached up to that time. On 26 February 1929, ''V-4'' was assigned to Submarine Division 20 ([[SubDiv]]&nbsp;20), and arrived at [[San Diego, California]] on 23 March. From there, she participated in battle exercises and made cruises along the West Coast.

In 1931, the ''V-4'' was heavily featured in ''[[Seas Beneath]]'', an American action film directed by John Ford. The ''V-4'' was repainted to appear as a World War I German submarine, the fictional 'U-172'.  '''''Argonaut''''' also appeared as a German World War I U-boat in the post-Code 1931 film ''[[Suicide Fleet]]'', about three US Navy sailors on a schooner submarine decoy Q-ship and their liberty adventures pursuing a beautiful Coney Island concessionaire. In this film she appeared as the 'U-200.'  ''Suicide Fleet'' starred William Boyd, who later found fame as Hopalong Cassidy, and featured a very young [[Ginger Rogers]] as the love interest in one of her first featured roles.

''V-4'' was renamed '''''Argonaut''''' on 19 February 1931, and redesignated '''SM-1''' (submarine, minelayer) on 1 July. On 30 June 1932, she arrived at [[Pearl Harbor]], where she was assigned to SubDiv&nbsp;7. She carried out minelaying operations, patrol duty, and other routine work. In October 1934 and again in May 1939, ''Argonaut'' took part in joint Army-Navy exercises in the Hawaiian operating area. ''Argonaut'' became the [[flagship]] of [[Submarine Squadron 4]] (SubRon&nbsp;4). The submarine returned to the West Coast in April 1941 to participate in fleet tactical exercises.

==World War II==

On 28 November 1941 ''Argonaut'', commanded by [[Stephen Barchet|Stephen G. Barchet]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Rear Admiral Barchet |url=http://fleetsubmarine.com/barchet.html |website=fleetsubmarine.com |date=November 2015 |access-date=6 January 2020 |archive-date=20 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020034726/https://fleetsubmarine.com/barchet.html }}</ref> left [[Pearl Harbor]] to patrol around [[Midway Island]] with {{Ship|USS|Trout|SS-202|6}} as Midway Defense Group 7.2.  She was notified by radio of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese]] [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] when she surfaced a few minutes after sunset on 7 December.  ''Argonaut'' set general quarters two hours later to investigate naval gunfire around Midway.  While designed as a minelayer and not an attack submarine, ''Argonaut'' made the first wartime approach on enemy naval forces; but poor maneuverability prevented reaching a suitable position for surfaced torpedo launch against the two Japanese [[destroyer]]s shelling Midway.  One of the destroyers saw ''Argonaut'' as she dived to make a submerged second approach in the bright moonlight; but the destroyer was unable to locate the submerged submarine, and ''Argonaut'' was again unable to maneuver into position to launch torpedoes.  After being held down all night, ''Argonaut'' surfaced at dawn to recharge batteries and was unsuccessfully bombed by a United States plane from Midway.<ref name=nhm>{{cite journal |last=O'Kane |first=Richard H. |year=1996 |title=Not 'Just Practice' |journal=Naval History |volume=10 |issue=6 |pages=21–23 |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]] }}</ref>

''Argonaut{{'}}s'' dehumidifiers were ineffective at preventing condensation, which caused electrical fires, making various pieces of electrical machinery inoperative.  Three crewmen were sick with high fevers, but President Roosevelt's mention of ''Argonaut{{'}}s'' contribution to the war effort in a radio speech encouraged Barchet to resist the temptation to abort the patrol.  By trimming the submarine 17 tons heavy, the crew was able to reduce diving time to 52 seconds by skillfully coordinated pumping between fore and aft ballast tanks; but that time was still considered too slow to avoid hostile aircraft.  ''Argonaut'' successfully rendezvoused with {{Ship|USS|Litchfield|DD-336|6}} at 06:00 20 January 1942, so the destroyer could escort her back to Pearl Harbor.<ref name=nhm/>

===Conversion to troop transport===
On 22 January 1942, she returned to Pearl Harbor and, after a brief stop, proceeded to [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] for major overhaul. While there, her diesels were replaced with [[General Motors]] [[Electro-Motive Diesel|Winton]] 12-258Ss totaling {{convert|4800|hp|kW|abbr=on}}<ref name="Alden, p.29"/> with hydraulic drive through reduction gears,<ref name="Friedman, p. 176"/> and her minelaying gear was removed to prepare for conversion to a troop transport submarine.<ref name="Alden, p.28"/> The auxiliary diesel generator was replaced by a {{convert|300|kW|abbr=on}} GM Winton 8-268A and a {{convert|150|kW|abbr=on}} GM Winton 4-268A.<ref name="Friedman, p. 176"/> She was also fitted with a [[Torpedo Data Computer]]<ref name="Alden, p.29"/> (lack of which likely inhibited her ability to score with torpedoes), new electronics,<ref name="Alden, p.29"/> and two external stern torpedo tubes on the after casing, along with two stern deck stowage tubes. It appears she was not fitted with bow external torpedo tubes, as were ''Narwhal'' and ''Nautilus'', as photos taken after the refit do not show them.<ref name="Alden, p.29"/><ref name="pigboats.com">{{cite web|url=http://pigboats.com/subs/v-boats2.html|title=PigBoats.COM – V-Class Submarines Page 2 Argonaut V-4|website=pigboats.com|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08166.htm|website=NavSource |title=USS Argonaut (SM-1) |access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref> On return to Pearl Harbor, the conversion to a troop transport submarine was "hastily" finished.<ref name="Alden, p.29"/>

[[File:Makin Island Raid, August 1942.jpg|thumb|A Marine Raider, injured during the Makin operation, is lifted through a hatch on USS ''Argonaut'' to be taken ashore at Pearl Harbor, 26 August 1942.]]

''Argonaut'' returned to action in the South Pacific in August. [[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]] [[Chester W. Nimitz]] assigned ''Argonaut'' and ''Nautilus'' to transport and land [[Marine Raiders]] on [[Butaritari|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 120<ref name="Alden, p.29"/> troops of Companies A and B, [[Marine Raiders|2nd 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 03:30 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—were ready for the Americans' arrival. 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.

===Sinking===
''Argonaut'' arrived back in Pearl Harbor on 26 August. Her [[hull classification symbol]] was changed from SM-1 to '''APS-1''' (transport submarine) on 22 September. She was never formally designated '''SS-166''', but that hull number was reserved for her and a photo shows she occasionally displayed it.<ref name="Register"/><ref name="pigboats.com"/> Her base of operations was transferred to [[Brisbane, Queensland]], later in the year. In December, she departed Brisbane under Lieutenant Commander John R. Pierce to patrol the hazardous area between [[New Britain]] and [[Bougainville Island]], south of [[Bismarck Archipelago]]. On 2 January 1943, ''Argonaut'' sank the Japanese [[gunboat]] ''Ebon Maru'' in the Bismarck Sea.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1943.html|title=The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II – 1943|website=www.ibiblio.org|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref> On 10 January, ''Argonaut'' spotted a [[convoy]] of five freighters and their escorting [[destroyer]]s{{snd}}{{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Maikaze||2}}, {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Isokaze|1939|2}}, and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Hamakaze|1940|2}}{{snd}}returning to Rabaul from Lae. By chance, a [[United States Army Air Forces]] (USAAF) aircraft{{snd}}which was out of bombs{{snd}}was flying overhead and witnessed ''Argonaut''{{'s}} attack. A crewman on board the plane saw one destroyer hit by a [[torpedo]], and the destroyers promptly counterattacking. ''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'', pumping shells into her; she slipped below the waves and was never heard from again.<ref name="Alden, p.29"/> One hundred and two officers and men went down with her, the worst loss of life for an American submarine in wartime.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-argonaut-166.htm |title=On Eternal Patrol – USS Argonaut (APS-1), (SS-166) |website=On Eternal Patrol |access-date=18 November 2014 }}</ref> Her name was stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 26 February.
[[File:USS Argonaut ships bell.gif|thumb|right|The ship's bell of USS ''Argonaut'' – lost in combat in 1943 – still serves in the [[Submarine Memorial Chapel]] at Pearl Harbor]]
Japanese reports made available at the end of the war recorded a depth charge attack followed by gunfire, at which time they "destroyed the top of the sub".

On the basis of the report given by the USAAF flier who witnessed the attack in which ''Argonaut'' sank, she was credited with damaging a Japanese destroyer on her last patrol. (Postwar, the [[JANAC]] accounting gave her none.) Since none of the histories of the three escorting destroyers reports damage on 10 January 1943, the destroyer "hit" may have been a [[Mark 14 torpedo|premature explosion]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/maikaz_t.htm|title=Long Lancers|website=www.combinedfleet.com|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/isokaz_t.htm|title=Long Lancers|website=www.combinedfleet.com|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.combinedfleet.com/hamaka_t.htm|title=Long Lancers|website=www.combinedfleet.com|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref>

Before her crew left for their third war patrol, they donated ''Argonaut''{{'s}} bell. Nearly 20 months after her loss, the [[Submarine Memorial Chapel]] was built and dedicated on the Submarine Base in Pearl Harbor.  The bell hanging in her steeple comes from ''Argonaut'', and still rings today for services.

==Awards==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=American Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World_War_II_Victory_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|[[American Defense Service Medal]] <br />with "FLEET" clasp
|[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] <br />with two [[battle star]]s
|[[World War II Victory Medal]] 
|}

==See also==
*{{HMS|M3|1918|6}} – British minelaying submarine of same period.

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/a/argonaut-sf-7-i.html}}
* Schlesman, Bruce and Roberts, Stephen S., "Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants" (Greenwood Press, 1991), {{ISBN|0-313-26202-0}}
* Lenton, H. T. ''American Submarines (Navies of the Second World War)'' (Doubleday, 1973), {{ISBN|0-38504-761-4}}
* Silverstone, Paul H., ''U.S. Warships of World War II'' (Ian Allan, 1965), {{ISBN|0-87021-773-9}}
* Campbell, John ''Naval Weapons of World War Two'' (Naval Institute Press, 1985), {{ISBN|0-87021-459-4}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150304052224/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_20/vclass.htm Whitman, Edward C.  "The Navy's Variegated V-Class: Out of One, Many?" ''Undersea Warfare'', Fall 2003, Issue 20]
* https://web.archive.org/web/20140322093118/http://www.fleetsubmarine.com/sublist.html
* Gardiner, Robert and Chesneau, Roger, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946'', Conway Maritime Press, 1980. {{ISBN|0-83170-303-2}}.
* Friedman, Norman "US Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis:1995, {{ISBN|1-55750-263-3}}.
* Johnston, David [https://pigboats.com/images/3/37/NO_MORE_HEADS_OR_TAILS_TSR_version.pdf "No More Heads or Tails: The Adoption of Welding in U.S. Navy Submarines"], ''The Submarine Review'', June 2020, pp.&nbsp;46–64
* [https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=V-4 PigBoats.COM V-4 page]
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_6-53_mk12.htm DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com 6"/53 caliber gun]
{{refend}}

==External links==

{{Commons category|USS Argonaut (SS-166)}}
*[http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-argonaut-166.htm On Eternal Patrol: USS ''Argonaut'']

{{V-boats}}
{{WWII US ships}}
{{January 1943 shipwrecks}}
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{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Argonaut (Sm-1)}}
[[Category:V-boats]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kittery, Maine]]
[[Category:1927 ships]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Lost submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Bismarck Sea]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Warships lost in combat with all hands]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1943]]
[[Category:Submarines sunk by Japanese warships]]