USS Perch SS-176

USS Perch was a United States Navy Porpoise-class submarine who received one Battle Star for her actions during World War II. At 300 feet long, she carried a complement of 54 sailors, and could reach top speeds of 19 knots per hour when surfaced and nine when submerged. She was propelled by four V16 diesel engines driving electrical generators, two 120-cell batteries, eight high-speed electric motors with reduction gears, and two shafts. Her armament was comprised of six 21-inch torpedo tubes, 16 torpedoes, one three-inch 50-caliber deck gun, and four machine guns. Perch could dive to 250 feet and endure 36 hours at minimum submerged speed. She could also remain on patrol for 75 days.

Pre-War Missions

Perch was constructed by the Electric Boat Company, in Connecticut, where her keel was laid down in 1935. She was not commissioned until late the following year, and her fitting out and shakedown was followed with orders to join the Pacific Fleet. As a member of Submarine Squadron 6, she surveyed the Aleutian Islands before embarking to Manila in 1939. It was there she was deemed division flagship, sailing to Tsingtao and Shanghai in 1940. Perch conducted normal operations, exercises and maneuvers in the waters of the Philippines, taking part in projects such as escorting the Fourth Marines, until the war broke out. Upon hearing the news, Perch quickly sailed from Cavite Navy Yard on December 10, just in time to avoid the destruction of it by enemy bombs. On her initial war mission, she traversed Corregidor minefields and the waters off Luzon and Formosa before arriving at the coastal shores of Hong Kong. Although her first shots at an enemy vessel on Christmas failed, USS Perch torpedoed an 8,000-ton Japanese merchantman a few days later.

Repeated Damages and a Catastrophic End

Although this altercation required Perch to obtain repairs, she did not incur serious damage and was able to continue her job. While patrolling near Kendari, Celebes, she became involved in an attack that proved disastrous. She was hit by a high explosive round forward of the pressure hull of the conning tower. This caused her bridge deck to be blown away, the antenna trunk to become punctured, and the radio to be placed out of commission. Yet, in waters saturated by enemy ships, in the darkness of night, her crew successfully repaired the USS Perch without further incident. In March of 1942, during a battle off Java, in the Netherlands East Indies, two destroyers attacked Perch and forced her to dive. Due to the excessive depth charges, she bottomed at 135 feet, with her starboard motors destroyed and flooding taking place. Again the crew patched Perch back together and surfaced in the name of battle, only to be forced back under the sea. Since she was losing a vast quantity of oil from damaged ballast tanks, the enemy was sure she was gone, so they left in pursuit of other victims. Perch was thus able to escape-that night. When day break arrived, USS Perch was left with only one working engine and a flooded deck, but she successfully completed a test dive. Sadly, she surfaced in the face of the enemy. Two Japanese cruisers and three destroyers sent shells towards her, and the crew was ordered to abandon ship. (This order resulted in First Lieutenant Kenneth G. Schacht receiving a Navy Cross.) The 54-member USS Perch crew was captured by a Japanese destroyer; 48 were returned to the United States after V-J Day but six others died of malnutrition in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps. Seven months later, on Thanksgiving Day, the wreck of Perch was found. An international expedition of divers off the coast of Java located her in the ocean depths, even though they were searching for the HMS Exeter to photograph. The USS Perch had already been stricken from the Naval Vessel Register, back on June 24, 1942.

Although this altercation required Perch to obtain repairs, she did not incur serious damage and was able to continue her job. While patrolling near Kendari, Celebes, she became involved in an attack that proved disastrous. She was hit by a high explosive round forward of the pressure hull of the conning tower. This caused her bridge deck to be blown away, the antenna trunk to become punctured, and the radio to be placed out of commission. Yet, in waters saturated by enemy ships, in the darkness of night, her crew successfully repaired the USS Perch without further incident.

In March of 1942, during a battle off Java, in the Netherlands East Indies, two destroyers attacked Perch and forced her to dive. Due to the excessive depth charges, she bottomed at 135 feet, with her starboard motors destroyed and flooding taking place. Again the crew patched Perch back together and surfaced in the name of battle, only to be forced back under the sea. Since she was losing a vast quantity of oil from damaged ballast tanks, the enemy was sure she was gone, so they left in pursuit of other victims. Perch was thus able to escape that night.

When day break arrived, USS Perch was left with only one working engine and a flooded deck, but she successfully completed a test dive. Sadly, she surfaced in the face of the enemy. Two Japanese cruisers and three destroyers sent shells towards her, and the crew was ordered to abandon ship. (This order resulted in First Lieutenant Kenneth G. Schacht receiving a Navy Cross.) The 54-member USS Perch crew was captured by a Japanese destroyer; 48 were returned to the United States after V-J Day but six others died of malnutrition in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps. Seven months later, on Thanksgiving Day, the wreck of Perch was found. An international expedition of divers off the coast of Java located her in the ocean depths, even though they were searching for the HMS Exeter to photograph. The USS Perch had already been stricken from the Naval Vessel Register, back on June 24, 1942.

The idea that an American ship could survive so much damage is terrible, but the unnecessary loss of life due to inhumane conditions makes the history of this vessel even more tragic. Millions mourned this horrendous loss, and even today these events have the power to stun. The sailors who survived were indeed fortunate; hopefully they were able to finish their tours of duty safely on other ships. However, all former USS crew members should be on the lookout for any unusual physical problems that could be a result of asbestos exposure from damaged sealant onboard submarines. The Navy, in its effort to keep its men protected from the threat of fire, likely installed a lot of the material along with insulation. But, through the wear and tear of repeated collisions and overhauls, some tiny fibers may have escaped and been inhaled or swallowed by anyone on board. Some individuals have been known to develop serious medical conditions and even cancer as a result of these many years of irritation, so anything unusual should be reported to a doctor; there may be a connection even after 50 years. For more information, please fill out the form on this page to receive a comprehensive packet in the mail.

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