The USS Plunger SS 179 seen exiting Pearl Harbor. This could possibly be one of the times Plunger had made excursions to Hawaii prior to WW II. The timing of this photo is in doubt.

Plunger was to have reported to Hawaii on November 30, 1941 by one account, but Blair and Roscoe have her arriving in company with Pompano and Pollack on the morning of December 7 from Mare Island while the Japanese attack was going on. Plunger was reported to be off Diamond Head at the time. At one point a Japanese plane made a strafing run on her but wasn’t hit. The boats were directed to rendezvous off Lahaina with Gudgeon and wait for instructions. They entered Pearl Harbor two days later.

Pollack, Plunger and Pompano, respectively, all began their first war patrols on December 13, 14 and 18th, 1941 heading for Japanese waters.

This photo has the possibility of this being Plunger exiting the harbor just after the war started on that war patrol. Although Plunger is wearing her hull numbers and her name (aft), which was a pre-war practice. It is unknown, so far, when the order to paint out hull numbers and names was given. She is also sporting her 3”/50 caliber deck gun aft of the conning tower as is seen in other early war photos.

Just above the fore deck of the Plunger, just to the right side of the cone shaped peak, there appears to be an escorting PBY seaplane. It appears to be escorting the submarine out of the harbor. (Close-up below))

So, time and date are in question for this photo. Location is firm as to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

This close up shows a better image of the airplane. The shape of a Navy PBY is quite distinctive and this matches pretty close.

This is most likely a Consolidated XP3Y-1 design (company Model 28) and has a “parasol wing” over the fuselage, with two 900 HP radial engines. The plane was armed with four .30 caliber Browning AN/M2 machine guns and carried up to 2,000 lb of bombs. It had a flying range of about 3000 miles.

The officer on the bridge of the Plunger seems to be taking note of the plane. Crew on deck seem not to notice though most are looking to that side of the submarine.