The USS S-32 maneuvering along a shoreline with a Chinese style Junk or Sampan in the foreground.

The photo is captioned on the back and states that the photo relates to the submarine as "...now stationed at Manila..." and dates February 1, 1932. Though this same exact photo is seen in a newspaper story in late 1928 and says it is at Tsingtao, China.

It also says that the USS S-32 is commanded by Lieutenant Philip Gardner Nichols, (To later retire as a Rear Admiral.), at Manila. Who actually had command in 1928 when this photo is taken is still under going research.

The USS S-32 seen entering Dutch Harbor, Alaska on March 20th, 1943 she arrived off her most successful war patrol for a refit.

S-32 departed Unalaska on her 6th war patrol on 25 February 1943. En route to her assigned station off Attu, she encountered very rough seas, strong winds, rain, mist, and fog. On Feb. the 26th, rolling was measured as much as 65 degrees to starboard.

Progress west was slow, but, on 1 March 1943, she set a course toward Holtz Bay to check for enemy shipping. The next day, heavy mist and fog hindered her reconnaissance of Stellar Cove; and she turned to the coastal shipping lanes to intercept enemy traffic between Cape Wrangell and Holtz Bay. The entrances to the latter, to Chichagof Harbor, and to Sarana Bay, however were her primary hunting grounds. On the night of 9 March 1943, off Holtz Bay, she attacked and damaged an enemy destroyer, then underwent a brief depth charging. Leaks caused by the depth charging were minimized, and S-32 continued her patrol.

On 3 March, however, as she approached Attu, more normal Aleutian weather closed in. From then to the 16th, snow and rain storms were almost continuous, seas were rough, winds were strong, and periods of sunlight were limited. At 0157 on the 10th of March, while patrolling on a north-south line out of Holtz Bay, S-32 picked up a target on radar, some 7,000 yards away. Ten minutes later, a second smaller ship was detected ahead of the first target. Five minutes after the appearance of the second ship on the screen, the first ship was sighted, range about 2,000 yards. S-32 fired four torpedoes. Two very loud explosions were heard and were followed by distant rumblings. At 0219, at a range of just over 3,500 yards, all traces of the ships disappeared from the screen.

Four nights later, on March the 13th, seventeen miles north of Holtz Bay, she attacked an enemy submarine which was lying to on the surface with her engines smoking. At 2059, the S-boat fired two torpedoes at ten-second intervals at the enemy. At 2100, she went deep, and as she passed 50 feet, one torpedo exploded. At 2120, S-32 came to periscope depth, but the fog had closed in. The target was no longer visible.

On the afternoon of March the 15th 1943, a second submarine was sighted. The weather, for the first time, was "perfect for a periscope approach." At 1727, S-32 fired a three-torpedo spread, estimated range 2,500 yards; track angle favorable. About two and a half minutes later, a muffled explosion was heard in the torpedo room. No explosion was heard by the control party. The S-boat went to periscope depth. Smoke was pouring skyward from the enemy's conning tower. A photograph was taken of the scene as the damaged target headed for the nearest beach. At 1736, however, the enemy disappeared from view. Sound reported that the enemy's screws had stopped.

S-32 departed the Attu area early on the morning of March the 17th. On March the 20th 1943, she moored at Dutch Harbor and, nine days later, she again sailed west. En route to Attu, cold weather caused icing on the superstructure, but the seas remained fairly calm and the sun was occasionally visible.

On May 2, 1943 LCDR Max G. Schmidt was relieved of command by LCDR Fritz J. Harlfinger who came to the S-32 from being XO of the USS Whale.

On May 4, 1943 she again sailed west. En route to the Kurils, she patrolled across possible Japanese reinforcement routes to Kiska and Attu, but almost zero visibility during the passage hindered hunting. On the 12th, she entered her assigned area off Paramushiro. The next day, she obtained her first fix, off Onekotan, and commenced patrolling across the approaches to Onekotan Strait and Musashi Wan. Visibility remained poor; seas were rough. Her radar, which had gone out of commission on the 11th, functioned improperly throughout her short time on station. On the 15th, the port main motor armature developed a zero resistance to ground. Repeated repair attempts failed, and the motor was secured. S-32 turned back toward Unalaska and moored at Dutch Harbor on the May 23, 1943.

On May the 27th, the submarine departed the Aleutians for the last time; and, on June 6, 1943, she arrived at San Diego, where she provided training services for the remainder of World War II. Then designated for inactivation, she arrived at San Francisco on 13 September 1945 and was decommissioned at Mare Island on 19 October. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 1 November 1945, and her hulk was sold for scrapping to the Learner Co., Oakland, Calif., in May 1946.

The USS S-32 entering Dutch Harbor, Alaska on March 20th, 1943. She is flying a broom from one of her periscopes and a woman's bra from the other. It was give by some patriotic lady as a good luck charm for the submarine. The luck was there for this war patrol. Left to right are Buster Ferrell, an Engineman and Edward McGloughlin a Motor Machinist Mate. (Spellings are noted to be close)

Left to right are Buster Ferrell, an Engineman and Edward McGloughlin a Motor Machinist Mate. It is noted also that the spellings of the mens names is approximate. It also note the presence of the bra. The notes were provided to us by a former S-32 crew member.

A close up of Buster Ferrell and Edward McGloughlin with the "Clean Sweep" broom lashed to the periscope and the "Good Luck" bra flying from the other periscope.

The crew of the USS S-32 on deck and from the looks on men’s faces there is someone speaking to them. Some are listening some are not. Some probably want to get in out of the weather and get their mail and decent meal.

Close-up of the men on the deck of the S-32 after her return to Dutch Harbor after a very successful war patrol. An officer, maybe commanding officer LCDR Max G. Schmidt stands in the foreground.

Close-up of the men on the deck of the S-32 after her return to Dutch Harbor after a very successful war patrol. The S-32's black stewadsmate is in the left foreground. The S-32's 4"/50 caliber deck gun can be seen surrounded by the crew.

Men on the bridge of the S-32. The Dutch Harbor shoreline can be seen in the background. Looks pretty cold and uninviting. The man seen in profile may be Buster Ferrell as noted in other images above.