USS Lagarto [SS-371] - Balao Class Submarine
Southern Route
Image: Balao Class Submarine USS Lagarto | 1,526 toms, 311.8 ft x 27ft
Background and History of USS Lagarto
The Gulf of Thailand (formerly Siam), has been an important shipping route for thousands of years. During WW2, only one railroad connected Singapore with Thailand, so the bulk of supplies needed to be transported by air, or in the case of heavier goods by sea. The Gulf of Siam became busy with merchant vessels, guarded by military escorts to defend the precious cargos against attack by patrolling allied submarines.
US, British and Dutch Submarines were prolific in disrupting enemy shipping activities, sinking over 5 million tons of enemy shipping. But this didn't happen without heavy losses - over 3,500 allied sailors were lost.
On 3rd May 1945, Balao class submarines USS Lagarto [SS-371] and Baya [SS-318] attacked a convoy passing through the Southern Gulf of Siam. The convoy included one large ship and one medium sized ship, fiercely guarded by two military escorts one of which was the IJN Minelayer ‘Hatsutaka’.
Baya was driven off by heavy gun fire and radio contact with the Lagarto was lost. From that moment on, the exact location of the USS Lagarto has not been known, until 2005.
Locating the Wreck of USS Lagarto - Gulf of Thailand
Japanese Naval records later revealed that the minelayer reported dropping depth charges on a US submarine in 30 fathoms of water.
Following the 60th anniversary of the sinking of USS Lagarto, on 19th June 2005, combining information from the original war report together with local knowledge, MV Trident journeyed to the Southern Gulf of Thailand to search for USS Lagarto.
Following the shot line down to the seabed at 73M, the team found the USS Lagarto sitting in an upright position, rising 15M up from the silty bottom.
Image: Tech live-aboard Trident battles through big waves in the Gulf of Thailand
Survey Dives and Condition of the Submarine
Over 100M long, the USS Largarto rests upright in one piece. Generations of Thai fisherman have lost nets which have become snagged and covered the wreck.
Image: An illustration of the wreck, based on surveys by teams of technical divers
The bow and stern planes, propellers and twin five inch deck guns are still visible. One of the forward torpedo doors is open, and peering inside there is no torpedo in the tube – the Lagarto went down fighting.
Image: The door of a starboard torpedo tube is open, indicating that she went down fighting
One initial theory for the final fate of the submarine was that after being damaged by the depth charge attack, as the submarine descended into deeper water (and greater pressure), the inner torpedo tube door may have burst open, flooding the submarine.
This theory was later dispelled, in conjunction with dive with the ‘Deep Sea Detectives’ – John Chatterton and Riche Kohler. Feeding a small underwater camera into the torpedo tube the team were able to survey the inner door in it’s closed position.
Quoting Steve Burton’s article (http://www.thaiwreckdiver.com/), “Sadly, also visible was the massive damage caused to the port quarter forward of the conning tower. The LAGARTO had plainly sustained a direct hit from a depth charge or other large explosive ordinance. The destruction caused by this device had been sufficient to entirely destroy the external steel plating that contained several large buoyancy compartments and then penetrate much further into the sub to punch a large hole through the 1 inch thick high tensile steel inner pressure bulk head that contained the crew’s living spaces."
Image: A CCR Tech diver inspects the damage caused by explosive charges on the port side of the wreck
"All crew in the compartment adjacent to the damaged area would have perished instantly from the force of the explosion. Tons of water per second from the 55meters of water pressure would have rapidly entered these forward living spaces, throwing the sub off balance and negatively buoyant, and causing it accelerate rapidly nose down towards the sea bed. The subs external control planes are juxta-positioned; The foreword planes are set to the ‘dive’ position whereas the stern planes were set to ‘surface’. It may have been that with all the internal watertight doors closed, the stern compartments crews survived the initial explosion (as in the Russian Kursk submarine disaster on August 12th 2000), and that a desperate last ditch attempt was made to override the steep descent by blowing emergency buoyancy tanks and moving the aft control planes into the ‘ascend’ position from other emergency controls located aft. However, the weight of the flooded forward living spaces compounded with the destroyed forward buoyancy compartments was too much weight to overcome, and the sub stayed on the bottom.”
Image: Sketch of the submarine by Steve Burton, following the first series of technical dives
Positive Identification and Recognition by the US Navy
Formal recognition by the US Navy that the submarine is the USS Lagarto was achieved by revisiting the site together with the USS Salvor. Identification was possible by the 5 inch deck guns.
Image: USS Salvor makes a rendez-vous with MV Trident in the Southern Gulf of Thailand
Image: Technical diving preparations take place between MV Trident and the US Navy aboard the Salvor
A memorial plaque has been mounted in memory of the 86 sub crewmen who lost their lives, and a flag flies on the top of the coning tower.
Damage indicates she was hit by depth charge, with her planes and rudder showing that the submarine had made a hard dive to port in an evasive maneuver. The open torpedo tube indicating that she went down fighting.
After many decades not knowing the fate of USS Lagarto her crew, these findings give closure to the families of veterans, renewing their pride in loved ones.
A private family ceremony has been held at the site and a formal memorial with full military honors held in Wisconsin. On invitation, Jamie has given presentations to the Subvets Association in Manitowoc, where USS Lagarto was constructed.
Image: Roy Leonhardt receiving a declaration from Wisconsin's Governor that USS Lagarto is Wisconsin's state submarine. Roy was one of the driving forces leading Trident to undertake the search for USS Lagarto, and has since passed away.
Diving the USS Lagarto
As a restricted war grave, USS Lagarto is treated with the utmost respect. 86 sub crewmen lost their lives when the submarine sank.
Image: Crew of the Submarine on Deck
Diving the USS Lagarto with MV Trident is a once in a lifetime experience, and is by special request only. The remote location far out at sea, extreme depth, and significant logistical and financial burdens required to reach her mean that she will only be seen by very few divers.
Future dives will involve further surveying of the outside of the wreck, removing fishing nets, and maintaining the plaque and flag in memory of the 86 lost sailors.
Image: A US flag mounted on the top of the coning tower flies in the current, in memory of the 86 lost sailors
The depth means bottom times of 20 – 25 minutes for open circuit divers, accruing long decompression schedules, so it’s best to survey the wreck in sections.
As you descend down towards the wreck, the periscope shears and conning tower emerge, and a whole dive can be spent exploring the immediate area. The bridge is visible complete with all her gadgets and by descending down her port side you will see the fatal depth charge damage.
Image:The top of the submarine's coning tower
Towards the bow you get an impression of the enormity of the submarine, and can view a sealed escape hatch, anchor, dive planes and torpedo tubes, including the open torpedo tube on the starboard side.
At the stern you can see the sub’s giant twin propellers, more guns and the US Navy memorial.
Image: A CCR rebreather diver inspect a 5 inch deck gun
Quoting Ayesha Cantrell (http://divehappy.com/thailand/diving-on-the-uss-lagarto/), “Without doubt the most supreme dive. The satisfaction I felt can only be rivaled by the gratification taken by the families of those lost - finally understanding their loved ones last moments and final resting place.”
© MV Trident - techthailand.com 2009 | Technical Diving and Wreck Expeditions - Thailand | Reproduction without permission forbidden
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