World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseUSS S-25 was commissioned into service in Jul 1923. In 1924, she was transferred to the west coast of the United States. In Apr 1931, she was transferred to the US Territory of Hawaii, where she would remain for most of the decade. In Aug 1939, she arrived in Connecticut, United States, and in Dec 1940 she was sent to Key West, Florida, United States to provide training services. In May 1941, she returned to New London to prepare for transfer to the United Kingdom under the Lend-Lease agreement. In Nov 1941, she was decommissioned from US Navy service, transferred the UK as HMS P.551, and within hours was loaned to the Polish government-in-exile. Recommissioned as ORP Jastrzab, she was placed under the command of Lieutenant Commander Boleslaw Romanowski. As she sailed from the US toward Britain, she became the first Polish Navy submarine to cross eastward across the Atlantic Ocean. On 2 May 1942, British destroyer HMS St Albans and minesweeper HMS Seagull, while escorting Allied convoy PQ-15, attacked an ASDIC contact with depth charges 200 miles northwest of Tromsø, Norway at 1950 hours. As the target surfaced, machine guns strafed it. Belated, the target was identified as Jastrzab. The submarine suffered serious damage and 5 killed, including the British liaison officer. The submarine was written off and scuttled shortly after the 35 survivors were taken off. Some argued that the submarine was off course, while others argued that the PQ-15 had shifted into Jastrzab's patrol area after an attempt to avoid ice. The survivors were picked up, traveled with the convoy to Murmansk where they rested for more than two months, and then embarked destroyer ORP Garland for their return journey to Britain. In Sep 1942, the surviving crew of Jastrzab was decorated with the Polish Cross of Valour (Polish: Krzyz Walecznych). In Dec 1942, they were assigned to another submarine, ORP Dzik.

Submarine S-25/Jastrzab (SS-130) Interactive Map

Photographs

S-25/Jastrzab Operational Timeline