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The first submarine victim of enemy action in WWII was USS SEA LION (SS-195) under the command of LCdr R.G. Voge. The start of the war on December 8 (Philippines) found her, along with USS SEA DRAGON (SS-194), in the last stages of overhaul at the Navy Yard, Cavite, P.I. Both were scheduled for completion on December 12th.
Although there were frequent air raids in the Manila area during the first two days of the war, no enemy planes visited the Navy Yard until the afternoon of December 10th. That day the air raid alarm sounded about half and hour after noon, and shortly thereafter 54 planes, in two groups of 27 each, were sighted heading for the Navy Yard. SEA LION was nested at Machina Wharf with USS SEA DRAGON inboard and minesweeper USS BITTERN outboard. With the exception of the CO, XO (Lt. Albert L. Raborn) and three men, all personnel were below decks. The first stick of bombs landed some 100 to 200 yards astern SEA LION, and at that time, Voge, seeing that the planes were going to bomb from high altitude where machine gun fire could not reach them, ordered all hands below. It was a most fortunate decision. On the next bombing run, but a few minutes later, two bombs hit SEA LION almost simultaneously. One struck the after end of the conning tower fairwater, completely demolishing the machine gun mount which had just been vacated, the main induction, the battery ventilation and the after Conning Tower bulkhead. It exploded outside the hull a few feet above the Control Room. Had it entered the hull before exploding, the majority of SEA LION's crew would have been lost, as most of the personnel were in that compartment. A fragment from this bomb pierced the Conning Tower of SEA DRAGON, instantly killing Ensign Sam Hunter stationed there, the first submarine casualty of the war. Other fragments from this bomb pierced the pressure full, inflicting minor wounds on three SEA LION men in the control room.
At almost the same instant another bomb, passing through the main ballast tank and the pressure hull, exploded in the maneuvering space in the after end of the After Engine Room, killing four men working in that compartment - Electrician Mates Foster, O'Connell and Paul, and Machinist Mate Ogilvie.
With this explosion in the maneuvering space, the After Engine Room flooded immediately and SEA LION settled by the stern in the mud. The Forward Engine Room and the After Torpedo Room flooded slowly through bomb fragment holes in the bulkheads. Personnel in these compartments, as well as in other parts of the ship, escaped through the hatches, which were all still above water. SEA LION finally settled down by the stern with about 40% of the main deck underwater and a 15 degree list to starboard.
The bomb which exploded above the Control Room, while doing great superficial
damage, did little harm to the pressure hull other than piercing it with
numerous bomb fragments. The bomb which exploded aft did the major damage. A
more vital spot than the manervering space could not possibly have been found.
All motor controls, reduction gears, and main motors were wreched, totally
immobilizing the boat. However, the damage would have been considered non-fatal
had there been overhaul facilities available for repairs. But such was not the
case; the bombing which wrecked SEA LION also demolished the Navy Yard,
and the closest repair facilities were at Pearl Harbor, 5000 miles away. The war
situation being what it was, it was impossible to two SEA LION that
distance, and after removing all gear of value, such as gyro, radio and sound
equipment, she was destroyed to prevent her from falling into enemy hands. Three
depth charges were exploded inside the ship to prevent her from falling into
enemy hands.