On September 26, 1943, the S-44 (SS-155), LCDR F. E. Brown commanding, departed Attu Island to begin her fifth war patrol in the Kuriles. She was not heard from again. The USS S-44 (SS 155) was constructed at Quincy, Massachusetts by Bethlehem Steel in 1923. She was 225 feet long with four forward torpedo tubes and two New London Ship and Engine diesels. S-44 carried a wartime complement of 57 officers and enlisted crewmembers.

The S-44 completed four war patrols and was on her fifth patrol when sunk. During her first patrol S-44 sunk a small freighter off the coast of New Britain. On her Second patrol she sank the Japanese gunboat Keijo Maru southwest of Florida Island.

During her third war patrol, S-44 put four torpedoes into the heavy cruiser Kako sending her to the bottom. Kako was one of four cruisers that had participated in the first Battle of Savo Island, sinking four Allied cruisers without a single loss to themselves. S-44 damaged a destroyer off the coast of New Georgia on her fourth patrol. S-44's first four war patrols were conducted in the Solomon Islands area.

S-44 began her fifth patrol out of Attu Island in the Kuriles. The first day out, she was forced to dive when a Japanese warplane dropped several depth charges. Nothing eventful happened for the next eleven days, but on the night of October 7, a radar contact was established on what was thought to be a small freighter. The S-44 proceeded to close on the surface and commenced firing her four-inch deck gun. The enemy ship, which turned out to be a destroyer type vessel, returned fire with all guns.

At this point, Captain Brown gave the order to submerge and sounded the diving alarm. The S-44 had taken major damage including a hit below the water line. A pillowcase was waved in hopes the destroyer would cease firing but she continued shooting, scoring several more hits. About eight men made it into the water before S-44 sank, but only two were picked up, all other hands lost. These two men, Chief Torpedoman Ernest Duva and Radioman Third Class William Whitemore, were first interrogated at Ofuna and then placed in a forced labor group at the copper mines in Ashio. Both men survived and were repatriated at the end of the war.

Source - http://thesaltysailor.com/s-boat/s-44htm

Information collected Art Randall, Director Central Region