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One way we remember our shipmates still on patrol is through the Tolling of the Boats ceremony. Prior to beginning, the Master of Ceremony traditionally gives a short speech explaining the tradition. During the ceromony, the name, date and loss of each submarine is read, followed by two strikes of a ships bell. Other than the narrator, silence appropriate for a memorial ceremony is maintained. The chaplain may close with a prayer.
Submarine Veterans of WWII commemorate their shipmates and the 52 boats lost between December 1941 and September 1945. The USSVI includes all boats on this list of lost US submarines.
It is our common prayer that this list is never added to.
| Boat | Date | Loss |
| USS F-4 [ex-SKATE] (SS23) | 21-Mar-1915 | 19 officers and men. |
| USS F-1 [ex-CARP] (SS-20) | 17-Dec-1917 | 19 officers and men. |
| USS H-1 (SS-28) | 12-Mar-1920 | 4 officers and men. |
| USS S-5 (SS-110) | 1-Sep-1920 | No loss of life. |
| USS O-5 (SS-66) | 11-Oct-1923 | 2 officers and men. |
| USS S-51 (SS-162) | 25-Sep-1925 | 32 officers and men. |
| USS S-4 (SS-109) | 17-Dec-1927 | 34 officers and men. |
| USS Squalus (SS-192) | 23-May-1939 | 26 officers and men. |
| USS O-9 (SS-70) | 20-Jun-1941 | 34 officers and men. |
| USS Sealion (SS-195) | 25-Dec-1941 | No loss of life. |
| USS S-36 (SS-141) | 20-Jan-1942 | No loss of life. |
| USS S-26 (SS-131) | 24-Jan-1942 | 46 officers and men. |
| USS Shark (SS-174) | 11-Feb-1942 | 59 officers and men. |
| USS Perch (SS-176) | 3-Mar-1942 | 60 officers and men were taken prisoner, 52 survived the war. |
| USS S-27 (SS-132) | 19-Jun-1942 | No loss of life. |
| USS Grunion (SS-216) | 1-Aug-1942 | 70 officers and men. |
| USS S-39 (SS-144) | 14-Aug-1942 | No loss of life. |
| USS Argonaut (SS166) | 10-Jan-1943 | 105 officers and men. |
| USS Amberjack (SS-219) | 16-Feb-1943 | 72 officers and men. |
| USS Grampus (SS-207) | or after 5-Mar-1943 | 72 officers and men. |
| USS Triton (SS-201) | 15-Mar-1943 | 74 officers and men. |
| USS Pickerel (SS-177) | 3-Apr-1943 | 74 officers and men. |
| USS Grenadier (SS-210) | 22-Apr-1943 | 61 officers and men were taken prisoner, 57 survived the war. |
| USS R-12 (SS-89) | 12-Jun-1943 | 42 officers and men. |
| USS Runner (SS-275) | 1-Jul-1943 | 78 officers and men. |
| USS Pompano (SS-181) | 1-Sep-1943 | 76 officers and men. |
| USS Grayling (SS-209) | 9-Sep-1943 | 76 officers and men. |
| USS Cisco (SS-290) | 28-Sep-1943 | 76 officers and men. |
| USS S-44 (SS-155) | 7-Oct-1943 | 56 officers and men. |
| USS Wahoo (SS-238) | 11-Oct-1943 | 79 officers and men. |
| USS Dorado (SS-248) | 12-Oct-1943 | 78 officers and men. |
| USS Corvina (SS-226) | 16-Nov-1943 | 82 officers and men. |
| USS Sculpin (SS-191) | 19-Nov-1943 | 40 officers and men. 42 officers and men were taken prisoner, 21 survived the war. |
| USS Capelin (SS-289) | or after 1-Dec-1943 | 76 officers and men. |
| USS Scorpion (SS-278) | 1-Feb-1944 | 77 officers and men. |
| USS Grayback (SS-208) | 26-Feb-1944 | 80 officers and men. |
| USS Trout (SS-202) | or after 29-Feb-1944 | 79 officers and men. |
| USS Tullibee (SS-284) | 26-Mar-1944 | 79 officers and men. One man was taken prisoner and survived the war. |
| USS Gudgeon (SS-211) | 18 April-1944 | 80 officers and men. |
| USS Herring (SS-233) | 1-Jun-1944 | 80 officers and men. |
| USS Golet (SS-361) | 14-Jun-1944 | 82 officers and men. |
| USS S-28 (SS-133) | 4-Jul-1944 | 50 officers and men. |
| USS Robalo (SS-273) | 26-Jul-1944 | 84 officers and men. |
| USS Flier (SS-250) | 13-Aug-1944 | 80 officers and men. |
| USS Harder (SS-257) | 24-Aug-1944 | 80 officers and men. |
| USS Seawolf (SS-197) | 3-Oct-1944 | 102 officers and men. |
| USS Escolar (SS-294) | or after 17-Oct-1944 | 82 officers and men. |
| USS Shark (SS-314) | 24-Oct-1944 | 90 officers and men. |
| USS Darter (SS-227) | 24-Oct-1944 | No loss of life. |
| USS Tang (SS-306) | 25-Oct-1944 | 83 officers and men. Nine of the crew were taken prisoner and survived the war. |
| USS Albacore (SS-218) | 7-Nov-1944 | 86 officers and men. |
| USS Growler (SS-215) | 8-Nov-1944 | 84 officers and men. |
| USS Scamp (SS-277) | 16-Nov-1944 | 83 officers and men. |
| USS Swordfish (SS-193) | or after 12-Jan-1945 | 90 officers and men. |
| USS Barbel (SS-316) | or after 4-Feb-1945 | 81 officers and men. |
| USS Kete (SS-369) | sometime on or after 20-Mar-1945 | 87 officers and men. |
| USS Trigger (SS-237) | 28-Mar-1945 | 91 officers and men. |
| USS Snook (SS-279) | sometime after 8-Apr-1945 | 84 officers and men. |
| USS Lagarto (SS-371) | or shortly after 4-May-1945 | 88 officers and men. |
| USS Bonefish (SS-223) | 18-Jun-1945 | 86 officers and men. |
| USS Bullhead (SS-332) | 6-Aug-1945 | 84 officers and men. |
| USS Cochino (SS-345) | 26-Aug-1949 | One man from Cochino and 6 men from USS Tusk were lost in the rescue operation. |
| USS Stickleback (SS-415) | 30-May-1958 | No loss of life. |
| USS Thresher (SSN-593) | 10-Apr-1963 | 129 officers and men. |
| USS Scorpion (SSN-589) | 27-May-1968 | 99 officers and men. |
There is a port of no return, where ships
May ride at anchor for a little space
And then, some starless night, the cable slips,
Leaving an eddy at the mooring place . . .
Gulls, veer no longer. Sailor, rest your oar.
No tangled wreckage will be washed ashore.
by Leslie Nelson Jennings