The image shows Swordfish launching, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, California April 3, 1939.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Swordfish was the first United States Submarine to sink a Japanese ship on December 16, 1941.
On 9 January 1945, Swordfish was directed to proceed to the vicinity of Okinawa to carry out a special mission. It was estimated that the task would not take more than seven days after arrival on station, which she should have reached on 11 January. Upon completion of her mission, Swordfish was to proceed to Saipan, or to Midway if she was unable to transmit by radio. Since neither place had seen her by 15 February, and repeated attempts to raise her by radio had failed, she was reported as presumed lost, the victim of unknown causes.
During her serivce she sunk 29 ships with a total of 130,362 tons
