Keel laid by Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA, 27 October 1936;
Launched: 15 March 1938; Sponsored by Mrs. Charles S. Freeman;
Commissioned: 25 June 1938; LCdr. Arthur D. Barnes in command;
Decommissioned: 15 November 1945;
Struck from the Navy list 30 March 1948; Sold for scrapping 12 June 1948
USS STURGEON (SS-187) was moored in Mariveles Bay on 7 December 1941 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. She put to sea the next afternoon to patrol an area between the Pescadores Islands and Formosa. Although she tracked several targets and fired a torpedo spread she scored no hits and returned to Mariveles Bay on 25 December. STURGEON departed again on the 28th for the coast of Borneo. During this patrol she attacked the enemy on several occasions, scoring at least three hits, but post-war records do not show any sinking on those dates. She retired from this patrol to Soerabaja, Java on 13 February 1942, and on 20 February departed for Fremantle, Australia.
STURGEON departed Fremantle on 15 March to patrol off Makassar. On 30 March she sank the cargo ship Choko Maru. On 3 April she was credited with sinking a 750-ton frigate (name unknown). After damaging one other target, she returned to Fremantle on 7 May.
STURGEON refitted and returned to sea on 5 June to patrol and area west of Manila. On the 25th she caught up with a nine-ship convoy, fired three torpedoes at the largest ship, and heard explosions. After some 21 depth charges were dropped by the escorts she managed to escape with only a few gauges broken. On 1 July STURGEON sank the 7,267-ton transport Montevideo Maru. On the 5th she scored hits on a tanker without sinking her. She returned to Fremantle on 22 July.
STURGEON stood out of port on 4 September to begin her fifth war patrol in the Solomon Islands area. At 0536 hours on 1 October she sighted the 8,033-ton aircraft ferry Katsuragi Maru. A spread of four torpedoes was fired and resulted in three hits which sent the ship to the bottom. STURGEON returned to Brisbane on the 25th for repairs and refit.
STURGEON returned to sea to patrol the Truk Atoll area on 30 November. She damaged one ship on 6 December. She withdrew on 25 December and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 4 January 1943.
STURGEON's seventh war patrol began 12 June and ended at Midway Island on 2 August. She scored two hits on a tanker but was not credited with a sinking. Her next patrol, from 29 August to 23 October, was equally unrewarding and she returned to Pearl Harbor.
On 13 December STURGEON sailed for Japanese waters. On 11 January 1944 she attacked a seven-ship convoy and sent the cargo ship Erie Maru to the bottom. On the 24th she again attacked a convoy and sank the Chosen Maru. She then returned to Pearl Harbor via Midway.
STURGEON's next patrol was in the Bonin Islands area from 8 April until 26 May. On 10 May she attacked a convoy resulting in damage to at least two ships and the sinking of the Seiru Maru. She began plane guard duty on 20 May and rescued three airmen before heading for Midway.
STURGEON's last war patrol began on 10 June. On 29 June she attacked an eight-ship convoy and sank the Tairin Maru. STURGEON then went deep and avoided the 196 depth charges and aerial bombs that were dropped on her. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 5 August.
STURGEON was routed to California for an overhaul and arrived at San Francisco on 15 August. On 5 January 1945 she was ordered to New London. She operated in Block Island Sound as a training ship until 25 October.
STURGEON made a total of eleven war patrols and was responsible for sinking 41,350 tons of enemy shipping. She received 10 battle stars for World War II service. STURGEON was decommissioned on 15 November 1945 and struck from the Navy list on 30 April 1948.