USS S-37 (SS-142) was an S-class submarine of the United States Navy. Construction and commissioning S-37′s keel was laid down on 12 December 1918 by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California. She was launched on 20 June 1919, sponsored by Miss Mildred Bulger, and commissioned on 16 July 1923. Operational service 1923 After fitting out at Mare Island, S-37 departed San Francisco Bay at the end of July 1923 and joined Submarine Division (SubDiv) 17 at San Pedro, California, on 1 August 1923. During August, September, and into October 1923, she conducted exercises and tests off the Southern California coast. On the afternoon of 10 October 1923, while recharging her batteries in the harbor at San Pedro, S-37 was rocked by an explosion in the after battery compartment. Two men were killed as dense black smoke and gas fumes filled the flame- and arc-lit room. Extensive material damage added to the difficulty of rescue operations, but three men were extracted from the compartment, one of whom died of his injuries before medical help arrived. Two of the rescuers were seriously injured. Once it was determined no one remained alive in the compartment, the compartment was sealed to cut off the supply of oxygen to the fire. However, by 0500 on 11 October 1923, so much pressure had increased in the compartment it forced the main hatch open. The compartment was re-sealed for another five hours, but when it was opened at 1030, the fire reflashed. The crew shut the hatch again for another hour. At 1130, the compartment was successfully ventilated and cooled enough to allow the crew to enter safely. Temporary repairs were completed on 25 October 1923, and S-37 headed to Mare Island, California, for permanent repairs. On 19 December 1923, she returned to duty at San Pedro. 1924–1941 In 1924, S-37 moved south and, with her division, participated in Fleet Problems II, Fleet Problem III, and IV, which involved problems of fleet movements, conducted en route to the Gulf of Panama; Caribbean defenses and transit facilities of the Panama Canal; and movement from a main base to an advanced base, conducted in the Caribbean Sea. After completing Fleet Problem IV, her division remained in the Caribbean until early April 1924, when it again passed through the Panama Canal to return to the Pacific Ocean. Toward the end of April 1924, she returned to San Pedro,