The first PERCH (SS-176) was laid down 25 February 1935 

by the Electric Boat Co., Groton, Conn.; launched 9 May 

1936; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas Withers; and commissioned 19 

November 1936; Lt. Comdr. G. C. Crawford in command.



	After shakedown in the North Atlantic, PERCH became a 

member of the Pacific Fleet when she joined SubRon 6 in 

November 1937.  The following spring she was engaged in the 

annual fleet problem and did some work on a survey of the 

Aleutian Islands, entering the Bering Sea 28 February.  In 

the spring of 1939, PERCH operated with the fleet on its 

cruise to the east coast.



	In October 1939, PERCH departed San Diego for Manila 

where she became a division flagship and made a summer 

cruise in 1940 to Tsingtao and Shanghai.  She spent the year 

preceding the war in operations around the Philippines.  A 

week before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, PERCH rendezvoused 

with two transports off Shanghai and escorted the 4th 

Marines from China to the Philippines.



	The outbreak of hostilities found PERCH in Cavite Navy 

Yard.  She took part in the rush to clear the Navy Yard 10 

December and watched, at close range, the destruction of 

Cavite by bombers.  That night, PERCH slipped through the 

Corregidor minefields and scouted between Luzon and Formosa, 

in search of targets.  As hunting was poor, she shifted to 

an area off Hong Kong, and, on Christmas night, fired four 

torpedoes at a large merchantman, all missing.  A few days 

later, an eight thousand ton Japanese merchantman felt the 

sting of one of PERCH's torpedoes.  Enemy escorts prevented 

PERCH from observing the kill, but expert evasion got her 

clear of the attackers' well placed depth charges.



	PERCH sailed south to Port Darwin, Australia, to repair 

damage, making several unsuccessful attacks enroute.  She 

next made a patrol to Kendari on Celebes where she scouted 

the harbor and made several daring attempts to get through 

the narrow entrance to an attack position.



	After a week of close contact with the enemy, obtaining 

valuable information, PERCH headed south searching for 

targets.  In a night attack on a large merchantman off the 

eastern coast of Celebes, PERCH was hit in the 

superstructure, forward of the pressure proof hull of the 

conning tower, by a high explosive projectile which blew 

away the bridge deck, punctured the antenna trunk and 

temporarily put her radio out of commission.  Valiant 

efforts of her crew made repairs on deck at night in waters 

heavily patrolled by the enemy, and PERCH headed for the 

Java Sea.



	On the evening of l March l942, PERCH surfaced thirty 

miles northwest of Soerabaja, Java, N.E.I., and started in 

for an attack on the enemy convoy that was landing troops to 

the west of Soerabaja.  Two enemy destroyers attacked and 

drove her down with a string of depth charges which caused 

her to bottom at 135 feet.  Several more depth charge 

attacks caused extensive damage, putting the starboard 

motors out of commission and causing extensive flooding 

throughout the boat.  After repairs, PERCH surfaced at two 

o'clock in the morning only to be again driven down by the 

enemy destroyers.  The loss of oil, and air from damaged 

ballast tanks, convinced the enemy that PERCH was breaking 

up and they went on to look for other kills, allowing PERCH 

to surface.



	With the submarine's decks awash and only one engine in 

commission, the crew made all possible repairs.  During the 

early morning of 3 March, a test dive was made with almost 

fatal results.  Expert handling and good luck enabled her to 

surface from that dive; only to be attacked by two enemy 

cruisers and three destroyers.  When the enemy shells 

commenced to straddle, the commanding officer ordered all 

hands on deck, and with all possible hull openings open, 

PERCH made her last dive.  She was struck from the Navy List 

24 June 1942.



	The entire crew was captured by a Japanese destroyer.  

Of the fifty-four men and five officers, only six, who died 

of malnutrition in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, were 

unable to return to their country to enjoy the victory for 

which they had fought so valiantly.

PERCH received one battle star for World War II service.

The cover is canceled with the ship's postmark on 14 May 1941 and franked with  a 2c 'Army and Navy for Defense' stamp.