She resumed full duty on 1 July 1940. She then performed duty at New London, and hydrogen tests at Washington, D.C.
Loss
On the night of 24 January 1942, S-26 departed the harbor at Balboa, Panama, to begin her second war patrol as part of a division that also included the submarines S-21, S-29, and S-44, under escort by the submarine chaser PC-460). All four submarines were on the surface, and all five vessels operated without navigation lights to reduce the chance of detection by enemy forces, with PC-460 steaming 1,500 yards (1,370 m) ahead of the leading submarine, S-21. After the vessels were at sea in the Gulf of Panama, PC-460 made a visual signal at 22:10, to the submarines, that she intended to make a wide, 180-degree turn to starboard to return to port and that they could proceed with their assigned duties. Only S-21 received the message.PC-460 then executed her turn, and shortly thereafter encountered S-26, which was running 2,000 yards (1,830 m) behind S-21. The two darkened vessels sighted each other at close range. PC-460 put her engines full astern, but this caused them to fail. Both vessels took evasive action to avoid a collision and PC-460 rammed S-26 amidships on her starboard side at 22:23. The impact tore a large hole in S-26's side and caused her to roll, throwing three of the four men on her bridge overboard. S-26 sank by the bow in less than a minute in 300 ft (91 m) of water about 14 nmi (26 km; 16 mi) west of San Jose Light.
S-26's only survivors were the three men, her commanding officer, executive officer, and a lookout, who went overboard from her bridge. The rest of her crew, three officers and 43 crew members, one of whom also had been on her bridge, were killed. Rescue operations began on the morning of 25 January 1942, with divers making 25 dives to the wreck over the following days in the hope of finding men still alive in S-26's hull, but they found no signs of life. S-26's wreck lies upright on the seabed and is a protected war grave.
United States
