United States O class submarine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: | United States of America |
| Preceded by: | United States L class submarine |
| Succeeded by: | United States R class submarine |
| Completed: | 16 |
| Lost: | 3 |
| Retired: | 16 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: |
Group 1 Surfaced: 520.6tons Group 1 Submerged: 625 tons Group 2 Surfaced:491 tons Group 2 Submerged: 565 tons |
| Length: |
Group 1: 172.33 ft Group 2: 175 ft |
| Beam: |
Group 1:18.0 ft Group 2: 16.6 ft |
| Propulsion: |
Group 1: 2x850 hp Niesco diesel 2x?600 hp electric Group 2: 2x800 hp Busch Sulzer diesel 2x?600 hp electric |
| Speed: |
Group 1+2 Surfaced: 14 kn Group 1 Submerged: 10 kn Group 2 Submerged: 11 kn |
| Range: |
Group 1+2: Surfaced: 5000 nmi at 11 kn Submerged: 250 nmi at 5 kn |
| Complement: | Group 1+2: 29 |
| Armament: | Group 1+2: 4x18 in tubes 4 reloads 1x3 in AA gun. |
The US Navy's O class submarines were created out of the lessons learned from the United States L class submarine. The O class were more robust with greater power and endurance for ocean patrols. The O class were built much faster than previous classes and were commissioned in 1918. The group 2 boats entered service just before the end of World War One. Eight of the group 1 boats survived to serve in World War Two as training boats when they were recommissioned in 1941.
The class originally operated in the anti submarine role of the USA's east coast. Two of the boats, USS O-4 (SS-65) and USS O-6 (SS-67) came under fire from a British merchantman in the Atlantic on the 24th July 1918. The steamer scored six hits on O4's conning tower and pressure hull before her identity was discovered. O4 suffered minor damage caused by shell splinters. USS O-3 (SS-64) to USS O-10 (SS-71) boats formed part of the twenty strong submarine force that leftNewport, Rhode Island on the 2nd November 1918 for the Azores but the task force was recalled after the Armistice was signed nine days later.
The second group of boats suffered from electrical problems. USS O-11 (SS-72) was immediately sent to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for a five month overhaul. USS O-13 (SS-74) was sunk in a collision with the patrol boat Mary Alice while she was submerged. USS O-15 (SS-76) also underwent a refit but was sent into reserve soon after before she went into service at Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone. This also involved another overhaul. USS O-16 (SS-77) also under went a refit soon after commissioning and later suffered a fire in her conning tower in December 1919. All of the group 2 boats were decommissioned in July 1924 and were scrapped in July 1930 under the terms of the London Naval Treaty. USS O-12 (SS-73) however was used in an Arctic expedition by Sir Hubert Wilkins and was renamed Nautilus. After being returned to the US Navy, she was sunk in a Norwegian fjord in November 1931.
The first group served well although USS O-5 (SS-66) was rammed by a cargo ship and sunk near the Panama Canal with the loss of three crew members. All of the group 1 boats were recommissioned in 1941 to serve as training boats based at New London, Connecticut. The remaining boats were taken out of service four months later except for USS O-9 (SS-70) which sank in deep submergence trials in June 1941. Thirty three of her crew were lost.
[edit] Boats In Class
- USS O-1 (SS-62)
- USS O-2 (SS-63)
- USS O-3 (SS-64)
- USS O-4 (SS-65)
- USS O-5 (SS-66)
- USS O-6 (SS-67)
- USS O-7 (SS-68)
- USS O-8 (SS-69)
- USS O-9 (SS-70)
- USS O-10 (SS-71)
- USS O-11 (SS-72)
- USS O-12 (SS-73)
- USS O-13 (SS-74)
- USS O-14 (SS-75)
- USS O-15 (SS-76)
- USS O-16 (SS-77)
[edit] References
Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day, By Robert Hutchinson.
