United States S class submarine

The United States' S-class submarines, often simply called S-boats (sometimes "Sugar" boats, after the contemporary Navy phonetic alphabet for "S"), were the first class of submarines built to a United States Navy design. (Note that many other navies had an "S class submarine;" see that disambiguation page for more information.)

The United States Navy commissioned 51 S-Class submarines from 1920 to 1925. The first S-boat, "S-1" (SS-105), was commissioned in 1918 and the last, "S-51" (SS-162), in 1925. The S class is subdivided into four groups of different designs:
* Group I ("S-1" class, or "Elco" type): "S-1" and "S-18" through "S-41", built by Bethlehem Steel at Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts and Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California, as subcontractor for Electric Boat Company (Elco).
* Group II ("S-3" class, or "Navy Yard" type): "S-3" through "S-17", built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard and Lake Torpedo Boat at Bridgeport, Connecticut.
* Group III ("S-42" class): "S-42" through "S-47", built at Fore River.
* Group IV ("S-48" class): "S-48" through "S-51", built by Lake.

"S-2" was a prototype built by Lake, and was not repeated.

S-1, S-2, and S-3 were prototypes built to the same specification: S-1 designed by Electric Boat (Elco), S-2 by Lake, and S-3 by the Bureau of Construction and Repair (later Bureau of Ships). [Lenton, H. T. "American Submarines" (Doubleday, 1973), p.17.] The Lake boat was considered inferior. The Elco and BuC&R designs were put into production.

The first S-boat, S-1, was launched on 26 September 1918, by Bethlehem at Fore River, but not commissioned until 5 June 1920. [Lenton, p.16.]

The S-boats were improvements over the O- and R-boats. They were substantially larger. Compared to the R-boats, Group I S-boats were convert|33|ft|m|1 longer, with convert|3|ft|3|in|m|1 more beam, convert|2|ft|3|in|m|1 more draft, and 60% greater displacement. This allowed for greater range, larger engines and higher speed, and more torpedo reloads, though the number of forward torpedo tubes was still four. Seven of the Group II and all the Group IV boats had an additional stern tube. Group IV was also longer and had less draft. [Lenton, p.15 & 17.] [Silverstone, Paul. "U.S. Warships of World War I" (Ian Allan, 1970), pp. 144-150] In 1923, "S-1" experimented with a seaplane (an idea the Japanese would adopt); four like boats were provided to Peru in 1926-8. [Lenton, p. 17.]

ervice

These boats saw service in World War II in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. Smaller and slower than many of the submarines produced for war service, and lacking the range for Pacific Ocean patrols (as well as being 20 years old), they were used in reconnaissance and supply roles, as well as for coastal defense, such as in the Alaska theater during the aftermath of the Battle of the Aleutian Islands. They were withdrawn in mid-1943 as fleet submarines became available, and were relegated to ASW training. Most of the surviving boats were scrapped in 1946.

In World War II, they were the only boats which used the Mark 10 torpedo, a World War I relic, while other submarines deployed used the Mark 14 torpedo. The S-Class boats could not launch the longer Mark 14 torpedo due to its shorter torpedo tubes. However, as the Mark 14 suffered from a high dud-rate early in the war, this was not necessarily a disadvantage.

Some were transferred to other navies, such as the six transferred to the British Royal Navy. These were mostly used for training in anti-submarine warfare and removed from service by mid-1944.

General characteristics

Group I

* Displacement: 854 tons surfaced; 1,062 tons submerged
* Length: convert|219|ft|3|in|m|1
* Beam: convert|20|ft|9|in|m|1
* Draft: convert|16|ft|m|1 [Lenton, p.19.]
* Propulsion: 2 x New London Ship and Engine Company (NELSECO) diesels, 600 hp (448 kW) each; 2 x Electro-Dynamic ("S-1", "S-30"-"S-35"), Ridgway ("S-18", "S-20" through "S-29"), or General Electric ("S-36" through "S-41") electric motors, convert|750|hp|kW each; 120 cell Exide battery; two shafts. [Lenton, p.19.]
* Bunkerage: 168 tons oil fuel
* Speed: 14.5 knots (27 km/h) surfaced; 11 knots (20 km/h) submerged
* Range: 5,000 miles (8,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced
* Test depth: 200 ft (61 m)
* Armament (as built): four 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (bow, 12 torpedoes) [Lenton, p.19.] ; 1 × 4 in (102 mm)/50 caliber deck gun [Campbell, John "Naval Weapons of World War Two" (Naval Institute Press, 1985), ISBN 0-87021-459-4, p.143.]
* Crew: 42 officers and men
* Boats in Group: "S-1", "S-18" through "S-41"

Group II

* Displacement: 876 tons surfaced; 1,092 tons submerged
* Length: convert|231|ft|m|1
* Beam: convert|21|ft|9|in|m|1
* Draft: convert|13|ft|4|in|m|1 [Lenton, p. 21.]
* Propulsion: 2 x M.A.N ("S-3" through "S-13") or Busch-Sulzer ("S-14" through "S-17") diesels, 1,000 hp (746 kW) each; 2 x Westinghouse electric motors, 600 hp (447 kW) each; 120-cell Exide battery; two shafts. [Lenton, p.19.]
* Speed: 15 knots (28 km/h) surfaced; 11 knots (20 km/h) submerged
* Bunkerage: 148 tons oil fuel [Lenton, p.21.]
* Range: convert|5000|nmi|km|-3 at convert|10|kn|km/h|0 surfaced
* Test depth: 200 ft (61 m)
* Armament (as built): four 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (bow, 12 torpedoes) or ("S-11" through "S-13") five (four forward, one aft, 14 torpedoes) [Lenton, p.21.] ; 1 × 4 in (102 mm)/50 deck gun [Campbell, p.143.]
* Crew: 42 officers and men
* Boats in Group: "S-3" through "S-17"

Group III

* Displacement: 906 tons surfaced; 1,126 tons submerged
* Length: convert|216|ft|m|1, convert|225|ft|3|in|m|1 overall
* Beam: convert|20|ft|9|in|m|1
* Draft: convert|16|ft|m|1 [Lenton, p. 23.]
* Propulsion: 2 x NELSECO diesels, 600 hp (448 kW) each; 2 x Electro-Dynamic electric motors, convert|750|hp|kW each; 120 cell Exide battery; two shafts. [Lenton, pp. 19, 23.]
* Speed: 15 knots (28 km/h) surfaced; 11 knots (20 km/h) submerged
* Bunkerage: 185 tons oil fuel [Lenton, p. 23.]
* Range: convert|5000|nmi|km|-3 at convert|10|kn|km/h|0 surfaced
* Test depth: 200 ft (61 m)
* Armament (as built): four 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (bow, 12 torpedoes); 1 × 4 in (102 mm)/50 deck gun [Campbell, p.143.]
* Crew: 42 officers and men
* Boats in Group: "S-42" through "S-47"

Group IV

* Displacement: 903 tons surfaced; 1230 tons submerged

* Length: convert|240|ft|m|1, convert|266|ft|m|1 overall
* Beam: convert|21|ft|9|in|m|1
* Draft: convert|13|ft|6|in|m|1 [Lenton, p. 23.]
* Propulsion: 2 x Busch-Sulzer diesels, 900 hp (670 kW) each; 2 x Ridgway electric motors, convert|750|hp|kW each; 120 cell Exide battery; two shafts. [Lenton, p.23.]
* Bunkerage: 177 tons oil fuel [Lenton, p. 23.]
* Speed: 14.5 knots (27 km/h) surfaced; 11 knots (20 km/h) submerged
* Range: convert|8000|nmi|km|-3 at convert|10|kn|km/h|0 surfaced
* Depth: 200 ft (61 m)
* Armament (as built): four 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (bow, 12 torpedoes); 1 × 4 in (102 mm)/50 deck gun [Campbell, p.143.]
* Crew: 42 officers and men
* Boats in Group: "S-48" through "S-51"

"S-2"

* Displacement: 800 tons surfaced; 977 tons submerged
* Length: convert|207|ft|m|1 overall
* Beam: convert|19|ft|6|in|m|1
* Draft: convert|16|ft|3|in|m|1 [Silverstone, p. 148.]
* Propulsion: 2 x diesels, 900 hp (670 kW) each; 2 x electric motors, convert|750|hp|kW each; two shafts. [Silverstone, p. 148.]
* Speed: 15 knots (28 km/h) surfaced; 11 knots (20 km/h) submerged
* Range: convert|8000|nmi|km|-3 at convert|10|kn|km/h|0 surfaced
* Depth: 200 ft (61 m)
* Armament (as built): four 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes (bow, 12 torpedoes) [Silverstone, p. 148.] ; 1 × 4 in (102 mm)/50 deck gun [Campbell, p.143.]
* Crew: 42 officers and men

S-boat fates

All S-boats were scrapped after World War II except those listed below.

Lost at sea between wars

* "S-4" (SS-109) - later raised, recommissioned, and served for a further three years before being finally scrapped
* "S-5" (SS-110)
* "S-51" (SS-162)

Scrapped between World War I and World War II

* "S-2" (SS-106)
* "S-3" (SS-107)
* "S-6" (SS-111)
* "S-10" (SS-115)
* "S-19" (SS-124)
* "S-50" (SS-161)

Transferred to the Royal Navy during World War II

* "S-1" (SS-105) to RN as "P 552" in 1942, removed from service Jan 1944
* "S-21" (SS-126) (as "P 553")
* "S-22" (SS-127) (as "P 554")
* "S-24" (SS-129) (as "P 555")
* "S-25" (SS-130) (as "P 551", later transferred to the Polish Navy as "Jastrzab")
* "S-29" (SS-134) (as "P 556")

Lost during World War II

* "S-26" (SS-131) was destroyed in a collision with "SC-460" in the Gulf of Panama 24 January 1942 [Lenton, p.18.]
* "S-27" (SS-132), "S-36" (SS-141), and "S-39" (SS-144) were wrecked when they ran aground
* "S-28" (SS-133) was wrecked 4 July 1944 [Lenton, p.18.] by a flooding casualty off Pearl Harbor
* "S-44" (SS-155) was lost to enemy action
* "S-49" (SS-160) foundered and sank in the Patuxent River; stricken and sold in 1931 for scrap company; reduced to hulk 1936; 1943 hulk reacquired by the U.S. Navy for "experimental purposes".

Notes and references

External links

* [http://homepage.eircom.net/~steven/images/ss-125_s-20.gifA picture]