- USS R-8 (SS-85)
USS "R-8" (SS-85) was an "R"-class coastal and harbor defense submarine of the
United States Navy . Her keel was laid down on4 March 1918 by theFore River Shipbuilding Company,Quincy, Massachusetts . She was launched on17 April 1919 sponsored by Miss Penelope Potter, and commissioned on21 July 1919 with Lieutenant Commander Philip C. Ransom in command."R-8" fitted out at
Boston, Massachusetts , during the fall of1919 , proceeded toNew London, Connecticut , on5 December , joined other boats of Submarine Division 9, and continued south for winter exercises in theGulf of Mexico . She operated out ofPensacola, Florida , until returning toNew England in April. Givenhull classification symbol SS-85 in July she departedNewport, Rhode Island , on13 September and two days later arrived at Norfolk for overhaul prior to transfer to the Pacific Fleet. Sea trials in early April1921 followed and on21 April she headed south. Transiting thePanama Canal in May, she arrived atSan Pedro, California , her new homeport,30 June , and for the next two years conducted exercises — individual, divisional and fleet — off the coasts ofCalifornia andMexico . On16 July 1923 , she sailed west forPearl Harbor , her base for almost eight years, during which she engaged in training and operations with fleet units. In August1927 , she searched for missingDole Air Race aviators.Ordered back to the East Coast for inactivation in
1930 , "R-8" departed Pearl Harbor12 December , transited the Panama Canal in mid-January1931 , and arrived atPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , on9 February . Decommissioned2 May , she was berthed at Philadelphia as a unit of the Reserve Fleet until1936 . On26 February of that year, while still in a state of preservation, she sank. Later raised, she was struck from theNaval Vessel Register 12 May 1936 and on19 August she was used as a target vessel for an aerial bombing test. Four near-misses with 100 pound (45 kg) bombs sank her 71 miles offCape Henry, Virginia .References
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