USS H-3 (SS-30)

USS "H-3" (SS-30) was a "H"-class submarine originally named "Garfish", the only ship of the United States Navy named for the garfish, a popular target for recreational anglers. Her keel was laid down by the Moran Company of Seattle, Washington. She was renamed "H-3" on 17 November 1911, launched on 3 July 1913 sponsored by Miss Helen MacEwan, and commissioned at Puget Sound on 16 January 1914 with Lieutenant (junior grade) William R. Munroe in command.

After shakedown, "H-3" was attached to the Pacific Fleet and began operations along the coast from lower California to Washington, exercising frequently with "H-1" and "H-2". "H-3" ran aground in heavy fog while attempting to enter Humboldt Bay on the morning of 16 December 1916. The crew were rescued by United States Coast Guard breeches buoy. Storm surf pushed "H-3" high up on a sandy beach, surrounded by quicksand; at low tide she was 75 feet from the water, but at high tide the ocean reached almost 250 feet beyond her. The submarine crew pitched camp on the Samoa, California beach near their stranded submarine while the Navy tug USS Iroquois (AT-46) steamed from Mare Island Navy Yard to attempt salvage. [Haislip, February 1967, p.38] Combined efforts of "Iroquois" and submarine tender USS|Cheyenne|BM-10|3 were unable to dislodge "H-3"; so both ships returned to Mare Island while the Navy requested bids from commercial salvage firms. Only two bids were received. The largest marine salvage firm on the west coast offered to pull the submarine into deep water offshore for $150,000 and a Eureka lumber company offered to pull the submarine over the Samoa peninsula into Humboldt Bay for $18,000. [Haislip, February 1967, p.38] Navy officials at Mare Island regarded the lumber company proposal as infeasible and felt the salvage firm bid was excessive. The protected cruiser USS|Milwaukee|C-21|3 sailed from Mare Island to tow "H-3" off the beach. "Milwaukee" grounded attempting salvage on 13 January 1917 and broke up in the pounding surf. [Haislip, February 1967, pp.46-48]

"H-3" was then temporarily decommissioned 4 February 1917 while the lumber company salvage bid was accepted. "H-3" was placed on giant log rollers and taken overland to be relaunched into Humboldt Bay on 20 April 1917. She then returned to San Pedro, California, where she served as flagship of SubDiv 7, participating in exercises and operations along the coast until 1922. "H-3", with the entire division, sailed from San Pedro on 25 July 1922 and reached Hampton Roads on 14 September.

"H-3" decommissioned at Hampton Roads on 23 October 1922. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 December 1930 and scrapped on 14 September 1931.

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