United States O-class submarine


The United States Navy's sixteen O-class submarines were created out of the lessons learned from the L class. The O class were about 80 tons larger than the L class, with greater power and endurance for ocean patrols. Due to the American entry into World War I the O class were built much more rapidly than previous classes, and were all commissioned in 1918. O-1 through O-10 were group 1, designed by Electric Boat, O-11 through O-16 were group 2, designed by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company and sometimes considered a separate class. The group 2 boats entered service just before the end of World War I. Eight of the group 1 boats survived to serve in World War II as training boats when they were recommissioned in 1941.
The O class were built by five shipyards: O-1 by Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, O-2 by Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington, O-3 through O-10 by Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, Massachusetts, O-11 through O-13 by Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and O-14 through O-16 by California Shipbuilding, Long Beach, California.

Service

The class originally operated in the anti-submarine role off the United States's East Coast. Two of the boats, and, came under fire from a British merchantman in the Atlantic on 24 July 1918. The steamer scored six hits on O-4s conning tower and pressure hull before her identity was discovered. O-4 suffered minor damage caused by shell splinters. to boats formed part of the twenty-strong submarine force that left Newport, Rhode Island on 2 November 1918 for the Azores, but the task force was recalled after the Armistice was signed nine days later.
The second group of boats, built by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company and Craig Shipbuilding, suffered from electrical problems. was immediately sent to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for a five-month overhaul. In October 1918, sank the patrol boat in a collision while she was submerged. 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. also underwent 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. However, was disarmed, renamed Nautilus, and used in an Arctic expedition by Sir Hubert Wilkins. After being returned to the US Navy, she was scuttled in a Norwegian fjord in November 1931.
The first group served well although was rammed by a cargo ship and sunk near the Panama Canal on 28 October 1923 with the loss of three crew members. All nine of the surviving Group 1 boats were decommissioned in 1931, but were recommissioned, except for O-1, in 1941 to serve as training boats based at the Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut. These boats were taken out of service following World War II except for which sank in deep submergence trials in June 1941. Thirty-three of her crew were lost.
At some point between the wars the O class was modified for improved safety in the event of sinking. Two marker buoys were added fore and aft. In the event the submarine was stranded on the bottom the buoys could be released to show the submarine's position. A motor room hatch was also added, the motor room being the aftermost compartment. The tapered after casing became a step as a result of these modifications.
At least one O-class submarine can be seen briefly in the 1943 movie Crash Dive, filmed at the New London submarine base.

Ships in class

The 16 submarines of the O-class were:



Group 1
Ship name and Hull no.BuilderLaid DownLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedFate
Portsmouth Navy Yard26 March 19179 October 19185 November 191811 June 1931Scrapped 1938
Puget Sound Navy Yard27 July 191724 May 191819 October 191826 July 1945Scrapped 1945
Fore River Shipbuilding2 December 191627 September 191713 June 191811 September 1945Scrapped 1946
Fore River Shipbuilding4 December 191620 October 191729 May 191820 September 1945Scrapped 1946
Fore River Shipbuilding8 December 191611 November 19178 June 1918Lost in a collision 28 October 1923; raised and scrapped 1924
Fore River Shipbuilding6 December 191625 November 191712 June 191811 September 1945Scrapped 1946
Fore River Shipbuilding14 February 191716 December 19174 July 19182 July 1945Scrapped 1946
Fore River Shipbuilding27 February 191731 December 191711 July 191811 September 1945Scrapped 1946
Fore River Shipbuilding15 February 191727 January 191827 July 1918Lost on a test dive 20 June 1941
Fore River Shipbuilding27 February 191721 February 191817 August 191810 September 1945Scrapped 1946

Group 2
Ship name and Hull no.BuilderLaid DownLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedFate
Lake Torpedo Boat Company6 March 191629 October 191719 October 191821 June 1924Scrapped 1930
Lake Torpedo Boat Company6 March 191629 September 191718 October 191817 June 1924Civilian Arctic expedition vessel; scuttled 1931
Lake Torpedo Boat Company6 March 191627 December 191727 November 191811 June 1924Scrapped 1930
California Shpbldg, Long Beach, CA6 July 19166 May 19181 October 191817 June 1924Scrapped 1930
California Shpbldg, Long Beach, CA21 September 191612 February 191827 August 191811 June 1924Scrapped 1930
California Shpbldg, Long Beach, CA7 October 19169 February 19181 August 191821 June 1924Scrapped 1930