USS O-1 (SS-62)

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USS O-1
USS O-1 underway, probably in 1918.
History
United States
NameUSS O-1
Ordered3 March 1916
BuilderPortsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine
Laid down26 March 1917
Launched9 July 1918
Commissioned5 November 1918
Decommissioned11 June 1931
Stricken18 May 1938
FateSold for scrap
General characteristics
TypeO-class submarine
Displacement
  • 521 long tons (529 t) surfaced
  • 629 long tons (639 t) submerged
Length172 ft 3 in (52.5 m)
Beam18 ft 1 in (5.5 m)
Draft14 ft 5 in (4.4 m)
Installed power
  • 880 bhp (660 kW) (diesel)
  • 740 hp (550 kW) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) surfaced
  • 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) submerged
Range5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) on the surface
Test depth200 feet (61.0 m)
Complement2 officers, 27 men
Armament

USS O-1 (SS-62) was the lead ship of her class of submarines built for the United States Navy during World War I.

Description[]

The O-class submarines were designed to meet a Navy requirement for coastal defense boats.[1] The submarines had a length of 172 feet 3 inches (52.5 m) overall, a beam of 18 feet 1 inch (5.5 m) and a mean draft of 14 feet 5 inches (4.4 m). They displaced 521 long tons (529 t) on the surface and 629 long tons (639 t) submerged. The O-class submarines had a crew of 29 officers and enlisted men. They had a diving depth of 200 feet (61.0 m).[2]

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 440-brake-horsepower (328 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 370-horsepower (276 kW) electric motor. They could reach 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface and 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) underwater. On the surface, the O class had a range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph).[2]

The boats were armed with four 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried four reloads, for a total of eight torpedoes. The O-class submarines were also armed with a single 3"/50 caliber deck gun.[2]

Construction and career[]

The christening of O-1, 9 July 1918

O-1 was laid down on 26 March 1917 at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 9 July 1918, and commissioned on 5 November 1918 with Lieutenant Commander in command. Commissioned just before the Armistice with Germany, O-1 operated in the Atlantic coastal waters from Cape Cod to Key West, Florida, after World War I. Reclassified a second-line submarine on 25 July 1924, and first-line on 6 June 1928, O-1 was converted to an experimental vessel on 28 December 1930, and operated in this capacity out of the submarine base at New London, Connecticut, until decommissioning on 11 June 1931. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 May 1938 and sold for scrap.

Gallery[]

  • USS O-1 in dry dock at Portsmouth Navy Yard, September 1918

Notes[]

  1. ^ Friedman, pp. 86–87
  2. ^ a b c Gardiner & Gray, p. 129

References[]

  • Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
  • Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links[]

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