The SC-1 class was a large class of submarine chasers built during World War I for the United States Navy. They were ordered in very large numbers in order to combat attacks by German U-boats, with 442 boats built from 1917 to 1919.
In 1916, the then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the US Navy to design a small anti-submarine vessel that could be built quickly in small civilian boatyards, as if war came, larger shipyards would be busy building larger warships.[1] Consideration was given to adopting an 80ft (24m) wooden Motor Launch built in large numbers by ELCO for the British Royal Navy, but the General Board of the United States Navy thought that these boats were too small to be effective seaboats. The task of designing the new type was given to an experienced designer of small boats, Albert Loring Swasey.[N 1] He drew up a design for a 100ft (30m) wooden boat, emphasizing seaworthiness over speed. At first it was intended to use two 300 brake horsepower (220kW) engines, but a shortage of these engines resulted in the design being changed to use three 220hp (160kW)gasoline engines.[1][2]
Diagram of SC-1-class submarine chaser
Armament was initially planned to be two 3-inch (76.2mm) guns, but the aft gun was usually replaced by a depth charge thrower to attack submerged submarines,[1] with two Colt machine guns completing the armament. Many boats were fitted with hydrophones for detecting underwater noises, with either a K-tube fish-type device of 30-nautical-mile (56km; 35mi) range or SC and MB tubes of 5-nautical-mile (9.3km; 5.8mi) range.[3]
An initial order of 345 SC boats placed in 1917 was planned to be delivered by the end of 1917, with further orders for the French Navy pushing the total ordered up to 448.[2]
Operational history
Deliveries started in July 1917,[2] with deliveries continuing into 1919,[3] with 441 boats built, and the remaining seven boats canceled.[2] One hundred were sold to France,[4] and a further 121 US Navy SC boats were deployed to Europe to operate off Britain and France and in the Mediterranean, where they supported the Otranto Barrage with the remaining US Navy boats operating off the East Coast of the United States.[1]
In 1920 SC 292 sold commercial becoming Trawler "Chief Seattle", SC 293 becoming Trawler " George L. Harvey", and SC 300 becoming Trawler "Joseph Kildall'.[13]
By December 1941, only 11 boats remained in US Navy service, with two continuing in use until at least April 1945.[14]
A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II.
The first USS Patterson (DD-36) was a modified Paulding-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I and later in the United States Coast Guard, designated as CG-16. She was named for Daniel Patterson.
A naval drifter is a boat built along the lines of a commercial fishing drifter but fitted out for naval purposes. The use of naval drifters is paralleled by the use of naval trawlers.
USS SC-1, prior to July 1920 known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 1 or USS S.C. 1, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS SC-4, during her service life known as Submarine Chaser No. 4 or S.C. 4, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS SC-17, until July 1920 known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 17 or USS S.C. 17, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS SC-20, until July 1920 known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 20 or USS S.C. 20, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I. SC-17 was a wooden-hulled 110-foot submarine chaser built at the New York Navy Yard at Brooklyn, New York. She was commissioned on 18 October 1917 as USS Submarine Chaser No. 20, abbreviated at the time as USS S.C. 20.
USS SC-21, until July 1920 known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 21 or USS S.C. 21, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS SC-26, until July 1920 known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 26 or USS S.C. 26, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS SC-39, until July 1920 known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 39 or USS S.C. 39, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS SC-40, until July 1920 known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 40 or USS S.C. 40, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS SC-43, until July 1920 known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 43 or USS S.C. 43, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS SC-44, until July 1920 known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 44 or USS S.C. 44, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS SC-209, prior to July 1920, known as USS Submarine Chaser No. 209 or USS S.C. 209, was an SC-1-class submarine chaser in commission in the United States Navy during 1918. She was the victim of the deadliest friendly fire incident involving the U.S. Navy during World War I.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
