USS H-1

For other ships with the same name, see USS Seawolf.

USS H-1, ex-Seawolf, off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 30 January 1914
History
United States
Name	Seawolf
Namesake	The seawolf
Builder	Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California
Cost	$510,428.77 (hull and machinery) [1]
Laid down	22 March 1911
Launched	6 May 1913
Sponsored by	Miss Leslie Makins
Commissioned	1 December 1913
Renamed	H-1 (Submarine No.28), 17 November 1911
Stricken	12 April 1920
Identification	Hull symbol: SS-28 (15 July 1920) Call sign: NYC
Fate	Grounded on a shoal, 12 March 1920
General characteristics [2]
Type	H-class submarine
Displacement	358 long tons (364 t) surfaced 467 long tons (474 t) submerged
Length	150 ft 4 in (45.82 m)
Beam	15 ft 10 in (4.83 m)
Draft	12 ft 5 in (3.78 m)
Installed power	950  hp (710 kW) (diesel engines) 600 hp (450 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion	Diesel/electric 2 × NELSECO diesel engines 2 × Electro Dynamic electric motors 2 × 60-cell batteries 2 × Propellers
Speed	14  kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) surfaced 10.5 kn (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) submerged
Range	2,300 nmi (4,300 km; 2,600 mi) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) surfaced 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth	200 ft (61 m)
Capacity	11,800  US gal (45,000 L; 9,800 imp gal) fuel
Complement	2 officers 23 enlisted
Armament	4 × 18 inch (450 mm) bow torpedo tubes (8 torpedoes)

USS Seawolf/H-1 (SS-28), also known as "Submarine No. 28", was the lead ship of her class of submarine of the United States Navy. She was the first ship of the US Navy to be named for the seawolf, but was renamed H-1 while under construction.

Design

The H-class submarines had an overall length of 150 ft 4 in (45.8 m), a beam of 15 ft 10 in (4.8 m), and a mean draft of 12 ft 5 in (3.8 m). They displaced 358 long tons (364 t) on the surface and 467 long tons (474 t) submerged. They had a diving depth of 200 ft (61.0 m). The boats had a crew of 2 officers and 23 enlisted men. ^[3]

For surface running, they were powered by two New London Ship & Engine Company 475- brake-horsepower (354 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by two 170-horsepower (127 kW) Electro-Dynamic Company electric motors. They could reach 14  kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface and 10.5 kn (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) underwater. ^[3] On the surface, the boats had a range of 2,300  nmi (4,300 km; 2,600 mi) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) and 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged. ^[4]

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. ^[4]

Construction

Seawolf's keel was laid down, on 22 March 1911, by the Union Iron Works, of San Francisco, California. She was renamed, H-1, on 17 November 1911, and launched on 6 May 1913, sponsored by Miss Lesley Jean Makins. H-1 was commissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard, on 1 December 1913. ^[5]

Service history

H-1 and H-2, in Coos Bay, Oregon

The new submarine was attached to the 2nd Torpedo Flotilla, Pacific Fleet, and operated along the West Coast, out of San Pedro, California. During various exercises and patrols, she traveled the coast from Los Angeles to lower British Columbia, often in company with her sister ships H-2 and sometimes H-3. ^[5]

Sailing from San Pedro, on 17 October 1917, she reached New London, Connecticut, on 8 November. For the remainder of World War I, she was based there and patrolled Long Island Sound, frequently with officer students from the submarine school on board. ^[5]

H-1 and H-2 sailed for San Pedro, on 6 January 1920, transiting the Panama Canal on 20 February. On 12 March, as H-1 made her way up the coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, she ran aground on a shoal off Magdalena Bay. Four men, including the commanding officer, died trying to reach shore. ^[5]

The diesel freighter Mazatlan, on her maiden voyage for the California & Mexico Steamship Company, also this line's inaugural voyage, tried to pull the submarine into deep water, and then carried 22 survivors to San Pedro, where they arrived on March 18. ^[6]

The repair ship Vestal pulled H-1 off the rocks in the morning of 24 March, but in only 45 minutes, the submarine sank in some 50 ft (15 m) of water. Further salvage effort was abandoned. Her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 12 April 1920, and she was sold for scrap in June 1920, but never recovered. ^[5]

In 2019, her wreck was identified south of Baja California. ^{[7] [8]}

References

1. Navy List 1921, p. 766.
2. Priolo & H-1.
3. Friedman 1995, p. 307.
4. Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 128.
5. Evans 2018.
6. Riverside 1920.
7. CNN 2019.
8. Hendren 2021, p. 235.

Bibliography

• "Table 21 - Ships on Navy List June 30, 1919". Congressional Serial Set. U.S. Government Printing Office: 766. 1921.
• Priolo, Gary. "Seawolf / H-1 (SS-28)". Navsource.net. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
• 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 (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN   0-85177-245-5.
• Evans, Mark L. (6 September 2018). "H-1 (Submarine No. 28)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command . Retrieved 29 September 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
• "Steamer Mazatlan Arrives in Port". Riverside Daily Press. 18 March 1920. p. 4.
• "Hallan submarino de la Primera Guerra Mundial en las costas de México" [First World War submarine found off the coast of Mexico]. CNN en Espanol (in Spanish). 5 September 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
• Hendren, Richard H. (December 2021). "The History of the H-class Submarines and Archeology of the Submarine H-1 (Ex Seawolf) (1913-1920)" (PDF).

External links

• PigBoats.COM H-class page
• Photo gallery of USS H-1 (SS-28) at NavSource Naval History
• On Eternal Patrol: USS H-1 (SS-28)