USS S-5

Last updated
USSS5SS110.jpg
USS S-5 (SS-110) immediately after her launching at Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, on 10 November 1919. She is dressed overall.
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS S-5
Ordered4 March 1917
Builder Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine
Laid down4 December 1917
Launched10 November 1919
Sponsored byMrs. Glenn S. Burrell
Commissioned6 March 1920
Stricken1921
Fate
  • Foundered 1 September 1920;
  • Partially refloated 2 September 1920;
  • Sank 3 September 1920
General characteristics
Class and type S-class submarine
Displacement
  • 876 long tons (890 t) surfaced
  • 1,092 long tons (1,110 t) submerged
Length231 ft (70 m)
Beam21 ft 10 in (6.65 m)
Draft13 ft 1 in (3.99 m)
Installed power
  • 1,000  hp (750 kW) (diesel engines)
  • 600 hp (450 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) surfaced
  • 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) submerged
Test depth200 ft (61 m)
Capacity36,950 US gal (139,900 L) diesel fuel
Complement4 officers and 34 men
Armament

USS S-5 (SS-110) was a "Government-type" S-class submarine of the United States Navy. Her keel was laid down on 4 December 1917 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard of Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 10 November 1919, sponsored by Mrs. Glenn S. Burrell, and commissioned on 6 March 1920 with Lieutenant Commander Charles M. "Savvy" Cooke, Jr., [1] in command. She sank accidentally during full-power trials on 1 September 1920, but due to actions by her crew and the crews of other ships, there were no deaths. Refloated, she was lost when she sank again while under tow on 3 September 1920. [2]

Contents

Loss

Sinking

Following builder's trials, outfitting, and crew training, S-5 departed Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts, on 30 August 1920 to undergo full-power trials in the Atlantic Ocean 55 nautical miles (102 km; 63 mi) off the Delaware Capes. At 13:00 on 1 September, she commenced a dive for a submerged test run. Water unexpectedly entered the submarine through the main air induction system, pouring into the control room, engine room, torpedo room, and motor room. [3]

Normal procedure was to leave the main air induction valve open until the engines had a chance to come to a full stop, this operation being so timed as to occur just prior to complete submergence. In the case of S-5, however, the chief of the boat, Gunner's Mate Percy Fox, the man responsible for operating this valve, was momentarily distracted. Noticing the mistake, he grabbed the valve lever and jerked hard, causing the valve to jam open. [3] After considerable difficulty, the system valves in the other compartments were closed, but all efforts to secure the torpedo room valve met with failure. The abandoned torpedo room flooded, making the boat bow-heavy. An additional 80 long tons (81 t) of water in the motor room bilges caused her to settle on the bottom. It was now impossible to eject water from the torpedo room. An attempt was then made to pump out the motor room, but a gasket blew out and there were no means for repair. Lying 180 ft (55 m) on the bottom, the crew had little hope of being found, much less being rescued. [4]

The crew reasoned that sufficient buoyancy in the after section could tilt the sub on her nose and extend the stern above the surface. The tilt would cause the water in the motor room to drain forward and increase buoyancy further. However, there was great risk involved because this would allow salt water into the battery room, which would generate deadly chlorine gas. They hoped to have enough time, after the water had entered, to close the watertight door before the gas could reach a dangerous level. After making preparations, air was applied to the after ballast and fuel tanks, blowing them dry. The stern began to rise and then shot to the surface. Men, floor plates, bilge water, and other loose objects fell through the length of the submarine. One man nearly drowned in the battery room, but was fished out, and the compartment door was sealed against the gas.

By tapping on the hull, it was determined that the stern extended about 17 ft (5.2 m) above the water. With inadequate tools, they took turns trying to cut a hole in the thick hull. After 36 hours, they had only succeeded in making a hole 3 in (76 mm) in diameter.

Side view of USS S-5 USS S-5 (SS-110)- from the US Navy - 1920 .gif
Side view of USS S-5
The steamship Alanthus standing by the stern of S-5 on 2 September 1920, the day after S-5 accidentally sank off the Delaware Bay Steamship Alanthus standing by the submarine S-5 stern.jpg
The steamship Alanthus standing by the stern of S-5 on 2 September 1920, the day after S-5 accidentally sank off the Delaware Bay
NOAAS Whiting's first sonar image of the wreck of S-5 on the ocean bottom, made in late July 2001 when Whiting discovered the wreck's exact location for the first time USS S-5 (S-110) wreck sonar image.jpg
NOAAS Whiting's first sonar image of the wreck of S-5 on the ocean bottom, made in late July 2001 when Whiting discovered the wreck's exact location for the first time
The circle of plating General G. W. Goethals cut from S-5's hull to allow men to escape is on display at the Navy Museum at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. It is approximately 2 ft (61 cm) in diameter and .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px} 3/4 in (1.9 cm) thick. Circle of plating cut from S-5's hull to allow men to escape.gif
The circle of plating General G. W. Goethals cut from S-5's hull to allow men to escape is on display at the Navy Museum at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. It is approximately 2 ft (61 cm) in diameter and 3⁄4 in (1.9 cm) thick.

Rescue

A lookout on watch aboard the wooden steamship Alanthus, making her last voyage, spotted what he thought was a buoy on 2 September 1920. Knowing that no buoy should be so far out to sea, Alanthus's captain turned his ship around to investigate. Approaching the submarine's stern rising above the ocean, the captain hailed S-5 in maritime fashion. That conversation became legend:

"What ship?"
"S-5."
"What nationality?"
"American."
"Where bound?"
"Hell by compass."

Alanthus could not help with the cutting, but was able to rig a pump to provide air, provide fresh water for drinking, and rig cables under S-5's stern to hold it above the surface. Alanthus had no operator for her radio, but at about 18:00 was able to contact the passing Panama Railway Company steamship General G. W. Goethals using signal flags. [5]

General G. W. Goethals, which was on voyage from Haiti to New York City, had a radio and contacted the U.S. Navy, and her crew immediately began enlarging the hole. By 01:45 on 3 September 1920, it was big enough to squirm through. At 03:00 on 3 September, Lieutenant Commander Cooke became the last member of S-5's crew to leave the submarine. Her crew had suffered no deaths or serious injuries.

Later that morning, the battleship USS Ohio secured a towline to the stern of S-5 and proceeded to tow her to shallower water. The towline, however, parted and the loose submarine bobbed, then plunged to the bottom about 15 nmi (28 km; 17 mi) off Cape May, New Jersey. [6] The Navy began an unsuccessful attempt to raise S-5, but called it off in November 1920. A second effort in 1921 also was unsuccessful, and S-5 was struck from the Naval Vessel Register that year. She was the fourth submarine lost in U.S. Navy history.

Discovery of wreck

The exact location of the wreck of S-5 remained unknown until July 2001, when the Office of Ocean Exploration at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) asked the NOAA survey ship NOAAS Whiting to search for it. Whiting, which had just completed a summer in port at Norfolk, Virginia, and was bound for Boston, Massachusetts, to conduct hydrographic survey operations in New England, paused off Cape May in late July 2001 to search for the wreck. [7]

Whiting's survey department approached the project as it would any typical hydrographic survey. Information on snags – obstructions on the ocean bottom that snarl fishing nets and gear – that local recreational fishermen had reported and reports of possible locations of the wreck from divers that had visited it provided Whiting with possible targets for her search. After her crew had prepared a plan for a systematic search, Whiting moved from target cluster to target cluster, mapping the ocean bottom using sidescan sonar. After eight hours of searching, Whiting found the wreck of S-5 directly over one of the suspected targets, made a sonar image of the wreck, and recorded its exact location. Whiting then made several more passes over the wreck to acquire additional images of it at various angles before leaving the scene. [7]

Museum holdings and displays

The portion of S-5's hull plating that General G. W. Goethals removed to permit S-5's crew to escape from the submarine is on exhibit in the National Museum of the United States Navy in the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.

NOAA donated the sonar data NOAAS Whiting gathered in 2001 during her discovery of the wreck of S-5 to the Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, Connecticut, for archiving and display. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Submarine</span> Watercraft capable of independent operation underwater

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely operated vehicles and robots, as well as medium-sized or smaller vessels, such as the midget submarine and the wet sub. Submarines are referred to as boats rather than ships irrespective of their size.

<i>Gato</i>-class submarine US Navy fleet submarine class

The Gato class of submarines were built for the United States Navy and launched in 1941–1943. Named after the lead ship of the class, USS Gato, they were the first mass-production U.S. submarine class of World War II.

USS <i>Dolphin</i> (AGSS-555) Submarine of the United States

USS Dolphin (AGSS-555) was a United States Navy diesel-electric deep-diving research and development submarine. She was commissioned in 1968 and decommissioned in 2007. Her 38-year career was the longest in history for a US Navy submarine to that point. She was the Navy's last operational conventionally powered submarine.

USS <i>Swordfish</i> (SSN-579) Submarine of the United States

USS Swordfish (SSN-579), a Skate-class nuclear-powered submarine, was the second submarine of the United States Navy named for the swordfish, a large fish with a long, swordlike beak and a high dorsal fin.

German submarine <i>U-853</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-853 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 21 August 1942 by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen. She was commissioned on 25 June 1943 with Kapitänleutnant Helmut Sommer in command. U-853 saw action during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. She conducted three patrols, sinking two ships totalling 5,353 GRT and 430 tons.

USS <i>Aaron Ward</i> (DD-483) Gleaves-class destroyer of the United States Navy

USS Aaron Ward (DD-483) was a Gleaves-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named in honor of Rear Admiral Aaron Ward. She sank on 7 April 1943 in a shoal near Tinete Point of Nggela Sule, Solomon Islands during Operation I-Go. Her wreck was discovered on 4 September 1994.

USS <i>Abner Read</i> (DD-526) Fletcher class-destroyer

USS Abner Read (DD-526) was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, named after Lieutenant Commander Abner Read, who fought in the American Civil War. The ship fought in World War II, seeing action in the Aleutian Islands Campaign and in 1943 she survived hitting a mine that blew off her stern. After repairs, she returned to service and operated in support of Allied forces in the New Guinea campaign and the Battle of Leyte. She was sunk in an air attack off Leyte on 1 November 1944.

United States S-class submarine Submarine class

The United States' S-class submarines, often simply called S-boats, were the first class of submarines with a significant number built to United States Navy designs. They made up the bulk of the USN submarine service in the interwar years and could be found in every theater of operations. While not considered fleet submarines, they were the first submarines in the USN designed for open ocean, blue water operations. All previous submarines had been intended for harbor or coastal defense. These boats were intended to have greater speed and range than previous classes, with improved habitability and greater armament.

HMS <i>Affray</i> (P421) Submarine of the Royal Navy

HMS Affray was a British Amphion-class submarine. It was the last Royal Navy submarine to be lost at sea, on 16 April 1951, with the loss of 75 lives.

German submarine <i>U-550</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-550 was a Type IXC/40 German Navy U-boat built during World War II. She was laid down on 2 October 1942 by Deutsche Werft in Hamburg as yard number 371, launched on 12 May 1943 and commissioned on 28 July under the command of Kapitänleutnant Klaus Hänert.

NOAAS <i>Nancy Foster</i>

The NOAA Ship Nancy Foster is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research vessel. The ship is named for Dr. Nancy Foster, who was the director of the National Marine Fisheries Service’s Office of Protected Resources from 1986 until 1993, and the director of the National Ocean Service from 1997 until her death in 2000.

USS <i>Kittiwake</i> Chanticleer-class submarine rescue vessel

USS Kittiwake (ASR-13) was a United States Navy Chanticleer-class submarine rescue vessel in commission from 1946 to 1994.

Japanese submarine <i>I-201</i> 1st class submarine of the Imperial Japanese Navy

I-201 was the name ship of her class of high-speed submarines built for the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. She was commissioned in February 1945, and the war ended before she could carry out an operational patrol. She surrendered to the United States Navy in 1945 and was sunk as a target in 1946.

USS <i>General G. W. Goethals</i> German-built cargo and passenger ship

USS General G. W. Goethals (ID-1443) was a German cargo liner that the United States seized during the First World War. She was launched in 1911 for the Hamburg America Line (HAPAG) as Grunewald. In 1917 the US seized her in Panama, and the Panama Canal Railway (PCR) operated her for the United States Shipping Board (USSB). In 1919 she spent six months in the United States Navy. In 1920 the PRC bought her from the USSB. In 1925 the Black Star Line owned her. In 1926 the Munson Steamship Line bought her and renamed her Munorleans. She was scrapped in Scotland in 1937.

USS YP-389 was a United States Navy yard patrol (YP) boat that served in World War II. The ship was built in 1941 as the fishing trawler Cohasset at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, for R. O'Brien and Company.

The Torpedo Alley, or Torpedo Junction, off North Carolina, is one of the graveyards of the Atlantic Ocean, named for the high number of attacks on Allied shipping by German U-boats in World War II. Almost 400 ships were sunk, mostly during the Second Happy Time in 1942, and over 5,000 people were killed, many of whom were civilians and merchant sailors. Torpedo Alley encompassed the area surrounding the Outer Banks, including Cape Lookout and Cape Hatteras.

NOAAS <i>Whiting</i>

NOAAS Whiting, was an American survey ship that was in commission in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) from 1970 to 2003. Previously, she had been in commission in the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey from 1963 to 1970 as USC&GS Whiting.

I-183 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Kaidai type cruiser submarine of the KD7 sub-class commissioned in 1943. During World War II, she was sunk with all hands by United States Navy fleet submarine in April 1944.

RV <i>Petrel</i> Research ship

RV Petrel, or R/V Petrel, is a 76.45 m (250.8 ft) research vessel owned by the United States Navy and once owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The ship is named after the petrel, a sea bird. The ship was completed by Brattvaag Skipsverft, Norway in 2003 as the deepwater offshore inspection vessel Seaway Petrel for service with Stolt Offshore. She was later renamed Acergy Petrel, then Seven Petrel with Subsea 7.

Japanese submarine <i>I-33</i> Type B1 submarine

I-33 was an Imperial Japanese Navy B1 type submarine. Completed and commissioned in 1942, she served in World War II, making one war patrol that included the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, before sinking accidentally in September 1942. Refloated and repaired, she sank again in a diving accident during post-repair sea trials in June 1944.

References

  1. ↑ Blair, Clay, Jr. Silent Victory (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1975), p.1017.
  2. ↑ "navy.mil, S-5 incident". Archived from the original on 2015-03-25. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  3. 1 2 "Submarine Casualties Booklet". U.S. Naval Submarine School. 1966. Archived from the original on September 11, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ↑ OnlineLibrary, S-5
  5. ↑ OnlineLibrary, Alanthus
  6. ↑ Rear, Laura, "History of the USS S-Five Submarine," oceanexplorer.noaa.gov, undated.
  7. 1 2 3 Weirich, Jeremy B., LTJG, "How the NOAA Ship Whiting Found the USS S-Five," oceanexplorer.noaa.gov, undated.

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

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.