 USS S-51 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS S-51 |
| Builder | Lake Torpedo Boat Company |
| Laid down | 22 December 1919 |
| Launched | 20 August 1921 |
| Commissioned | 24 June 1922 |
| Stricken | 27 January 1930 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | S-class submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 240 ft (73 m) |
| Beam | 21 ft 10 in (6.65 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
| Speed |
|
| Complement | 38 officers and men |
| Armament |
|
USS S-51 (SS-162) was a fourth-group (S-48) S-class submarine of the United States Navy.
S-51′s keel was laid down on 22 December 1919 by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. She was launched on 20 August 1921, sponsored by Mrs. R. J. Mills, and commissioned on 24 June 1922.
The new submarine was based at New London, Connecticut on 1 July 1922 as a unit of Submarine Division 4 (SubDiv 4) and followed a normal peacetime training cycle, operating out of her home port with visits to Newport, Rhode Island, and Providence, Rhode Island. She departed from New York City on 4 January 1924 for the Panama Canal Zone to participate in winter fleet maneuvers off Panama and in the Caribbean Sea. During this cruise, she visited Trinidad, Guantanamo Bay, Culebra, and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. After returning to New York City on 30 April, she resumed type training off Block Island and in New England coastal waters.
On the night of 25 September 1925, S-51 was operating on the surface near Block Island, with her running lights on. [1] The merchant steamer City of Rome spotted a single white masthead light but was unable to determine its course, speed, or intentions. The ship altered her course away from the unknown light to give whatever it might be greater leeway. Meanwhile, S-51 spotted the ship's masthead and green sidelights and held her course as she was required to do by the Rules of the Road then in effect. Shortly after altering course, City of Rome spotted the submarine's red sidelight and realized that they were on collision courses. She turned and backed her engines, but it was too late. Twenty-two minutes after first spotting the submarine's masthead light, the steamer rammed her at the position 41°14′30″N71°16′16″W / 41.24167°N 71.27111°W . [2]
Only three of the 36 men in the submarine (Dewey G. Kile, Michael E. Lira, and Alfred Geier) were able to abandon ship before she sank.
The courts found City of Rome at fault for not reducing her speed when in doubt as to the movement of S-51 and for not signaling her change of course. However, both the district court and the Circuit Court of Appeals found S-51 at fault for having improper lights.
The United States Navy argued that it was not practicable to have submarines of this class comply with the letter of the law and that, as a special type of warship, S-51 was under no legal compulsion to do so. The court responded by saying if these statements were correct, then submarines "should confine their operation to waters not being traversed by other ships."
S-51 was raised on 5 July 1926 by a team led by then-Lieutenant Commander Edward Ellsberg with Lieutenant Henry Hartley assisting (both reached the rank of Rear Admiral). The entire salvage operation was commanded by Captain (later Fleet Admiral) Ernest J. King. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 27 January 1930 and sold for scrap on 23 June to the Borough Metal Company of Brooklyn, New York. [3] S-51's bell was removed and taken to the Submarine Force Library & Museum at Groton, Connecticut.
The sinking of USS S-51 is memorialized in the popular song, "Sinking of the Submarine S-51," by Maggie Andrews. For solo guitar and mouth harp accompaniment, the song was recorded by tenor Al Craver (pseudonym for Vernon Dalhart) on Columbia 78 RPM record 15044-D (141099), on October 9, 1925.
USS Blueback (SS-326), a Balao-class submarine in commission from 1944 to 1948, was the first submarine of the United States Navy to be named for the blueback salmon, also known as the sockeye salmon. She completed three war patrols in the South China Sea and Java Sea during World War II. She sank a 300-displacement ton submarine chaser as well as eight smaller vessels.
USS S-4 (SS-109) was an S-class submarine of the United States Navy. In 1927, she was sunk by being accidentally rammed by a United States Coast Guard destroyer with the loss of all hands but was raised and restored to service until stricken in 1936.
USS S-27 (SS-132) was a S-class submarine of the United States Navy.
USS Mahan (DD-102) was a Wickes-class destroyer built for the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1918, Mahan was a flush deck destroyer, and the first ship to be named for Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan. Her main battery consisted of four 4-inch/50 caliber guns.
USS Bluegill (SS-242/SSK-242) was a Gato-class submarine in commission in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946, from 1951 to 1952, and from 1953 to 1969. She was named for the bluegill, a sunfish of the Mississippi Valley.
USS Besugo, a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy in commission from 1944 to 1958. She was named for the besugo.
USS S-50 (SS-161) was a fourth-group (S-48) S-class submarine of the United States Navy.
USS S-48 (SS-159) was the first submarine in the fourth group of S-class submarines of the United States Navy.
USS S-19 (SS-124) was a first-group S-class submarine of the United States Navy. She was in commission from 1921 to 1922 and from 1923 to 1934 and served in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
USS Moody (DD-277) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy in commission from 1919 to 1922 and from 1923 to 1930. She was named for Secretary of the Navy (and future Supreme Court Justice} William Henry Moody.
Edward Ellsberg, OBE was an officer in the United States Navy and a popular author. He was widely known as "Commander Ellsberg".
USS Tolman (DD-740/DM-28/MMD-28) was a Robert H. Smith-class destroyer minelayer in the United States Navy.
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The third USS Falcon, (AM-28/ASR-2) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper in the United States Navy. She later became a submarine rescue ship.
The first USS Chewink (AM-39/ASR-3) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper in the United States Navy. She was later converted to a submarine rescue ship.
The first USS Ortolan(AM-45/ASR-5) was a Lapwing-class minesweeper in the United States Navy. She was later converted to a submarine rescue ship. She was named after the ortolan, a European bunting.
USS Bagaduce (AT-21/ATO-21) was the lead ship of the Bagaduce class of fleet tugs for the United States Navy. She was the first ship of the U.S. Navy of that name, and is named for the Bagaduce River and a peninsula in Hancock County, Maine.
The McCann Submarine Rescue Chamber is a device for rescuing submariners from a submarine that is unable to surface.
Henry Hartley was a highly decorated officer in the United States Navy who reached the rank of rear admiral. A veteran of both World Wars, he began his career as Apprentice seaman and rose to the rank of commodore during World War II. During his 45 years long career in the Navy, Hartley trained as Diver and was involved in research of techniques of salvage work. He distinguished himself during the salvage works on the sunken submarines USS S-51 in July 1926; USS S-4 in March 1928 and USS Squalus in May 1939, receiving the Navy Cross and Distinguished Service Medal.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) United States Navy |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1925 | |
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