USS F-4

Last updated
USS F-4 (SS-23).jpg
USS F-4, 1913-1915.
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NameUSS F-4
Builder The Moran Company, Seattle, Washington
Laid down21 August 1909, as USS Skate
Launched6 January 1912
Commissioned3 May 1913
RenamedUSS F-4, 17 November 1911
Stricken31 August 1915
Fate
  • Foundered, 25 March 1915
  • Raised, 29 August 1915; later a harbor marker and buried as trench fill off Pearl Harbor, 1940
General characteristics
Class and type F-class submarine
Displacement330 long tons (340 t)
Length142 ft 7 in (43.46 m)
Beam15 ft 5 in (4.70 m)
Draft12 ft 2 in (3.71 m)
Speed14  kn (16 mph; 26 km/h)
Complement22 officers and enlisted
Armament4 × 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes
U.S. Navy inspectors examining the implosion hole in F-4's port side in drydock at Honolulu, late August or early September 1915. USS F-4 1913.jpg
U.S. Navy inspectors examining the implosion hole in F-4's port side in drydock at Honolulu, late August or early September 1915.
US Navy F-Class Plans-1 1910.jpg
US Navy F-Class Plans-2 1910.jpg
Plans for the F-class submarine
Francis Hughson, Crew Member Francis Hughson Naval Portrait.jpg
Francis Hughson, Crew Member

USS F-4 (SS-23) was a United States Navy F-class submarine. Her keel was laid down by the Moran Company of Seattle, Washington, sponsored by Mrs. Manson Franklin. Backus, wife of a successful Seattle business man and banker. [1] [2] The submarine was originally named Skate, making her the first ship of the United States Navy named for the skate. She was renamed F-4 on 17 November 1911, launched on 6 January 1912 and commissioned on 3 May 1913.

Contents

Service history

Joining the First Submarine Group, Pacific Torpedo Flotilla, F-4 participated in the development operations of that group along the west coast, and from August 1914, in Hawaiian waters out of Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor. During submarine maneuvers off Honolulu, Hawaii on 25 March 1915, she sank at a depth of 306 ft (93 m), 1.5 mi (2.4 km) from the harbor. The ship's electrician's mate 3rd class, James Morton Hoggett, was not on shore leave as was commonly reported. He was standing his duty as watchman, the crew member left ashore to receive any important news that occurred ashore while the ship was at sea and relay it to the captain on the ship's return. This was commonly done before ships had radios. He was the only survivor. [3] Despite the valiant efforts of the Honolulu naval authorities to locate the missing boat and save her crew, all 21 aboard perished. F-4 was the first commissioned submarine of the U.S. Navy to be lost at sea.

Salvage and recovery

A diving and engineering precedent was established with the Navy's raising of the submarine on 29 August 1915. Divers descended to attach cables to tow the boat into shallow water, Naval Constructor Julius A. Furer, Rear Admiral C.B.T. Moore, and Lieutenant C. Smith were able to do this with the use of specially devised and constructed pontoons. Navy diver George D Stillson found the superstructure caved in and the hull filled with water. [4] One of the divers involved in the salvage operation was John Henry Turpin, who was, probably, the first African-American to qualify as a U.S. Navy Master Diver. Only four of the dead could be identified; the 17 others were buried in Arlington National Cemetery. [5]

The investigating board subsequently conjectured that corrosion of the lead lining of the battery tank had permitted seepage of sea water into the battery compartment and thereby caused the commanding officer to lose control on a submerged run. Others believe that the bypassing of an unreliable magnetic reducer closed a Kingston valve in the forward ballast tank resulting in a delay. [6] Based on other reported issues, there may also have been problems with the air lines supplying the ballast tank. [6]

F-4 was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 31 August 1915 and was taken from the dry dock in Honolulu Harbor in early September 1915 so the other three F-Class submarines could be dry docked as they had been rammed by the navy supply ship USS Supply (1872). The F-4 was moved, still hanging from the pontoons to Pearl Harbor and anchored in Magazine Loch until on or about 25 November 1915, when she was disconnected from the pontoons and settled into the mud at the bottom of the loch. She remained there until the expansion of the harbor in 1940, when the remains of F-4 were re-buried in a trench dug in the loch bottom off the Submarine Base Mooring S14, Pearl Harbor.


Related Research Articles

USS <i>Dolphin</i> (SS-169) "V-boat" class submarine

USS Dolphin (SF-10/SC-3/SS-169), a submarine and one of the "V-boats", was the sixth ship of the United States Navy to be named for that aquatic mammal. She also bore the name V-7 and the classifications SF-10 and SC-3 prior to her commissioning. She was launched on 6 March 1932 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. E.D. Toland, and commissioned on 1 June 1932.

USS <i>Skate</i> (SS-305) Submarine of the United States

USS Skate (SS-305) was a Balao-class submarine in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was used as a target ship in the 1946 atomic bomb tests and finally sunk as a target ship in October 1948.

USS <i>Sailfish</i> (SS-192) Sargo-class submarine of the US Navy

USS Sailfish (SS-192), was a US Sargo-class submarine, originally named Squalus. As Squalus, the submarine sank off the coast of New Hampshire during test dives on 23 May 1939. The sinking drowned 26 crew members, but an ensuing rescue operation, using the McCann Rescue Chamber for the first time, saved the lives of the remaining 33 aboard. Squalus was salvaged in late 1939 and recommissioned as Sailfish in May 1940.

USS <i>F-1</i> F-class submarine of the United States

USS F-1 (SS-20) was an F-class submarine. She was named Carp when her keel was laid down by Union Iron Works of San Francisco, California, making her the first ship of the United States Navy named for the carp. She was launched on 6 September 1911 sponsored by Ms. J. Tynan, renamed F-1 on 17 November 1911, and commissioned on 19 June 1912.

USS <i>S-4</i> Submarine of the United States

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 <i>G-1</i> G-class submarine of the United States

USS G-1 (SS-19½) was the lead ship of her class of submarine of the United States Navy. While the four G-boats were nominally all of a class, they differed enough in significant details that they are sometimes considered to be four unique boats, each in a class by herself.

USS <i>Brill</i> Submarine of the United States

USS Brill (SS-330), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy in commission from 1944 to 1947. She was named for the brill, a European flatfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard</span> United States Navy shipyard in Hawaii

The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard located in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 148 acres. It is one of just four public shipyards operated by the United States Navy. The shipyard is physically a part of Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam.

USS <i>S-29</i> Submarine of the United States

USS S-29 (SS-134), was a first-group S-class submarine of the United States Navy. During World War II, she also served in the Royal Navy as HMS P556.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Admiral Clarey Bridge</span> Bridge connecting Ford Island to Oʻahu within Pearl Harbor

Admiral Clarey Bridge, also known as the Ford Island Bridge, is a 4,672 ft (1,424 m) road bridge that connects Ford Island in Pearl Harbor to the mainland of Oahu, the third-largest island of Hawaii. A 930 ft (280 m) section of it is supported by pontoons, and can be moved to allow vessels to pass through. This floating moveable span is the largest in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy diver (United States Navy)</span> US Navy personnel qualified in underwater diving and salvage

A United States Navy diver refers to a service personnel that may be a restricted fleet line officer, civil engineer corps (CEC) officer, Medical Corps officer, an Unrestricted Line Officer who is qualified in Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Warfare (1140) or an enlisted who is qualified in underwater diving and salvage. Navy divers serve with fleet diving detachments and in research and development. Some of the mission areas of the Navy diver include: marine salvage, harbor clearance, underwater ship husbandry and repair, submarine rescue, saturation diving, experimental diving, underwater construction and welding, as well as serving as technical experts to the Navy SEALs, Marine Corps, and Navy EOD diving commands.

USNS <i>Salvor</i> Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship

USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52) is a Safeguard-class rescue and salvage ship, the second United States Navy ship of that name.

USS <i>Ortolan</i> (AM-45) Minesweeper of the United States Navy

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.

The G-class submarines were a class of four United States Navy submarines. While the four G boats were nominally all of a class, they differed enough in significant details that they are sometimes considered to be four unique boats, each in a class by herself. They were the result of agitation for competition in submarine design; all previous US submarines were designed by Electric Boat. G-1, G-2, and G-3 were designed by Simon Lake of the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, while G-4 was designed by American Laurenti. G-1 and G-2 were built by Newport News, G-3 by Lake, and G-4 by Cramp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank William Crilley</span> United States Navy Medal of Honor recipient

Frank William Crilley was a United States Navy diver and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Loch disaster</span> US maritime disaster at the Pearl Harbor U.S. Naval Base in Hawaii in 1944

The West Loch Disaster was a maritime accident during World War II at Pearl Harbor U.S. Naval Base in Hawaii. The incident, which occurred just after 3 p.m. on Sunday, 21 May 1944, began following an explosion in a staging area for Landing Ships, Tank (LSTs) and other amphibious assault ships in West Loch. A fire quickly spread among the ships being prepared for Operation Forager, the invasion of the Japanese-held Mariana Islands. Over the next 24 hours, six LSTs sank, 163 naval personnel died, and 396 were injured.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julius A. Furer</span> United States Navy admiral (1880–1963)

Julius Augustus Furer was a highly decorated naval architect and an engineer in the United States Navy with the rank of rear admiral. During World War II, Furer served as coordinator of research and development and the senior member of the National Research and Development Board.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Station Pearl Harbor</span> United States naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii

Naval Station Pearl Harbor is a United States naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In 2010, as part of the recommendations of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission, the naval station was consolidated with the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base to form Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. Since 1940, Pearl Harbor has been the headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Navy submarine bases</span> United States Navy submarine military bases

The United States Navy built permanent and temporary submarine bases around the world to maintain its fleet of submarines and serve the needs of the crews. Submarine bases are military bases that offer good fleet anchorage and are designed to refuel and resupply submarines. The peak number of US submarine bases was during World War II, as the submarine was well suited for fighting in the vast Pacific War, often in enemy waters. Many of the United States submarine bases were closed after the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Base Hawaii</span> World War II Bases in Territory of Hawaii

Naval Base Hawaii was a number of United States Navy bases in the Territory of Hawaii during World War II. At the start of the war, much of the Hawaiian Islands was converted from tourism to a United States Armed Forces base. With the loss of US Naval Base Philippines in Philippines campaign of 1941 and 1942, Hawaii became the US Navy's main base for the early part of the island-hopping Pacific War against Empire of Japan. Naval Station Pearl Harbor was founded in 1899 with the annexation of Hawaii.

References

  1. ↑ "USS F-4 (SS-23)". Naval History and Heritage Command. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  2. ↑ "Washington Mutual Congratulated on 44th Anniversary". The Catholic Northwest Progress. 29 September 1933. At page 3, column 5. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  3. ↑ "F-4 salvage". pigboats.com. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-17.
  4. ↑ staff (16 April 1915). "Water in Hull of F-4.; Diver Also Reports That Superstructure of Submarine Has Caved In" (PDF). NY Times . Retrieved 2011-08-24.
  5. ↑ Honolulu Star-Bulletin (2000). "The United States Submarine F-4 March 25, 1915". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  6. 1 2 Searle Jr, Willard F; Curtis Jr, Thomas G (2006). "The loss and salvage of F-4, a historic milestone". Undersea Warfare. 7 (6). Navy. Archived from the original on 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2016-04-07.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

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

21°21′29″N157°56′30″W / 21.3581°N 157.9418°W / 21.3581; -157.9418

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.