U.S.S. Seal (1911)
| U.S.S. Seal (1911) | |
|---|---|
| Hull Number: | SS-19½ |
| Builder: | Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company[1] |
| Ordered: | Act of March, 1907[2] |
| Laid down: | 2 Feb, 1909 |
| Launched: | 8 Feb, 1911[3] |
| Commissioned: | 28 Oct, 1912 |
| Decommissioned: | 6 Mar, 1920 |
| Stricken: | 29 Aug, 1921 |
| Expended: | 21 Jul, 1921 |
| Fate: | as target |
She commissioned in the New York Navy Yard on 28 October, 1912 under the command of Lieutenant Kenneth Whiting.
Construction and Trials
G-1 was hauled out of the water from 27 June to 29 July, 1912 and scraped, brushed, given new zincs and painted in red lead, then a coat of Holzapfel's anti-corrosive paint and two of Holzapfel's anti-fouling paint. Her trim and ballast tanks were found to be in good condition.[4]
On 4 September, the board ran the submarine on the surface and obtained revolution/speed curves. Both engines at 343 rpm produced 14 knots. In the afternoon, three hours work sufficed to compute submerged data where 271.2 rpm from both engines gave 9.5 knots submerged, with 110.9 kilowatts producing 8 knots.[5]
During a one hour submerged full-speed test on the 6th, submerged torpedo firing tests saw the starboard torpedo stick in the tube while the port ran well. Upon surfacing, tactical diameters were tested in light (final diameter within the 8 lengths required), awash (final diameter 2075 feet) and submerged conditions (1310 feet). Then she dived and demonstrated commendable depth keeping when stopped. Finally, and "automatic blow" feature was tested. When set at 50 feet, it actuated at 53 feet and stopped the sinking sub at a maximum of 60 feet.[6]
On the 7th, she underwent her four-hour full-speed surface run. Overheating bearings from an earlier, aborted test did not recur. Reversing the screws was tested right after. Starting at 14 knots at 340 rpm, the oil engines were stopped and the electrics put into reverse (6.6 seconds starboard, 7 seconds port). The boat came to a stop in 35 seconds.[7]
On 8 September, a diving hatch was tested, and a Mr. Danenhower swam out from the watertight hatch on the underside. Then the sub was trimmed down to 22 feet and demonstrated the Lake design's unique ability to haul itself down by its anchors. Coming to 38 feet, the boat was steady while firing two torpedoes from the aft superstructure. The telephonic buoy was then tested, successfully. Running at full speed on the surface, two torpedoes were fired from the forward superstructure. A "quick dive" was then made. Running at 14.1 knots on 345 rpm, the submarine transitioned to 8.91 knots at 253 rpm on 1200 amperes and 203 volts in five minutes, 25 seconds.[8]
G-1 was equipped with hand pumps and with wheels on her bottom, on which she could roll on a suitable seabed. These were tested in standardization trials, but the hand pumps proved unable to raise the submarine from 48 feet, even when her buoyancy was adjusted to just 150 pounds negative. A 24 hour endurance trial was aborted due to overheating brasses and gasoline fumes causing four of the crew to collapse.[9]
A number of changes were recommended.[10] The contractor would have to improve the plumbing from the gas tanks and to add a means of telling how much gasoline was remaining in the superstructure's tanks. Additionally, only two of the internal tanks had gauges and this needed to become general. The aft periscope had required the operator to support it when in use, and this was to be remedied. The torpedo tube doors were of a poor design that could jeopardize the boat should their lug break – they were to be altered to use an interrupting screw design. The forward periscope was too short and was underwater when submerged, requiring it to be raised to one foot below the after one. A submarine signalling device was to be added.
G-1 fared much better in the trials than did her sister, G-2, though she still fell short in one measure, apart from the recommended changes listed above: her endurance was 66.73 hours at full speed rather than the 70 hours specified by agreement.[11]
Service
Captains
- Lieutenant Kenneth Whiting, 28 October, 1912[12] – after 1 January, 1913[13]
- Lieutenant Harold M. Bemis, 8 July, 1915[14]
- Lieutenant Commander Charles A. Lockwood, Jr., before 1 January, 1919[15]
See Also
Footnotes
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 128.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 128.
- ↑ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 128.
- ↑ Estimates Submitted to the Secretary of the Navy, Volume II, 1916. p. 1500.
- ↑ Estimates Submitted to the Secretary of the Navy, Volume II, 1916. pp. 1504-5.
- ↑ Estimates Submitted to the Secretary of the Navy, Volume II, 1916. pp. 1505-6, 1514.
- ↑ Estimates Submitted to the Secretary of the Navy, Volume II, 1916. pp. 1506-7.
- ↑ Estimates Submitted to the Secretary of the Navy, Volume II, 1916. pp. 1507-8.
- ↑ Estimates Submitted to the Secretary of the Navy, Volume II, 1916. p. 1508.
- ↑ Estimates Submitted to the Secretary of the Navy, Volume II, 1916. pp. 1509-13.
- ↑ Estimates Submitted to the Secretary of the Navy, Volume II, 1916. pp. 1514-15.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1913. p. 34.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1913. p. 34.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1917. p. 34.
- ↑ Register of Officers, 1919. pp. 56-57.
Bibliography
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