United States R-class submarine

For other ship classes of the same name, see British R-class submarine and Italian R-class submarine.

Class overview
Tied up along the dock from right to left: R-12 (SS-89), R-15 (SS-92), R-13 (SS-90) with R-9 (SS-86) and an unidentified R-boat probably in Pearl Harbor, c. mid 1920s.
Name:	R class
Builders:	Fore River Shipyard (R-1 to R-14) Union Iron Works (R-15 to R-20) Lake Torpedo Boat (R-21 to R-27) Electric Boat (4 boats for Peru)
Operators:	United States Navy Peruvian Navy Royal Navy
Preceded by:	O class
Succeeded by:	S class
Built:	1917-1919
In commission:	1918-1931, 1940-1945
Completed:	27
Lost:	2
Retired:	25
General characteristics
Type:	Submarine
Displacement:	Group 1: 569 long tons (578 t) surfaced 680 long tons (691 t) submerged Group 2: 510 long tons (518 t) surfaced 583 long tons (592 t) submerged
Length:	Group 1: 186 ft 2 in (56.74 m) Group 2: 175 ft (53 m)
Beam:	Group 1: 18 ft 1 in (5.51 m) Group 2: 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m)
Draft:	Group 1: 14 ft 5 in (4.39 m) Group 2: 13 ft 11 in (4.24 m)
Propulsion:	Group 1: 2 × 600 hp (447 kW) NELSECO diesel engines 2 × 467 hp (348 kW) Electro Dynamic Co. electric motors 2 × 60-cell batteries 2 × shafts Group 2: 2 × 500 hp (373 kW) Busch-Sulzer diesel engines 2 × 400 hp (298 kW) Diehl electric motors 2 × 60-cell batteries 2 × shafts
Speed:	Group 1: 13.5 knots (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph) surfaced 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged Group 2: 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) surfaced 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) submerged
Test depth:	200 ft (61 m)
Complement:	30 officers and men
Armament:	Group 1: 4 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 8 torpedoes 1 × 3 inch (76 mm)/50 caliber deck gun Group 2: 4 × 18 inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes, 8 torpedoes 1 × 3 inch (76 mm)/50 caliber deck gun

The R-class submarines were a class of United States Navy submarines active from 1918 until 1945. With the first of the class laid down following the American entry into World War I, they were built rapidly. Although R-15 through R-20 were completed July–October 1918, they did not serve overseas, and the bulk of the class were not completed until after the Armistice.

Design

Group 1: The R-1 thru R-20 boats, designed by Electric Boat and built by Fore River Shipyard and Union Iron Works, were known as the R-1-class submarines . These single-hull boats were structurally very similar to the preceding O class, but larger and therefore with more powerful machinery to maintain the required speed. For the first time in a US submarine class, 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes were fitted, a tube diameter that is still standard worldwide. A more powerful fixed 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber deck gun replaced the retractable 3-inch/23 caliber gun found on previous classes.^[1]

Group 2: R-21 to R-27, which were slightly smaller and faster than the R-1s, were designed and built by Lake Torpedo Boat Co. and are sometimes regarded as a separate class, the R-21 class. Compared with the Lake-designed O-class group, these featured a double hull and had their diving planes more conventionally positioned fore and aft, but retained the Lake O-class' characteristic wide stern and 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes. They were equipped with the same 3-inch/50 deck gun as the Group 1 boats. Their smaller size compared with Group 1 allowed Lake to repeat the machinery of their O-class boats, which probably resulted in cost savings. Some Group 2 boats were fitted with a bow fairing to improve reserve buoyancy. This probably housed expanded ballast tanks. Unlike the Group 1 boats, most of which survived to serve in World War II, the Group 2 boats were scrapped in 1930 as part of the Navy's compliance with the London Naval Treaty. The Lake company's demise in 1924 and the obsolescent 18-inch torpedo armament probably also contributed to this.^[2]^[3]

Service

The Group 1 boats were decommissioned in 1931, but were recommissioned in 1940 to serve as training boats at Submarine Base New London, Connecticut. Three (R-3, R-17, and R-19) were transferred to the United Kingdom's Royal Navy as HMS P.511, HMS P.512, and HMS P.514 in 1941-1942. P.514 was lost on 21 June 1942 in a collision with the Canadian minesweeper HMCS Georgian due to being mistaken for a U-boat. R-12 was lost on 12 June 1943 in an accident off Key West, Florida.

At some point between the wars the US R class were modified for improved rescue ability in the event of sinking. A motor room hatch was added, the motor room being the aftermost compartment. The tapered after casing became a step as a result of this modification.^[4]

At least one R-class submarine can be seen briefly in the 1943 movie Crash Dive, filmed at the New London submarine base.

Electric Boat built four R-class boats for the Peruvian Navy (R-1 to R-4). Built after World War I using materials assembled from cancelled S-class submarines, they were refitted in 1935–36 and 1955–56, and renamed Islay, Casma, Pacocha, and Arica in 1957. They were discarded in 1960.

Ships in class

The 27 submarines of the R class were:

Group 1 (Electric Boat design)

Ship name and Hull no.	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate
USS R-1 (SS-78)	Fore River Shipbuilding	16 October 1917	24 August 1918	16 December 1918	20 September 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-2 (SS-79)	Fore River Shipbuilding	16 October 1917	23 September 1918	24 January 1919	10 May 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-3 (SS-80)	Fore River Shipbuilding	11 December 1917	18 January 1919	17 April 1919	transferred to United Kingdom 4 November 1941	Scrapped 1948
USS R-4 (SS-81)	Fore River Shipbuilding	16 October 1917	26 October 1918	28 March 1919	18 June 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-5 (SS-82)	Fore River Shipbuilding	16 October 1917	24 November 1918	15 April 1919	14 September 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-6 (SS-83)	Fore River Shipbuilding	17 December 1917	1 March 1919	1 May 1919	27 September 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-7 (SS-84)	Fore River Shipbuilding	6 December 1917	5 April 1919	1 May 1919	14 September 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-8 (SS-85)	Fore River Shipbuilding	4 March 1918	17 April 1919	21 July 1919	2 May 1931, sank at moorings 1936	Raised and expended as target 1936
USS R-9 (SS-86)	Fore River Shipbuilding	6 March 1918	24 May 1919	30 July 1919	25 September 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-10 (SS-87)	Fore River Shipbuilding	21 March 1918	28 June 1919	20 August 1919	18 June 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-11 (SS-88)	Fore River Shipbuilding	18 March 1918	21 July 1919	5 September 1919	5 September 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-12 (SS-89)	Fore River Shipbuilding	28 March 1918	15 August 1919	23 September 1919		Lost 12 June 1943, cause unknown
USS R-13 (SS-90)	Fore River Shipbuilding	27 March 1918	27 August 1919	17 October 1919	14 September 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-14 (SS-91)	Fore River Shipbuilding	6 November 1918	10 October 1919	24 December 1919	7 May 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-15 (SS-92)	Union Iron Works	30 April 1917	10 December 1917	27 July 1918	17 September 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-16 (SS-93)	Union Iron Works	26 April 1917	15 December 1917	5 August 1918	16 July 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-17 (SS-94)	Union Iron Works	5 May 1917	24 December 1917	18 August 1918	transferred to United Kingdom 9 March 1942	Scrapped 1945
USS R-18 (SS-95)	Union Iron Works	16 June 1917	8 January 1918	11 September 1918	19 September 1945	Scrapped 1946
USS R-19 (SS-96)	Union Iron Works	23 June 1917	28 January 1918	7 October 1918	transferred to United Kingdom 9 March 1942	Lost in a collision 21 June 1942
USS R-20 (SS-97)	Union Iron Works	4 June 1917	21 January 1918	26 October 1918	27 September 1945	Scrapped 1946

Group 2 (Lake Torpedo Boat Company design)

Ship name and Hull no.	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate
USS R-21 (SS-98)	Lake Torpedo Boat Co.	19 April 1917	10 July 1918	17 June 1919	21 June 1924	Scrapped 1930
USS R-22 (SS-99)	Lake Torpedo Boat Co.	19 April 1917	23 September 1918	1 August 1919	29 April 1925	Scrapped 1930
USS R-23 (SS-100)	Lake Torpedo Boat Co.	25 April 1917	5 November 1918	23 October 1919	25 April 1925	Scrapped 1930
USS R-24 (SS-101)	Lake Torpedo Boat Co.	9 May 1917	21 August 1918	27 June 1919	11 June 1925	Scrapped 1930
USS R-25 (SS-102)	Lake Torpedo Boat Co.	26 April 1917	15 May 1919	23 October 1919	21 June 1924	Scrapped 1930
USS R-26 (SS-103)	Lake Torpedo Boat Co.	26 April 1917	18 June 1919	23 October 1919	12 June 1925	Scrapped 1930
USS R-27 (SS-104)	Lake Torpedo Boat Co.	16 May 1917	23 September 1918	3 September 1919	24 April 1925	Scrapped 1930

References

Notes

Sources

http://www.fleetsubmarine.com/sublist.html
Gardiner, Robert, Conway's all the world's fighting ships 1906-1921 Conway Maritime Press, 1985. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
Friedman, Norman "US Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis:1995, ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
Navsource.org early diesel submarines page
Pigboats.com R-boats page
DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com early 3"/50 caliber guns
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

External links

Media related to R class submarines of the United States at Wikimedia Commons

R-class submarine

United States Navy

Built by Fore River Shipbuilding	R-1 R-2 R-3 R-4 R-5 R-6 R-7 R-8 R-9 R-10 R-11 R-12 R-13 R-14

Built by Union Iron Works	R-15 R-16 R-17 R-18 R-19 R-20

Built by Lake Torpedo Boat Company	R-21 R-22 R-23 R-24 R-25 R-26 R-27

Other operators

Royal Navy	P.511 (ex-R-3) P512 (ex-R-17) P514 (ex-R-19)

Preceded by: O class
Followed by: S class

United States naval ship classes of World War I

Dreadnought battleships	South Carolina Delaware Florida Wyoming New York Nevada Pennsylvania New Mexico Tennessee^C Colorado^C South Dakota^X

Pre-dreadnought battleships	Indiana Iowa^S Kearsarge Illinois Maine Virginia Connecticut

Battlecruisers	Lexington^X

Armored cruisers	New York^S Brooklyn^S Pennsylvania Tennessee

Protected cruisers	Chicago^S Baltimore^S San Francisco^S Olympia^S Cincinnati Columbia New Orleans Denver St. Louis

Scout cruisers	Chester

Unprotected cruisers	Montgomery

Destroyers	Bainbridge Truxtun Smith Paulding Cassin Aylwin O'Brien Tucker Sampson Caldwell Wickes Clemson^C

Submarines	Plunger B C D E F G H K L M-1^S AA-1 N O R

Auxiliaries	Boston^S Recruit^S

S Single ship of class C Completed after the war X Cancelled

United States naval ship classes of World War II

Aircraft carriers	Lexington Ranger^S Yorktown Wasp^S Essex Midway^C

Light aircraft carriers	Independence Saipan^C

Escort carriers	Long Island Charger Bogue Sangamon Casablanca Commencement Bay

Battleships	Wyoming New York Nevada Pennsylvania New Mexico Tennessee Colorado North Carolina South Dakota Iowa Montana^X

Large cruisers	Alaska

Heavy cruisers	Pensacola Northampton Portland New Orleans Wichita^S Baltimore Oregon City^C Des Moines^C

Light cruisers	Omaha Brooklyn St. Louis Atlanta Cleveland Fargo^C Juneau^C Worcester^C

Gunboats	Asheville Tulsa Dubuque Plymouth^S Williamsburg^S St. Augustine^S Vixen^S Erie

Destroyers	Sampson Caldwell Wickes Clemson Farragut Porter Mahan Gridley Bagley Somers Benham Sims Benson Gleaves Fletcher Allen M. Sumner Robert H. Smith Gearing

Destroyer escorts	Evarts Buckley Cannon Edsall Rudderow John C. Butler

Patrol frigates	Asheville Tacoma

Patrol boats	Action PT boat

Minesweepers	Lapwing Raven Auk Eagle^S Hawk Admirable

Submarines	O R S Barracuda Argonaut^S Narwhal Dolphin^S Cachalot Porpoise Salmon Sargo Tambor Mackerel Gato Balao Tench

S Single ship of class C Completed after the war X Cancelled

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