R-1
Country | United States |
Ship Class | R-class Submarine |
Hull Number | SS-78 |
Builder | Bethlehem Fore River Shipyard |
Laid Down | 16 Oct 1917 |
Launched | 24 Aug 1918 |
Commissioned | 16 Dec 1918 |
Decommissioned | 20 Sep 1945 |
Displacement | 569 tons standard; 680 tons submerged |
Length | 186 feet |
Beam | 18 feet |
Draft | 14 feet |
Machinery | Diesel-electric |
Speed | 13 knots |
Crew | 30 |
Armament | 4x533mm torpedo tubes, 1x3in deck gun |
First Decommission | 1 May 1931 |
Recommission | 23 Sep 1940 |
Submerged Speed | 10.5 knots |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseUSS R-1 was the lead ship in her class of submarines. Upon commissioning in Dec 1918, she held her shakedown cruise off the New England region of northeastern United States before joining Submarine Division 9 of the US Navy Atlantic Fleet. In 1920, she performed exercises with the division in the Gulf of Mexico. In Jul 1920, she was given the hull classification symbol SS-78. In 1921, she was assigned to the Pacific Fleet, with her new base being San Pedro, California, United States, arriving on 30 Jun. In early 1923, she participated in fleet exercises off Central America. On 16 Jul 1923, she, along with the remainder of Submarine Division 9, was ordered to transfer to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, United States, where she would play a part in the development of US Navy submarine tactics in the 1920s. On 1 May 1931, she was decommissioned at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
ww2dbaseAs tension grew with the start of the European War, USS R-1 was recommissioned on 23 Sep 1940 at Groton, Connecticut, United States. She was assigned to Submarine Squadron 3 of Submarine Division 42. She was stationed at Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone for the following year. In Jun 1941, she was assigned to Submarine Division 31. She received refit at New London, Connecticut in Oct 1940, where she was also ordered to be transferred to Submarine Squadron 7.
ww2dbaseWhen the Pacific War began on 7 Dec 1941, USS R-1 was in New England. On 9 and 10 Dec, she patrolled the New England coast, and on 11 Dec she arrived at Bermuda, where she would join with Submarine Squadron 7 vessels on anti-submarine patrols. She operated out of Ordnance Island, Bermuda until Jul, when she returned to New London to resume patrolling the New England coast. In late Sep 1942, she returned to Bermuda again to perform anti-submarine patrols. She would shift between these two locations until Nov 1944. In Dec 1944, she underwent extensive modernization, emerging on 26 Feb 1945. Although the modernization gave her updated machinery, she was of an older design, thus she was not to be sent to the Pacific Ocean where more modern submarines were by then effectively blockading the Japanese home islands. Instead, she helped to develop anti-submarine warfare tactics off the coast of New England, then, in Jul 1945, she joined the Fleet Sonar School at Key West, Florida, where she would serve for the remainder of her career. She was decommissioned from service at key West weeks after the Japanese surrender and was sold for scrap in 1946.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Jan 2011
Submarine R-1 (SS-78) Interactive Map
Photographs
R-1 Operational Timeline
29 Aug 1916 | The US Navy ordered the construction of what was to be submarine R-1. |
16 Oct 1917 | The keel of submarine R-1 was laid down by Fore River Shipbuilding, Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. |
24 Aug 1918 | Submarine R-1 was launched, sponsored by Mrs. George W. Dashiell. |
16 Dec 1918 | USS R-1 was commissioned into service, Commander Conant Taylor in command. |
4 Dec 1919 | USS R-1 departed New London, Connecticut, United States for Norfolk, Virginia, United States. |
18 May 1920 | USS R-1 arrived at New London, Connecticut, United States. |
13 Sep 1920 | USS R-1 departed New London, Connecticut, United States for overhaul at Norfolk, Virginia, United States. |
11 Apr 1921 | USS R-1 was ordered to join the Pacific Fleet. |
30 Jun 1921 | USS R-1 arrived at San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, United States. |
5 Feb 1923 | USS R-1 began to participate in fleet exercises off Central America. |
6 Apr 1923 | USS R-1 completed its participation in fleet exercises off Central America. |
10 Apr 1923 | USS R-1 arrived at San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, United States. |
16 Jul 1923 | USS R-1, along with the rest of the Submarine Division 9, was transferred to Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii. |
5 Jan 1931 | USS R-1 departed San Diego, California, United States. |
9 Feb 1931 | USS R-1 arrived at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. |
1 May 1931 | USS R-1 was decommissioned from service. |
23 Sep 1940 | USS R-1 was recommissioned into service. |
10 Dec 1940 | USS R-1 departed Groton, Connecticut, United States with Submarine Squadron 3 of Submarine Division 42. |
9 Dec 1941 | USS R-1 patrolled the New England coast of northeastern United States. |
10 Dec 1941 | USS R-1 patrolled the New England coast of northeastern United States. |
11 Dec 1941 | USS R-1 arrived at Bermuda. |
16 Apr 1942 | USS R-1 detected German submarine U-582 on the surface and fired three torpedoes; her commanding officer claimed one of them hit, damaging the target. |
20 Jul 1942 | USS R-1 arrived at New London, Connecticut, United States. |
26 Feb 1945 | USS R-1 completed an extensive modernization. |
28 Feb 1945 | USS R-1 departed for New York City, New York, United States. |
29 Jun 1945 | USS R-1 arrived at Groton, Connecticut, United States. |
7 Jul 1945 | USS R-1 departed Groton, Connecticut, United States for the Fleet Sonar School at Key West, Florida, United States. |
20 Sep 1945 | USS R-1 was decommissioned from service at Key West, Florida, United States. |
10 Nov 1945 | Submarine R-1 was struck from the US Naval Register. |
21 Feb 1946 | Submarine R-1 sank in 6.4 meters of water at Key West, Florida, United States. |
24 Feb 1946 | Submarine R-1 was raised from her sunken state. |
13 Mar 1946 | Submarine R-1 was sold to Macey O. Smith of Miami, Florida, United States for scrap. |
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Joachim von Ribbentrop, German Foreign Minister, Aug 1939