View source for United States R-class submarine

{{Short description|United States Navy submarine class}}
{{for|other ship classes of the same name|British R-class submarine|Italian R-class submarine}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin|sclass=2}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= [[File:RClass.jpg|300px|''R''-class submarines]]
|Ship caption= 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.
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=R class
|Builders=*[[Fore River Shipyard|Bethlehem Quincy]] (''R-1'' to ''R-14'')<ref>[http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/bethquincy.htm Shipbuildinghistory.com Bethlehem Quincy page]</ref>
*[[Union Iron Works|Bethlehem San Francisco]] (''R-15'' to ''R-20'')<ref>[http://shipbuildinghistory.com/shipyards/large/bethsanfrancisco.htm Shipbuildinghistory.com Bethlehem San Francisco page]</ref>
*[[Lake Torpedo Boat]] Co. (''R-21'' to ''R-27'')
*[[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat Co.]] (Four boats for [[Peru]])
|Operators=*{{naval|United States|1912}}
*{{naval|Peru}}
*{{naval|United Kingdom}}
|Class before= [[United States O-class submarine|O class]]
|Class after= [[United States S-class submarine|S class]] 
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=1917–1919
|In service range=
|In commission range=1918–1931, 1940–1945
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=27
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=2
|Total ships retired=25
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*''Electric Boat design'':
*{{convert|574|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|685|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} submerged
*''Lake Torpedo Boat Co. design'':
*{{convert|497|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|652|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length=*''Electric Boat design'': {{convert|186|ft|3|in|m|abbr=on}}
*''Lake Torpedo Boat Co. design'': {{convert|175|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam=*''Electric Boat design'': {{convert|18|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}}
*''Lake Torpedo Boat Co. design'': {{convert|16|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft=*''Electric Boat design'': {{convert|14|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on}}
*''Lake Torpedo Boat Co. design'': {{convert|13|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship propulsion=*''Electric Boat design'':
*2 × {{convert|600|hp|0|abbr=on}} [[New London Ship and Engine Company|NELSECO]] 6-EB-14 [[diesel engine]]s
*2 × {{convert|467|hp|0|abbr=on}} [[Electro Dynamic]] Co. [[electric motor]]s
*2 × 60-[[electrochemical cell|cell]] [[battery (electrical)|batteries]]
*2 × shafts
*''Lake Torpedo Boat Co. design'':
*2 × {{convert|500|hp|0|abbr=on}} [[Busch-Sulzer]] diesel engines
*2 × {{convert|400|hp|0|abbr=on}} [[Philip Diehl (inventor)|Diehl]] electric motors
*1 × 120-[[electrochemical cell|cell]] [[battery (electrical)|batteries]]
*2 × shafts
|Ship speed=*''Electric Boat design'':
*{{convert|12.5|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|9.3|kn}} submerged
*''Lake Torpedo Boat Co. design'':
*{{convert|14|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|11.4|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=
|Ship test depth={{convert|200|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=30 officers and men
|Ship armament=*''Both designs'':
*4 × [[American 21-inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s, 8 [[torpedo]]es
*1 × [[3"/50 caliber gun|3 inch (76 mm)/50 caliber]] [[deck gun]]<ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=Submarine_Specifications PigBoats.COM Submarine Specifications page]</ref>
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''R-class submarines''' were a class of [[United States Navy]] coastal-defense [[submarine]]s 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 with Germany|Armistice]]. As had been the usual practice in several of the preceding classes, design and construction of the 27 boats of this class was split between the [[Electric Boat]] Company and the [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] Company. Both designs were built to the same military operational specifications, but differed considerably in design and detail specifics.<ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=R-class PigBoats.COM R-class page]</ref>

==Design==
===Electric Boat=== 
The ''R-1'' through ''R-20'' boats were designed by [[Electric Boat]] and built by the company's subcontractor yards [[Fore River Shipyard|Bethlehem Quincy]] and [[Union Iron Works|Bethlehem San Francisco]]. These single-hull boats were structurally  similar to the preceding [[United States O-class submarine|O class]], but larger and therefore with more powerful machinery to maintain the required speed. Electric Boat departed from their traditional rotating bow cap that acted as the muzzle doors for the [[torpedo tube]]s. All submarines from the R-class forward built by this company would have individual muzzle doors.<ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=O-class PigBoats.COM O-class page]</ref> For the first time in a U.S. submarine class, [[American 21-inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s were fitted, a tube diameter that is still standard worldwide. A more powerful non-retractable [[3-inch/50-caliber gun|3-inch (76 mm)/50-caliber]] [[deck gun]] replaced the retractable [[3-inch/23-caliber gun|3-inch/23-caliber gun]] found on previous classes.<ref>Gardiner, p. 130</ref>

==={{anchor|United States R-21-class submarine}} Lake===
''R-21'' to ''R-27'', which were slightly smaller and faster than the Electric Boat design, were designed and built by [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] Co. [[Simon Lake]] finally gave up on his patented zero-angle (aka "even-keel") diving method with midships-mounted [[diving plane]]s, and adopted the Electric Boat style angled diving method using bow and stern mounted diving planes. The Lake-style flat shovel stern with ventrally mounted rudder, diving planes, and propellers were retained for this class.<ref>PigBoats.COM R-class page</ref> There is conflicting information as to what size torpedo tubes were mounted in the Lake boats, with authoritative references by Gardiner and Friedman<ref>Friedman, p. 308</ref> disagreeing as to whether they were equipped with [[American 18-inch torpedo|18-inch (450 mm)]] torpedo tubes or the 21-inch tubes of the Electric Boat design. They were equipped with the same 3-inch/50-caliber deck gun as the Electric Boat design. At least one boat, ''R-22'',<ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=R-22 R-22 (SS-99]</ref> was fitted with an expanded [[Ballast tank|bow buoyancy tank]] that gave it a humped appearance. This was done to improve surface sea keeping. Unlike the Electric Boat design groups, most of which survived to serve in [[World War II]], the Lake 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 poorly regarded design features also contributed to this.<ref>Gardiner, p. 130</ref><ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=R-class PigBoats.COM R-boats page]</ref>

==Service==
Most of the Electric Boat design group spent the 1920s in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], operating out of [[San Diego]] and [[Hawaii]].<ref>DANFS R-class pages</ref> In 1921 one member of this group, the ''R-14'',<ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=R-14 R-14 (SS-91)]</ref> was stranded at sea in the Pacific off Hawaii when it ran out of fuel during a [[search and rescue]] operation. The boat rigged makeshift sails and sailed {{convert|140|nmi}} to [[Hilo, Hawaii]].<ref>Johnston & Hedman, pp. 47–69</ref> The Hawaii-based boats returned to the mainland on 18 January 1931 and were decommissioned to reserve status at the [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard|Philadelphia Navy Yard]] in 1931. As the war emergency in Europe became more urgent most of the boats were recommissioned in 1940, conducting patrols in the Caribbean or being used as sonar targets at [[Key West]], [[Florida]]. They also patrolled between [[Submarine Base New London]], [[Connecticut]] and [[Bermuda]]. At least two R-boats unsuccessfully fired torpedoes at German U-boats on the Bermuda patrols. 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]]. {{USS|R-12||2}} was lost on 12 June 1943 while underway off Key West. While the cause of her loss has never been definitively determined, when her wreck was found by the in 2010 by the [[Lost 52 Project]] it was suspected that the old boat suffered from a hull failure in the forward battery compartment.<ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=R-12 PigBoats.COM R-12 page]</ref>  

In the aftermath of the {{USS|S-4||2}} disaster in 1927, all of the EB design boats were modified for greater safety. A motor room escape hatch was added, the motor room being the after most compartment. The tapered after casing became a step as a result of this modification. The boats also received salvage air connections and mating surfaces around topside hatches to allow the [[McCann Rescue Chamber]] to rescue trapped crewmen.<ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=R-class PigBoats.COM R-boats page]</ref>

[[Electric Boat]] built four variants of the R class 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 1935–1936 and 1955–1956, and renamed ''Islay'', ''Casma'', ''Pacocha'', and ''Arica'' in 1957. These were the first submarines built directly by Electric Boat at their newly established shipyard along the [[Thames River (Connecticut)|Thames River]] in Connecticut.<ref>Rodengen, P. 81</ref> They were discarded in 1960.

In December 2020, the remains of {{USS|R-8|SS-85|2}} were discovered off the coast of [[Ocean City, Maryland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/eastern-shore/bs-md-american-submarine-recovered-ocean-city-20201210-w4gj5lg2kjhhbd5ydqamluvawi-story.html|website=Baltimore Sun|title=American submarine discovered off Ocean City coast
|date=10 December 2020|access-date=12 December 2020}}</ref>  The vessel sank there in 1936, after being used for target practice by bomber aircraft.

{{clear}}

==Boats in class==
The 27 submarines of the R class were:

{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data for the [[Electric Boat]] design
|-
! scope="col" | Ship name and {{abbr|hull no.|hull number}}
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Commissioned
! scope="col" | Decommissioned
! scope="col" | Fate
|- 
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-1}} (SS-78)
| rowspan=14 | [[Fore River Shipbuilding|Bethlehem Quincy]]
| 16 October 1917
| 24 August 1918
| 16 December 1918
| 20 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|- 
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-2}} (SS-79)
| 16 October 1917
| 23 September 1918
| 24 January 1919
| 10 May 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-3}} (SS-80)
| 11 December 1917
| 18 January 1919
| 17 April 1919
| transferred to [[United Kingdom]] 4 November 1941
| Scrapped 1948
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-4}} (SS-81)
| 16 October 1917
| 26 October 1918
| 28 March 1919
| 18 June 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-5}} (SS-82)
| 16 October 1917
| 24 November 1918
| 15 April 1919
| 14 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-6}} (SS-83)
| 17 December 1917
| 1 March 1919
| 1 May 1919
| 27 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-7}} (SS-84)
| 6 December 1917
| 5 April 1919
| 1 May 1919
| 14 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-8}} (SS-85)
| 4 March 1918
| 17 April 1919
| 21 July 1919
| 2 May 1931, sank at moorings 1936
| Raised and expended as target 1936; remains discovered 2020
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-9}} (SS-86)
| 6 March 1918
| 24 May 1919
| 30 July 1919
| 25 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-10}} (SS-87)
| 21 March 1918
| 28 June 1919
| 20 August 1919
| 18 June 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-11}} (SS-88)
| 18 March 1918
| 21 July 1919
| 5 September 1919
| 5 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-12}} (SS-89)
| 28 March 1918
| 15 August 1919
| 23 September 1919
| N/A
| Sank during training exercise 12 June 1943; wreck found 2011
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-13}} (SS-90)
| 27 March 1918
| 27 August 1919
| 17 October 1919
| 14 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-14}} (SS-91)
| 6 November 1918
| 10 October 1919
| 24 December 1919
| 7 May 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-15}} (SS-92)
| rowspan=6 | [[Union Iron Works|Bethlehem San Francisco]]
| 30 April 1917
| 10 December 1917
| 27 July 1918
| 17 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-16}} (SS-93)
| 26 April 1917
| 15 December 1917
| 5 August 1918
| 16 July 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-17}} (SS-94)
| 5 May 1917
| 24 December 1917
| 18 August 1918
| transferred to [[United Kingdom]] 9 March 1942
| Scrapped 1945
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-18|}} (SS-95)
| 16 June 1917
| 8 January 1918
| 11 September 1918
| 19 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-19}} (SS-96)
| 23 June 1917
| 28 January 1918
| 7 October 1918
| transferred to [[United Kingdom]] 9 March 1942
| Rammed and sunk by HMCS Georgian 21 June 1942
|-
! scope="row" style="white-space: nowrap;" | {{USS|R-20}} (SS-97)
| 4 June 1917
| 21 January 1918
| 26 October 1918
| 27 September 1945
| Scrapped 1946
|}

{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Construction data for the [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] Company design
|-
! scope="col" | Ship name and {{abbr|hull no.|hull number}}
! scope="col" | Builder
! scope="col" | Laid down
! scope="col" | Launched
! scope="col" | Commissioned
! scope="col" | Decommissioned
! scope="col" | Fate
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-21}} (SS-98)
| rowspan=7 | [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] Co.
| 19 April 1917
| 10 July 1918
| 17 June 1919
| 21 June 1924
| Scrapped 1930
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-22}} (SS-99)
| 19 April 1917
| 23 September 1918
| 1 August 1919
| 29 April 1925
| Scrapped 1930
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-23}} (SS-100)
| 25 April 1917
| 5 November 1918
| 23 October 1919
| 25 April 1925
| Scrapped 1930
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-24}} (SS-101)
| 9 May 1917
| 21 August 1918
| 27 June 1919
| 11 June 1925
| Scrapped 1930
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-25}} (SS-102)
| 26 April 1917
| 15 May 1919
| 23 October 1919
| 21 June 1924
| Scrapped 1930
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-26}} (SS-103)
| 26 April 1917
| 18 June 1919
| 23 October 1919
| 12 June 1925
| Scrapped 1930
|-
! scope="row" | {{USS|R-27}} (SS-104)
| 16 May 1917
| 23 September 1918
| 3 September 1919
| 24 April 1925
| Scrapped 1930
|}

==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* Gardiner, Robert, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921'' Conway Maritime Press, 1985. {{ISBN|0-85177-245-5}}.
* {{cite book |last=Friedman|first=Norman |title=U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]] |year=1995|location=[[Annapolis, Maryland]] |isbn=1-55750-263-3}}
* Johnston, David L., and Hedman, Ric. ''A Good and Favorable Wind: The Unusual Story of a Submarine Under Sail and its Cautionary Lessons for the Modern Navy''. Nimble Books LLC, 2022. {{ISBN|978-1-60888-200-7}}
* Rodengen, Jeffrey L., ''The Legend of Electric Boat'' Write Stuff Enterprises, Inc., 2nd Ed. 2006. {{ISBN|1-932022-18-X}}.
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/03idx.htm Navsource.org early diesel submarines page]
* [https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=R-class PigBoats.COM R-boats page]
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_3-50_mk2.htm DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com early 3"/50 caliber guns]
* {{DANFS}} (DANFS)

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|R class submarines of the United States}}

{{United States R class submarine}}
{{WWI US ships}}
{{WWII US ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:R class submarines, United States}}
[[Category:Submarine classes]]
[[Category:United States R-class submarines| ]]
[[Category:World War I submarines of the United States| R class]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States| R class]]