United States O Class Submarine

United States O Class Submarine

The United States Navy's O class submarines were created out of the lessons learned from the United States L class submarine. The O class were more robust with greater power and endurance for ocean patrols. The O class were built much faster than previous classes and were commissioned in 1918. The group 2 boats entered service just before the end of World War I. Eight of the group 1 boats survived to serve in World War II as training boats when they were recommissioned in 1941.

The class originally operated in the anti-submarine role off the USA's East Coast. Two of the boats, USS O-4 and USS O-6, came under fire from a British merchantman in the Atlantic on 24 July 1918. The steamer scored six hits on O-4's conning tower and pressure hull before her identity was discovered. O-4 suffered minor damage caused by shell splinters. USS O-3 to USS O-10 boats formed part of the twenty-strong submarine force that left Newport, Rhode Island on 2 November 1918 for the Azores but the task force was recalled after the Armistice was signed nine days later.

The second group of boats suffered from electrical problems. USS O-11 was immediately sent to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for a five-month overhaul. USS O-13 sank the patrol boat Mary Alice in a collision while she (O-13) was submerged. USS O-15 also underwent a refit but was sent into reserve soon after before she went into service at Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone. This also involved another overhaul. USS O-16 also underwent a refit soon after commissioning and later suffered a fire in her conning tower in December 1919. All of the group 2 boats were decommissioned in July 1924 and were scrapped in July 1930 under the terms of the London Naval Treaty. USS O-12 however was used in an Arctic expedition by Sir Hubert Wilkins and was renamed Nautilus. After being returned to the US Navy, she was sunk in a Norwegian fjord in November 1931.

The first group served well although USS O-5 was rammed by a cargo ship and sunk near the Panama Canal with the loss of three crew members. All of the group 1 boats were recommissioned in 1941 to serve as training boats based at New London, Connecticut. The remaining boats were taken out of service four months later except for USS O-9 which sank in deep submergence trials in June 1941. Thirty-three of her crew were lost.