Submarine USS R-8 (SS-85)

Submarine USS R-8 (SS-85) was authorized to be built by the United States Congressional Act of 29 August 1916 which stated in part: "....The President of the United States is hereby authorized to undertake prior to July first, nineteen hundred and nineteen, the construction of....

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"Nine fleet submarines." Fifty-eight coast submarines, of which number three to have a surface displacement of about eight hundred tons each, to cost, exclusive of armor and armament, not to exceed $1,200,000 each, and twenty-seven, which shall be the best and most desirable and useful type of submarine which can be procured at a cost, exclusive of armor and armament, not to exceed $700,000 each, shall be begun as soon as practical; and the sum of $8,217,000 is hereby appropriated for the construction of said submarines, to be available until expended. Not less than twelve of the submarines herein authorized to be begun as soon as practical shall be built on the Pacific coast: PROVIDED, That the cost of construction on the Pacific coast does not exceed the cost of construction on the Atlantic coast, plus the cost of transportation from the Atlantic to the Pacific."

The keel of USS R-8 (Submarine Number 85) was laid down on 4 March 1918 by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company at Quincy, Massachusetts...under a subcontract from the Electric Boat Company of New York. The submarine was christened by Miss Penelope Potter and launched on 17 April 1919. Commissioning took place at the Boston Navy Yard at Boston, Massachusetts, on 21 July 1919 with Lieutenant Commander Philip C. Ransom in command.

When commissioned, the R-1 Class coastal and harbor defense submarine was 186'2" in length overall; had an extreme beam of 18'; had a normal surface displacement of 569 tons, and, when in that condition, had a mean draft of 14'6". Submerged displacement was 680 tons. The submarine was of riveted construction. The designed compliment was two officers and twenty-seven enlisted men. The boat could operate safely to depths of 200 feet. The submarine was armed with four 21-inch torpedo tubes installed in the bow. Eight torpedoes were carried. One 3-inch/50 caliber deck gun was installed. The full load of diesel oil carried was 18,880 gallons, which fueled 1,200 designed brake horsepower diesel engines manufactured by the New London Ship and Engine Company at Groton, Connecticut...which could drive the boat via a direct drive system at 13.5 knots on the surface.

Submerged propulsion was provided by a 120-cell main storage battery manufactured by the Electric Storage Battery Company (EXIDE) at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...which powered 934 designed brake horsepower main propulsion electric motors manufactured by the Electro Dynamic Company at Bayonne, New Jersey...which turned propeller shafts ...which turned propellers...which could drive the submarine at 10.5 knots for a short period of time when operating beneath the surface of the sea. Slower submerged speeds resulted in greater endurances before the batteries needed to be recharged by the engines and generators.

USS R-8 fitted out at the Boston Navy Yard during the fall of 1919; proceeded to the United States Naval Submarine Base at New London/Groton, Connecticut, on 5 December 1919; joined other boats of Submarine Division Nine; and continued south for winter exercises in the Gulf of Mexico. The submarine operated out of Pensacola, Florida, until returning to New England during April of 1920.

During July of 1920, the designation of USS R-8 was changed from "Submarine Number 85" to "SS-85."

On 13 September 1920, USS R-8 departed Newport, Rhode Island, and transited to Norfolk, Virginia...arriving there on the 15th. The R-boat overhauled at the Norfolk Navy Yard at Portsmouth, Virginia...then transferred to the United States Pacific Fleet. Post overhaul sea trials were conducted during early April of 1921, and, on the 21st of April, the submarine headed south. Transiting the Panama Canal during May, she arrived at San Pedro, California...her new home port...on 30 June 1921. For the next two years the submarine conducted individual, divisional, and fleet exercises off the coasts of California and Mexico.

On 16 July 1923, USS R-8 transited west to Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands...her base for almost the next eight years...during which she engaged in training and operations with fleet units.

During August of 1927, the R-boat searched for the missing Dole Flight Aviators.

Ordered back to the east coast of the United States for inactivation in 1930, USS R-8 departed Pearl Harbor on 12 December 1930, transited the Panama Canal in mid-January of 1931, and arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 9 February 1931.

The submarine was decommissioned on 2 May 1931 at Philadelphia...and was berthed at that Navy yard as a unit of the reserve fleet until 1936.

On 26 February 1936, while still in a state of preservation, the R-boat sank. Later raised, the submarine was struck from the Navy List on 12 May 1936, and, on 19 August 1936, she was used as a target vessel for an aerial bombing test. Four near misses with 100-pound bombs sank her 71 miles off Cape Henry, Virginia.

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