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USS S-18 (SS-123)
Encyclopedia
USS S-18 (SS-123) was a first-group (S-1 or "Holland") S-class submarine
of the United States Navy
. Her keel was laid down on 15 August 1918 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts
. She was launched
on 29 April 1920 sponsored by Miss Virginia Bell Johnson, and commissioned
on 3 April 1924 with Lieutenant
Elliot M. Senn in command.
, primarily off the New England
coast but with annual deployments to the Caribbean Sea
for winter maneuvers and fleet problems. Transferred to the Pacific fleet in 1930, she departed New London on 24 May, operated off the California
coast into the fall, and arrived at Pearl Harbor
, on 7 December.
For the next 11 years, S-18 remained based at Pearl Harbor. In September 1941, she returned to the West Coast; and, three months later, after the United States
had entered World War II
, the submarine was ordered to the Aleutian Islands.
, underwent repairs there until mid-May, then returned to the Aleutians.
En route on 29 May, the S-boat
received orders to patrol the southern approaches to Umnak Pass
in anticipation of a Japanese attack. On 2 June, she took up her station. The next day, the Japanese sent carrier planes against Dutch Harbor and landed troops on Kiska
and Attu Island
s. The war in the Aleutians had begun.
Orders for submerged daylight operations in combat areas compelled the submarines of the north Pacific force, designed during World War I
, to increase their submerged time to 19 hours a day. Surfaced recharging time was cut to the brief five hours of the northern summer night.
Hampered by fog, rain, and poor radio reception - and lacking radar
, fathometer, and deciphering equipment - S-18 remained on patrol through 10 June. The next day, she returned to Dutch Harbor. On 13 June, she was underway again to patrol west and north of Attu, then north of Kiska. The weather, as on earlier patrols, was consistently bad. Habitability in the S-boats were poor. Material defects and design limitations in speed and maneuverability continued to plague her.
On 29 June, she sighted an enemy submarine but was unable to close. The same day, she returned to Dutch Harbor, and as at the conclusion of previous patrols, her commanding officer requested up-to-date sound and radar equipment.
From 15 July-2 August, the S-boat conducted another patrol in the Kiska area, and on completion of the patrol, she was ordered to San Diego.
In October, S-18 returned to the Aleutians, and on 22 August, she cleared Dutch Harbor for her next patrol, again in the Kiska area. On 3 November, however, she was recalled and ordered to prepare for a longer, more distant patrol. On 12 November she put to sea, but on 15 November, a crack in the starboard main engine housing forced her back to Dutch Harbor.
She arrived on 20 November, and her repairs were completed by the end of the month. On 30 November, S-18 resumed her patrol, moved west, and operated off Kiska, Kiskinato, Agattu
, and Attu. On 22 December, after 16 days in her patrol area, she lost her starboard stern plane, and depth control became erratic. On 28 December, she returned to Dutch Harbor.
Repairs and refit took S-18 into 1943, and on 7 January, she got underway again. During that 28-day patrol, she reconnoitered Attu and the Semichi Islands
. On 4 February, she was ordered back to San Diego for overhaul, and was assignment to training duty.
For the remainder of World War II, S-18 remained in the San Diego area, providing training services for the West Coast Sound School. In late-September 1945, she moved north to San Francisco, California
, where she was decommissioned on 29 October. On 13 November, her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
, and a year later her hulk was sold for scrapping to the Salco Iron and Metal Company in San Francisco.
United States S class submarine
The United States' S-class submarines, often simply called S-boats , were the first class of submarines built to a United States Navy design....
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Her keel was laid down on 15 August 1918 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard was founded in 1887 as Maryland Steel in Sparrows Point, Maryland. It was acquired by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in 1916 and renamed Bethlehem Sparrows Point Shipyard. The shipyard was sold in 1997 to Baltimore Marine Industries Inc....
Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 29 April 1920 sponsored by Miss Virginia Bell Johnson, and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 3 April 1924 with Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Elliot M. Senn in command.
Inter-War Period
From 1924-1929, S-18 operated out of New London, ConnecticutNew London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, primarily off the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
coast but with annual deployments to the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
for winter maneuvers and fleet problems. Transferred to the Pacific fleet in 1930, she departed New London on 24 May, operated off the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast into the fall, and arrived at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, on 7 December.
For the next 11 years, S-18 remained based at Pearl Harbor. In September 1941, she returned to the West Coast; and, three months later, after the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the submarine was ordered to the Aleutian Islands.
World War II
A unit of Submarine Division 41 (SubDiv 41), S-18 moved north in mid-January 1942. Into March, she conducted defensive patrols out of the new and still incomplete submarine base at Dutch Harbor. In mid-March, she got underway for San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, underwent repairs there until mid-May, then returned to the Aleutians.
En route on 29 May, the S-boat
United States S class submarine
The United States' S-class submarines, often simply called S-boats , were the first class of submarines built to a United States Navy design....
received orders to patrol the southern approaches to Umnak Pass
Umnak Pass
Umnak Pass is a strait between the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. It lies between Unalaska Island to the northeast and Umnak Island to the southwest.-References:...
in anticipation of a Japanese attack. On 2 June, she took up her station. The next day, the Japanese sent carrier planes against Dutch Harbor and landed troops on Kiska
Kiska
Kiska is an island in the Rat Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska located at . It is about long and varies in width from - Discovery :...
and Attu Island
Attu Island
Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...
s. The war in the Aleutians had begun.
Orders for submerged daylight operations in combat areas compelled the submarines of the north Pacific force, designed during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, to increase their submerged time to 19 hours a day. Surfaced recharging time was cut to the brief five hours of the northern summer night.
Hampered by fog, rain, and poor radio reception - and lacking radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
, fathometer, and deciphering equipment - S-18 remained on patrol through 10 June. The next day, she returned to Dutch Harbor. On 13 June, she was underway again to patrol west and north of Attu, then north of Kiska. The weather, as on earlier patrols, was consistently bad. Habitability in the S-boats were poor. Material defects and design limitations in speed and maneuverability continued to plague her.
On 29 June, she sighted an enemy submarine but was unable to close. The same day, she returned to Dutch Harbor, and as at the conclusion of previous patrols, her commanding officer requested up-to-date sound and radar equipment.
From 15 July-2 August, the S-boat conducted another patrol in the Kiska area, and on completion of the patrol, she was ordered to San Diego.
In October, S-18 returned to the Aleutians, and on 22 August, she cleared Dutch Harbor for her next patrol, again in the Kiska area. On 3 November, however, she was recalled and ordered to prepare for a longer, more distant patrol. On 12 November she put to sea, but on 15 November, a crack in the starboard main engine housing forced her back to Dutch Harbor.
She arrived on 20 November, and her repairs were completed by the end of the month. On 30 November, S-18 resumed her patrol, moved west, and operated off Kiska, Kiskinato, Agattu
Agattu
Agattu is an island in the Near Islands in the western end of the Aleutian Islands. With a land area of 221.593 km² Agattu is one of the largest uninhabited islands in the Aleutians. It is the second largest of the Near Islands, after Attu Island. It is volcanic and considerably mountainous...
, and Attu. On 22 December, after 16 days in her patrol area, she lost her starboard stern plane, and depth control became erratic. On 28 December, she returned to Dutch Harbor.
Repairs and refit took S-18 into 1943, and on 7 January, she got underway again. During that 28-day patrol, she reconnoitered Attu and the Semichi Islands
Semichi Islands
The Semichi Islands are a cluster of small islands in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands, Alaska. They are located southeast of Attu Island and northeast of Agattu Island, near...
. On 4 February, she was ordered back to San Diego for overhaul, and was assignment to training duty.
For the remainder of World War II, S-18 remained in the San Diego area, providing training services for the West Coast Sound School. In late-September 1945, she moved north to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where she was decommissioned on 29 October. On 13 November, her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
, and a year later her hulk was sold for scrapping to the Salco Iron and Metal Company in San Francisco.