USS S-19 (SS-124)
Encyclopedia
USS S-19 (SS-124) 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 Electric Boat
Company in New York City
, on subcontract to Bethlehem Shipbuilding
Corporation of Quincy, Massachusetts
. She was launched
on 21 June 1920 sponsored by Ms. Genevieve Kittenger, and commissioned
on 24 August 1921 with Lieutenant Commander
P.T. Wright in command.
After preliminary shakedown operations, S-19 was decommissioned and returned to the contractor on 8 March 1922 for further work to remedy defects revealed in her first weeks of operation. Upon her return to the United States Navy
, S-19 recommissioned at Groton, Connecticut
on 6 January 1923, with Lt. Cdr. William J. Butler in command.
S-19 operated off the northeastern coast of the United States
from 1923–1930, taking part in fleet exercises off Panama
in the early months of each year. This routine was interrupted in the foggy, early hours of 13 January 1925, when the submarine ran aground off Chatham, Massachusetts
, on the southern coast of Cape Cod
, after strong winds and unusually heavy seas had pushed her far from her course. She had departed Portsmouth Navy Yard the previous afternoon after overhaul, and was en route to New London, Connecticut
. The United States Coast Guard
cutters Tampa and Acushnet came to S-19s assistance, as did life-saving crews from two nearby Coast Guard stations. Heavy seas made it impossible to pass a line to the grounded submarine or to reach her by boat until late in the evening of 14 January, when a party from the Nauset, Massachusetts
Coast Guard station succeeded in boarding. By the morning of 15 January, S-19s crew had been safely brought to shore. After strenuous effort by Navy tug
s and the Coast Guard cutters, S-19 was finally freed from the shoal.
Repaired and returned to service with the fleet, S-19 continued her Atlantic operations until 22 October 1930, when she departed New London for the Pacific Ocean
. The submarine arrived at Pearl Harbor
on 7 December, and for the next three years operated out of Hawaii
. She was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor on 10 February 1934, was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 12 December 1936 and was towed to sea and sunk on 18 December 1938, in accordance with the terms of the Second London Naval Treaty
.
's Destroyermen series, S-19 remains in service into World War II
and is transported to an alternate Earth along with several other vessels, including USS Walker
and USS Mahan
.
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 Electric Boat
Electric boat
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...
Company in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, on subcontract to 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 of 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 21 June 1920 sponsored by Ms. Genevieve Kittenger, 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 24 August 1921 with Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
P.T. Wright in command.
After preliminary shakedown operations, S-19 was decommissioned and returned to the contractor on 8 March 1922 for further work to remedy defects revealed in her first weeks of operation. Upon her return to 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...
, S-19 recommissioned at Groton, Connecticut
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
on 6 January 1923, with Lt. Cdr. William J. Butler in command.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1923–1930, taking part in fleet exercises off Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
in the early months of each year. This routine was interrupted in the foggy, early hours of 13 January 1925, when the submarine ran aground off Chatham, Massachusetts
Chatham, Massachusetts
Chatham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 6,625 at the 2000 census...
, on the southern coast of Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, after strong winds and unusually heavy seas had pushed her far from her course. She had departed Portsmouth Navy Yard the previous afternoon after overhaul, and was en route to New London, Connecticut
New 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....
. The United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
cutters Tampa and Acushnet came to S-19s assistance, as did life-saving crews from two nearby Coast Guard stations. Heavy seas made it impossible to pass a line to the grounded submarine or to reach her by boat until late in the evening of 14 January, when a party from the Nauset, Massachusetts
Eastham, Massachusetts
Eastham is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, Barnstable County being coextensive with Cape Cod. The population was 5,453 at the 2000 census....
Coast Guard station succeeded in boarding. By the morning of 15 January, S-19s crew had been safely brought to shore. After strenuous effort by Navy tug
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
s and the Coast Guard cutters, S-19 was finally freed from the shoal.
Repaired and returned to service with the fleet, S-19 continued her Atlantic operations until 22 October 1930, when she departed New London for the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The submarine 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, and for the next three years operated out of Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. She was decommissioned at Pearl Harbor on 10 February 1934, 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...
on 12 December 1936 and was towed to sea and sunk on 18 December 1938, in accordance with the terms of the Second London Naval Treaty
Second London Naval Treaty
The Second London Naval Disarmament Conference opened in London, the United Kingdom, on 9 December 1935. It resulted in the Second London Naval Treaty which was signed on 25 March 1936.- Description :...
.
In Fiction
In Taylor AndersonTaylor Anderson
Taylor Anderson is a gunsmith, re-enactor, and history professor. He is the author of the Destroyermen book series, about the USS Walker , USS Mahan , and USS S-19 , and their fight against the Grik. His fifth book of the series; Rising Tides, has been published.-References:...
's Destroyermen series, S-19 remains in service into 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...
and is transported to an alternate Earth along with several other vessels, including USS Walker
USS Walker (DD-163)
The first USS Walker was a Wickes class destroyer that saw service in the United States Navy during World War I. She was named for Admiral John Grimes Walker.-History:...
and USS Mahan
USS Mahan (DD-102)
The first USS Mahan was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I and later designated, DM-7, in the years following. She was named in honor of Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan.-History:...
.