USS R-8
R-class submarines moored alongside. Closest to the camera is USS R-8, farthest from it is R-6 , and the two submarines between them are unidentified.
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS R-8 |
| Ordered | 29 August 1916 |
| Builder | Fore River Shipbuilding, Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Laid down | 4 March 1918 |
| Launched | 17 April 1919 |
| Commissioned | 21 July 1919 |
| Decommissioned | 2 May 1931 |
| Stricken | 12 May 1936 |
| Fate | Sunk as target, 19 August 1936 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | R-class submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 186 ft 2 in (56.74 m) |
| Beam | 18 ft (5.5 m) |
| Draft | 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m) |
| Propulsion | Diesel-electric |
| Speed |
|
| Complement | 34 officers and men |
| Armament |
|
USS R-8 (SS-85) was an
R-class coastal and harbor defense submarine of the United States Navy
.
Construction and commissioning
R-8′s
Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on 17 April 1919, sponsored by Ms. Penelope Potter, and commissioned
on 21 July 1919.
Service history
1919–1929
R-8 fitted out at
San Pedro, California, her new homeport on 30 June, and for the next two years conducted exercises — individual, divisional and fleet — off the coasts of California and Mexico
.
On 16 July 1923, R-8 sailed west for
minesweeper USS Widgeon (AM-22), suffering the loss of her periscopes, the destruction of her bridge, and damage to her radio antenna supports. In August 1927, she searched for missing Dole Air Race
aviators.
1930–1936
Ordered back to the East Coast for inactivation in 1930, R-8 departed Pearl Harbor on 12 December, transited the Panama Canal in mid-January 1931, and arrived at
Cape Henry, Virginia
.
Wreck
Her wreck was initially not found. Per Eastern Search and Survey "Our research effort began to bear fruit after several iterations of requests to the National Archives. Station logs for the Philadelphia Navy Yard identified the USS CORMORANT (AM-40) as the vessel that towed the 1936 Sub out to be scuttled. CORMORANT’s log provided the sinking location as being far offshore from the VA-NC border in ~4,300’ of water: nearly 70 miles south of where it was previously thought to be.[citation needed]
However, in December 2020, the remains of R-8 were discovered off the coast of Ocean City, Maryland.[1] The vessel sank there in 1936, after being used for target practice by bombers.
References
- ^ "American submarine discovered off Ocean City coast". Baltimore Sun. December 10, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
- Photo gallery of USS R-8 at NavSource Naval History
 United States Navy |
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 Peruvian Navy |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1925 | |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1936 | |
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