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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

O-4 (SS-65)

Radio Call Sign: November - Alpha - Mike - Xray
O Class Submarine: Laid down, 4 December 1916, at Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, MA.; Launched, 20 October 1917; Commissioned, USS O-4, 29 May 1918; Designated (SS-65), 17 July 1920; Reclassified a 2nd line submarine 25 July 1924 and to a 1st line submarine, 6 June 1928; Decommissioned, 3 June 1931; Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; Recommissioned, 29 January 1941; Decommissioned, 20 September 1945, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, NH.; Struck from the Naval Register, 11 October 1945; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 1 February 1946, to John J. Duane Co.
Partial data submitted by Yves Hubert.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 521 t., Submerged: 629 t.; Length 172' 4"; Beam 18' 0"; Draft 14' 5"; Speed, Surfaced 14 kts, Submerged 10.5 kts; Operational Depth Limit 200 ft; Complement 2 Officers 27 Enlisted; Armament, four 18", torpedo tubes, 8 torpedoes, one 3"/23 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel-electric, New England Ship and Engine Co, diesels, 880 hp, Fuel Capacity, 21,897 gal.; New York Navy Yard electric motors, 740 hp, Battery Cells 120, single propeller.
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R 1.60k Schley (SS-52) forward looking aft, 9 January 1917.
Note the construction of two other submarines on the ways to the left.
The only other submarines under construction at Fore River were O-3 (SS-64), O-4 (SS-65), O-5 (SS-66), & O-6 (SS-67), which were all laid down between 2 thru 8 December 1916. 		Photo & text i.d. courtesy of David Johnston
US National Archives photo # 19lc 11 from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
O-4 318k Launching of the O-4 (SS-65), 20 October 1917.
Note the boat's mushroom anchor can be clearly seen retracted into the hull in a break in the bilge keel, behind the torpedo tube bow cap and directly under the bow planes. This is a feature not normally seen with the boat in the water. These boats all had a standard fluke-type anchor housed in the superstructure on the starboard bow and this anchor was the one normally used for mooring out. The mushroom anchor could be used for this purpose, but its primary use was to allow the boat to "hover" while submerged. The boat would come to a complete stop, drop the mushroom anchor and then adjust ballast to achieve a slight positive buoyancy, drawing the anchor chain tight. It would then adjust its depth by paying out or heaving in on the anchor chain. This could be a very useful tactic when sitting off an enemy's harbor waiting for ships to come out. 		Text i.d. courtesy of David Johnston
National Archives Identifier: 45547170
Local Identifier: 165-WW-499A-18.
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
O-5 961k 23 March 1918, the O-4 (SS-65) doing 14 knots off Provincetown. USN photo # 80-G-466173 from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
O-4 64k O-4 (SS-65), in coastal waters with many of her crewmen on deck, circa 1918-1919. USNHC photograph # NH 103181. Collection of Christopher H.W. Lloyd. Donated by Virginia Agostini, 1990.
O-4 103k O-4 (SS-65), in drydock at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, circa 1919. USNHC photograph # NH 103185. Collection of Christopher H.W. Lloyd. Donated by Virginia Agostini, 1990.
O-boats 579k U.S. submarines at Bermuda. Just returned from war zone.
From left to right, 2 unidentified O-boats, O-3 (SS-64), O-5 (SS-66) & O-7 (SS-68).
On 2 November 1918 O-boats 1 / 10 (SS-62 / 71) departed Newport with a 20-sub contingent bound for European waters, however, the Armistice was signed before the ships reached the Azores, and they returned to the United States.		 Text i.d. courtesy of DANFS.
Photo by James W. Anderson, courtesy of Kristina Magill via Gary Priolo.
O-boats 1.04k Late type American submarine, Bermuda. One of the unknown 10 O-boats 1 / 10 (SS-62 / 71) . Photo by James W. Anderson, courtesy of Kristina Magill via Gary Priolo.
O-boats 659k A steel sea monster, amphibious and formidable, is Uncle Sam's newest submarine just home from war duty. The great fin rudders stabilize the boat under water and assist in speedy submerging. They fold up snugly against the sides when the "sub." is under way. Several of these new O-boats are making their initial New York appearance in the Naval Review. Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo from the New-York Tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 27 April 1919, Image 47, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
O-boats 85k Submarine Division 8,Commander Guy E. Davis commanding. Nine of the Division's ten O-boats at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 16 August 1921. Panoramic photograph by Crosby, "Naval Photographer", 11 Portland Street, Boston. Submarines in the front row are (from left to right): O-3 (SS-64), O-6 (SS-67), O-9 (SS-70) and O-1 (SS-62). Those in the second row are (from left to right): O-7 (SS-68), unidentified (either O-2 or O-8), O-5 (SS-66), O-10 (SS-71) and O-4 (SS-65). Large four-stacked ship in the left center distance is the U.S. Army Transport Mount Vernon. USNHC photograph # NH 103193.
O-boats 800k GERMAN MOTHER OF U.S, SUBS
The Saxonia, (now Savannah (AS-8)) once considered the finest German passenger ship, is now a mother for United States submarines. Here she is off the coast at Provincetown, Mass., with some of her cubs. 		Image and text provided by Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ.
Photo from the Bisbee Daily Review. (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 21 August 1921, SECOND SECTION, Image 9, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
O4 & 10 83k O-10 (SS-71) looking aft, port side, outboard of the O-4 (SS-65) at the Boston Navy Yard, 28 September, 1922. Note the big insulating fitting at the bow, which terminates the forward radio loop antenna. Note that O-4's 3"/23 gun is in the extended (operating) position, while that on O-10 is retracted. Four-funneled ship in the right distance is the former U.S. Army Transport Mount Vernon. Partial text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press. USN photo # NH 44548, & partial text courtesy of the USNHC.
O-10 130k Port side view of the O-10 (SS-71) taken at the Boston Navy Yard on 28 September 1922. The submarine is tied up outboard of O-4 (SS-65) and a covered lighter at Pier 10. Boston Navy Yard photo # 13813-3 Boston, National Historical Park Collection, NPS Cat. No. BOSTS-13813. Photo courtesy of Stephen P. Carlson, Preservation Specialist, Boston NHP, Charlestown Navy Yard.
O-10 105k Bow on view, starboard side of the O-10 (SS-71) taken at the Boston Navy Yard on 28 September 1922. The submarine is tied up outboard of O-4 (SS-65) and a covered lighter at Pier 10. Boston Navy Yard photo # 13813-4 Boston, National Historical Park Collection, NPS Cat. No. BOSTS-13813. Photo courtesy of Stephen P. Carlson, Preservation Specialist, Boston NHP, Charlestown Navy Yard.
S- boats etc 561k S-10 (SS-115) & S-15 (SS-120) in the foreground.
Behind them from right to left: O-1 (SS-62), O-4 (SS-65), O-2 (SS-63) & O-3 (SS-64). What appears to be another conning tower is behind the O-3. If so, and being that all the O-boats are together numerically, it might be the O-5 (SS-66), which would date the photo no later than 28 October 1923 when the O-5 sank after being rammed while entering Limon Bay, Canal Zone, 28 October 1923, by United Fruit steamer Abangarez. 		Photo by Arkivi/Getty Images via Getty Images, courtesy of gettyimages.com.
O-4 125k O-4 (SS-65), underway, probably on the Thames River at New London CT., photographed during the 1920s. USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
S-69
0806917		484k3 O-boats bows: Broadside view of O-8 (SS-69) with two other unidentified O-boats moored to a buoy in Gatun Lake, Panama, approximately 1925. The famous Gatun Dam can be seen in the background, with the hydroelectric power station building on the right. The dam is the centerpiece of the canal, providing water for the 21 mile long lake as well as for the majority of the rest of the canal. It also provides power to operate the locks as well as for the needs of the surrounding population. Photo i.d. & text courtesy of David Johnston (USN, retired)
USN photo thanks to Jim Kurrasch @ Battleship Iowa, Pacific Battleship Center.
US Fleet Problem Number VI 1.72k Control Force Employment Schedule, 4 January to 1 March 1926. US Fleet Problem Number VI. Photo courtesy of Steve Ireland.
O-4 174k The O-4 (SS-65), one of the small undersea craft of the O-Boats series built during WW I, displaced only 480 tons on the surface, less than half of modern subs. Recommissioned in 1930, however, they have proved valuable as training an experimental vessels. Equipped with four torpedo tubes and one anti aircraft machine gun, they can give valuable experience to the new submariners of the U.S. Navy. Text courtesy of CARD-O chewing gum. Photo courtesy of Tommy Trampp.
Menhaden263kTen photo PDF of on board life on the O-4 (SS-65).Photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
O-4 94k Frederick Schmoe, crewman of the O-4 (SS-65), is looking out of the hatch of the boat on 12 March 1928. The boat is moored at the Submarine Base New London, Connecticut. US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo No. 1985.130.013, courtesy of Mike Green.
Philadelphia Navy Yard 2.49k Philadelphia Navy Yard, 28 October 1940.
The photo presented panorama military shipyards in Philadelphia Navy Yard. Most of the ships are obsolete US destroyers, that were transfer to Great Britain under lend lease.
The submarines are on the left hand side of the photo, and they are: (in no particular order)
The O boats: O-1 (SS-62), O-2 (SS-63), O-3 (SS-64), O-6 (SS-67), O-7 (SS-68), O-8 (SS-69), O-9 (SS-70), O-10 (SS-71).
The R boats: R-1 (SS-78), R-2 (SS-79), R-3 (SS-80), R-5 (SS-82), R-6 (SS-83), R-7 (SS-84), R-8 (SS-85), R-9 (SS-86), R-10 (SS-87), R-12 (SS-89), R-15 (SS-92), R-16 (SS-93), R-17 (SS-94), R-18 (SS-95), R-19 (SS-96) & R-20 (SS-97).
The S boats: S-11 (SS-116), S-12 (SS-117), S-13 (SS-118), S-14 (SS-119), S-15 (SS-120), S-16 (SS-121), S-17 (SS-122) & S-48 (SS-159).
The Olympia (C-6) is shown at the right of the wharf on Broad Street.
The stadium in the upper left, was John F. Kennedy Stadium (formally Philadelphia Municipal Stadium) that stood from 1926 to 1992. It was erected for the 1926 Sesquicentennial. 		Photo i.d. courtesy of Ron Reeves (of blessed memory).
Photo courtesy of flickr.com.
Lower resolution photo. (548k)
O-4 386k O-4 (SS-65) roaring through the ocean off New London, CT, in 1942. Photographer: Dimitri Kessel, courtesy of time.com. via & Life.
205 189k A scene from the 1943 movie Crash Dive, showing an unidentified O-class submarine backing out of a berth at the Naval Submarine Base New London, CT in the late summer of 1942. The boat can not be positively identified, but is one of group of eight O-class submarines that were brought out of mothballs to train submarine crews. This particular boat is either O-2 (SS-63),O-3 (SS-64), O-4 (SS-65), O-7 (SS-68), O-8 (SS-69), or O-10 (SS-71). The submarine in the foreground is the Marlin (SS-205). Photo & text courtesy of David Johnston
View the O-4 (SS-65)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
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PigBoats.COM TM, a Historic Look at Submarines
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