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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

S-1 (SS-105)

Radio Call Sign: November - India - Mike - Golf
S-1 served both the US and British Navies

S-1 Class Submarine (Holland-type): Laid down, 11 December 1917, at Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, MA.; Launched, 26 October 1918; Commissioned, USS S-1, 5 June 1920; Redesignated USS S-1 (SS-105), 17 July 1920; Fitted with a watertight hangar for experiences with a small seaplane 1923-1926; Decommissioned, 20 October 1937; Recommissioned, 16 October 1940; Decommissioned 20 April 1942, transferred to the United Kingdom, and commissioned HMS P-552; Struck from the Naval Register, 24 June 1942; Returned to US custody, 16 October 1944, at Durban, Natal, Union of South Africa; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 20 July 1945, and scrapped 14 September 1945. Broken-up June 1946 at Durban.
Partial data submitted by Yves Hubert.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 854 t., Submerged: 1062 t.; Length 219' 3" ; Beam 20' 8"; Draft 15' 11"(mean); Speed, surfaced 14.5 kts, submerged 11 kts; Complement 4 Officers, 34 Enlisted; Armament, four 21" torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes, one 4"/50 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel electric, New London Ship & Engine Co., diesel engines, HP 1200, Fuel capacity, 41,921 gal.; Electro Dynamic Co., electric motors, HP 1500, Battery cells 120, twin propellers.
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S-1
0810520		NR IN CHARGE OF ARRANGEMENTS FOR SCOUTING FLEET-INFANTRY GAME.
Washington women who are making plans for the foot ball game at Griffith Stadium, 22 November. Left to right; Mrs. Lyman Kendall, Mm. Cary T. Grayson. Mrs. James W. Wadsworth, holding cup donated by President Coolidge; Mrs. Emory S. Land. Mrs. C. O. Sherrill and Mrs. Margaret Lower.
The S-1 (SS-105) was launched on 26 October 1918 & sponsored by Mrs. Emory S. Land, wife of Admiral Emory S. Land.		 Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo from the Evening Star [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 19 November 1943, Image 17, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
SS 105 434k The S-1 (SS-105) is launched at Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, MA. on 26 October 1918. Photo From The Private Collection Of The Late Rick Larson MMCM (SS) via Ric Hedman.
T-1 106k Ships fitting out at the Fore River shipyard, 19 March 1918. The six destroyers are Little (DD-79), Kimberly (DD-80), Sigourney (DD-81), Gregory (DD-82), Colhoun (DD-85) and Stevens (DD-86), which had builder's hull numbers 274-277 and 280-281 respectively. The freighter at right is Katrina Luckenbach, yard hull # 267, which served as Katrina Luckenbach in 1918-19. Most of the equipment on the pier is for her. Note the large submarine being built in the background, under the revolving crane.
It is probably S-1 (SS-105) or one of the AA-1 class: The AA-1 (SS-52), T-2 (SS-60) or T-3 (SS-61). 		USNHC photograph # NH 43022.
SS 105 100k S-1 (SS-105) off Provincetown, Massachusetts, on 17 April 1920, while running trials. USNHC photograph # NH 41988.
SS 105 31k E.B. designed & built S-1 (SS-105). The dashed lines show the aircraft canister experimentally installed after WW I. Note also the disappearing 3in/23 gun forward of the bridge & the Y-tubes on deck & under the keel.
The company's output, S-18 / 47 , dominated the class, contracts for higher numbered boats were cancelled at the end of WW I. Although Holland had long ago left E.B., these craft were all called Holland S-boats. 		Drawing by Jim Christley, text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
SS 105 62k This inboard profile shows E.B.'s S-1 (SS-105) as designed; it was designed from the boat's contracts plans, dated February 1917. Note the gun access hatch (arrowed) forward of the conning tower. When a big 4-in/50 gun replaced the small 3-in/23 shown, the access hatch had to be abondoned in favor of a smaller ammunition-passing scuttle.
Dashed arrows indicate the usual three ventilators grouped around the conning tower fairwater. Batteries are shaded for clarity. 		Drawing & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
SS 105 68k S-1 (SS-105) underway at 14.5 knots, while running trials off Provincetown, Massachusetts, on 15 April 1920. Note the 3"/23 retractable deck gun mounted forward of her fairwater. USNHC photograph # NH 41989.
SS 105 95k S-1 (SS-105) covered with ice while underway in Long Island Sound, January 1922. Note the retractable 3"/23 deck gun at right. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Lieutenant O.E. Wightman. USNHC photograph # NH 99776.
SS 106 301k S-1 (SS-105) and S-2 (SS-106) submarine alongside Bushnell (AS-2) sub tender, Boston, approximatley 15 August 1920. Photo # 08_06_006726 courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection via Sean Hert & flickr.com.
SS 105 79k The S-1 (SS-105) is in port during the early 1920s, prior to installation of a 4"/50 gun on her foredeck and a small seaplane hangar aft of her fairwater. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Lieutenant O.E. Wightman. USNHC photograph # NH 80594.
R-9 & S-1 165k Bow view of the R-9 (SS-86) & S-1 (SS-105) at the Portsmouth New Hampshire Navy Yard, 30 December 1922. USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
R-9 156k R-9 (SS-86), S-51 (SS-162), and S-1 (SS-105) -- listed from inboard to outboard in port, circa 1922-1925.
Note the size difference between R-9's 3"/50 deck gun and S-51's 4"/50. Also the small cylindrical aircraft hangar behind S-1's fairwater. 		USN photo # NH 107301, courtesy of U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command.
R-23, 25 & S-1 1.58k Control Force submarines and their tenders at Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone, circa 1923. The tenders are (from left to right):
Savannah (AS-8),
Bushnell (AS-2),
Beaver (AS-5) and
Camden (AS-6).
Submarines are mostly R-boats, among them R-23 (SS-100) and R-25 (SS-102), both in the nest alongside Savannah's port quarter. The larger submarine alongside Savannah's bow may be S-1 (SS-105), with her large seaplane hangar. 		USNHC photograph # NH 42573. Photographed by A.E. Wells. Courtesy of Commander Christopher Noble, USN (Retired), 1967.
SS 105 569k S-1's (SS-105) flying friend on 7/27/23. Digital Source: LOC photo # LC-F8-25599 / 09162v from lcweb2.loc.gov.
SS 105 78k S-1 (SS-105), 24 October 1923. Note scouting floatplane (Bureau # A-6525) on her after deck, probably at Norfolk, Virginia. US National Archives photo # 19-N-475A, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives.
SS 105 1.20k The S-1 (SS-105) with her after deck awash, preparing to take a Martin MS-1 seaplane on board during tests in October 1923. Probably taken at Hampton Roads, Virginia. USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org. Text courtesy of USNHC.
SS 105 292k Hangar installed at the after end of the S-1's (SS-105) fairwater, circa October 1923. This hangar was used during tests with the very small Martin MS-1 scouting floatplane. USN photo # 19-N-13131, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
Text courtesy of USNHC.
SS 105 74k Martin MS-1 seaplane (Bureau # A-6525) on board S-1 (SS-105), at Hampton Roads, Virginia, 23 October 1923. Note photographers on the dock at left, and other submarines in the background. Official USN photo from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. USNHC photograph # NH 76124.
SS 105 934k Three photo PDF of the S-1 (SS-105) surfacing in the New Thames estuary to launch the Martin MS-1. Photos were taken from "Strike From Beneath The Sea: A History of Aircraft-carrying Submarines" by Terry C. Treadwell. Pub. by The History Press, The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Gloucestershire. ISBN 978 0 7524 5243 2, courtesy of Robert Hurst.
SS 105 87k Martin MS-1 scouting seaplane (Bureau # A-6525) being assembled on the after deck of S-1 (SS-105), at Hampton Roads, Virginia, 24 October 1923. Note the entrance to the submarine's small hangar, at left, booms used to erect the plane's structure, and the seaplane's metal floats and three-cylinder engine. Donation of Lieutenant Gustave Freret, USN (Retired), 1970. USNHC photograph # NH 71028.
S-1
0810510		1.13k Text of photo: The submarine US submarine S-1 (SS-105) with the new type of Navy seaplane on deck. This seaplane is carried by the submarine and can be hoisted on deck and put together in a few minutes and after making a scouting trip in the air can return to the deck of a submarine and stowed away in such a manner as to interfere with the submarine operating submerged. Date stamped 29 October 1923. Note I am not sure whether this is the XS-1 or XS-2. Photo & text courtesy of nky-photos.com via James Bass
S-1
0810518		767k Text of photo: The world's first aeroplane carrying submarine. The aeroplane carrying submarine is the very latest development in Uncle Sam's warfare service. The plane is carried in a tank-like container on the deck. The plane is knocked down and placed inside without its wings or pontoons, which are placed inside separately. Hand written date 11 November 1923.
Note the submarine K-7 (SS-38) in the left background. 		Photo by Kadel & Herbert.
Text courtesy of nky-photos.com via James Bass
SS 105 370k Photo of a Navy Cox-Klemin XS-2, Buno A 6519, flying over the S-1 (SS-105) circa 1923-1926. The Martin MS-1 and Cox-Klemin XS planes were originally designed to fly from submarines. They were used in tests from 1923 until 1926, when the project was cancelled. US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo No.2011.003.185.003, courtesy of Mike Green.
S-1
0810516s		NR Navy Cox-Klemin XS-2, Buno A 6519 on the deck of the S-1 (SS-105).
Text of photo: The submarine S-1, with her peanut plane assembled on the deck ready for launching. In its first tests the sub came to the surface, assembled the plane, which is carried in a tube, and launched it all in 9-minutes. It is the first time it has been done.
Photo caption text, partial date stamped of the month is September. and hand written year 1926. The November 1952 is probably when the photo was reused in a news article. The S-1 continued these experiments until 1926. 		Partial text via US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo No.2011.003.185.004, courtesy of Mike Green.
Photo & text courtesy of nky-photos.com via James Bass
S-1
0810502		792k Text of photo: (Written by me not on the back of the photo.) The Cox-Klemin XS-1 was a submarine based scout plane. This particular aircraft is based at Naval Air Base Oakland Airport tail number A-6520. Date stamped 7 September 1928. Photo & text courtesy of nky-photos.com via James Bass
SS 105 76k The S-1 (SS-105) underway with what looks to be a light cruiser for company, circa the mid-1920s. Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Lieutenant O.E. Wightman. USNHC photograph # NH 41987.
SS 105 98k The S-1 (SS-105) ballasted down aft, with # 3 Main Ballast tank flooded, during seaplane handling trials in the Thames River, off New London, Connecticut, 22 July 1926. A Martin MS-1 floatplane is partially visible at left. USNHC photograph # NH 99773.
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.
SS 105 836k S-1 (SS-105) alongside pier at Navy Yard circa 1930. Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection via Sean Hert & flickr.com.
SS 105 168k Officer and crewman on deck of S-1 (SS-105) converse over gun, at Boston Navy Yard, circa 1930. Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection via Sean Hert & flickr.com.
SS 105 732k The S-1 (SS-105) at Boston Navy Yard, May 1930. Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection via Sean Hert & flickr.com.
SS 139 734k September 1933. VIEW OF THE MAIN SHIPYARD BERTHING. BY THIS DATE THE ORIGINAL 1010 DOCK (FACILITY B2) HAD BEEN EXTENDED AT EITHER END (FACILITIES B1 AND B3). THE SMALL BOAT LANDING (FACILITY N2) IS IN THE FOREGROUND. - U.S. Naval Base, Pearl Harbor, Waterfront Facilities, Various locations throughout base, Pearl City, Honolulu County, HI.
Bow view of the S-34 (SS-139) tied up to wharf, taken in Pearl Harbor. The sub is getting a new battery. The new cells are loaded on the rail-cars to the right. Also, the S-34's skeg has been cut away as part of a safety and maintenance mod, and that was done in April, 1932.
The sub moored behind S-34 is the Argonaut (SS-166). There is a boat moored outboard of the barge, aft of the first tug. It is a EB design R or S-class boat. My first impression was to go with R-class because the photo gives the impression of that boat being considerably smaller than the S-34. However, I downloaded the photo and blew it up as far as I could and a feature caught my eye. The superstructure forward of the conning tower fairwater appears to be too large and too high to be R-class. It reminded me a lot of the S-1 (SS-105), because she carried a unique superstructure configuration from the rest of the EB S-boats. It was beefed up because she carried the seaplane hangar in the early part of her life. I would bet that this boat is the S-1. The appearance of looking smaller than the S-34 is probably a trick of angle and photography.
There are indeed TWO more submarines aft of the Argonaut, and both appear to be EB design S-class, but this is uncertain.
By the date of this photo, the Navy had just shifted over to a black paint scheme for all submarines. The Argonaut and the two unknown boats behind her have already gotten the new paint job. The S-34 and the S-1 still sported the haze gray scheme and probably would soon be painted.
Also notice all the way at the end of the pier is the minelayer Oglala (CM-4). She is the large ship with the opening in the stern and the two cylinders on her fantail.		 LOC PHOTO # 219563pu, Title: Photocopy of photograph (original photograph located in the National Park Service, Arizona Memorial, 14th Naval District Photograph Collection), 14th ND C.W. No. P88-7864, courtesy of Steven Gower.
Photo i.d. courtesy of David Johnston, Darryl L. Baker, John Hummel & Steven Gower.
Text i.d. courtesy of David Johnston & Darryl L. Baker & Steven Gower.
View the S-1 (SS-105)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
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