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NavSource Online: Service Ship Photo Archive
Contributed by Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN Ret. - Popular Patch

USS Savannah (AS-8)
ex
 USS Savannah (ID# 3015) (1917 - 1920)


1913-International Radio Call Sign:
Nan - George - Sail
 NGS
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is left to right
World War I Victory Medal (with Patrol clasp)
Savannah Class Submarine Tender:
  • Laid down, date unknown, as SS Saxonia, for Hamburg American Steamship Co., at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellscraft, Flensburg, Germany
  • Launched, 3 June 1899
  • Seized by the US Government at US entry into WWI
  • Commissioned as Submarine Tender USS Savannah (ID-3015), 3 November 1917 at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA., LCDR. Arthur Jensen in command
  • Designated (AS-8) 17 July 1920
  • Decommissioned, 16 December 1926 at Puget Sound Navy Yard
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 26 June 1934
  • Sold for commercial service, 26 September 1934, to Mider and Marcus, Seattle, WA; renamed Orbis, in 1942
  • Final Disposition, scrapped in 1954 in Japan
    Specifications:
    Displacement 10,800 t.
    Length 414' 6"
    Beam 46' 1"
    Draft 26' 5"
    Speed 10.5kts
    Complement
    Officers 32
    Chief Petty Officers 26
    Enlisted 312
    Armament
    four single 5"/40 cal single purpose gun mounts
    Propulsion
    one vertical triple-expansion steam engine
    four Babcock and Wilcox boilers
    Ship's Service Generators
    two 35Kw 110V A.C.
    one 200Kw 125V D.C.
    two 400Kw 275V A.C.
    single propeller, 2,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Savannah (ID # 3015)
    Savannah
    09360822    		 27k
    Namesake
    Savannah is the oldest city in the state of Georgia. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport.
    City of Savannah flag and Forsyth Park fountain - CC BY-SA 3.0">, Fgrammen, via Wikimedia Commons    		 Tommy Trampp
    Savannah 144k USS Savannah (ID# 3015), date and location unknown.
    US Navy photo    		 Courtesy Randy Guttery
    Tendertales Web Site
    Savannah 79k USS Savannah (ID# 3015) moored at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, WA., 12 November 1917, nine days after entering commissioned service.
    US Navy photo # 65066 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 73k USS Savannah (ID# 3015) probably shown circa 1918 soon after entering service.
    US Navy photo # 105648 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command. Donation of CAPT. Stephen S. Roberts, USNR, (Retired), 2008.    		 Robert Hurst
    Savannah 78k USS Savannah (ID# 3015) with several "O" type submarines alongside, circa late 1918.
    US Navy photo # 104162 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command. Donation of Dr. Mark Kulikowski, 2006.    		 Robert Hurst
    Savannah 65k USS Savannah (ID# 3015), at left in "dazzle" camouflage en route to the Azores in the fall of 1918, accompanied by several "O" type submarines. One of these is visible in the center of the image.
    US Navy photo # 103183 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command. Collection of Christopher H.W. Lloyd. Donated by Virginia Agostini, 1990.    		 Robert Hurst
    Savannah 47k USS Savannah (ID# 3015) in Hampton Roads, circa 1919. In the distance are the hospital ship USS Solace (left) and the supply ship USS Culgoa (right). Photo by F.J. Kelty.
    US Navy Photo # 42413 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 56k USS Savannah (ID# 3015) with "O"-type submarines alongside, circa 1919. USS O-6 (Submarine # 67) is outboard at Savannah's bow, and USS O-8 (Submarine # 69) is outboard at her stern.
    US Navy photo # 98630 courtesy of Jim Kazalis, 1981. From the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 74k USS Savannah (ID# 3015) in a harbor, probably at Bermuda in the Fall of 1918, while she was escorting submarines to the Azores. Among the other ships present are the gunboat USS Anniston, at left, and the old cruiser USS Chicago, in the right center distance. From the collection of Christopher Henry William Lloyd, donated by his daughter, Virginia M. Agostini, 1990 to the US Naval Historical Center.
    US Navy photo # 98627 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 102k USS Savannah (ID# 3015) alongside a wharf, circa the Fall of 1918. From the collection of Christopher Henry William Lloyd, donated by his daughter, Virginia M. Agostini, 1990 to the US Naval Historical Center.
    US Navy photo # 98628 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    USS Savannah (AS-8)
    Savannah 76k USS Savannah (AS-8) with "O"-type submarines alongside, circa the early 1920s. Photo courtesy of the Submarine Force Library and Museum, Groton, CT., December 1989.
    US Navy photo # 98629 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 255k USS Savannah (AS-8) at anchor with two submarines moored to her port side, during the 1920s. The outboard submarine is USS S-25 (SS-130).
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 67870    		 Vance Adams for his father, Lt. Vance Adams USN Ret USS Savannah (deceased) and the US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Savannah 105k USS Savannah (AS-8) with five submarines alongside, during the 1920s. USS S-24 (SS-129) is the inboard submarine on Savannah's port side. Those moored to her starboard side are (from inboard to outboard): S-27 (SS-132), USS S-20 (SS-125) and USS S-28 (SS-133).
    US Navy photo # NH 72921 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, photo donated to the US Naval Historical Center by LT. Gustave Freret, USN (Retired), 1970.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 114k USS Savannah (AS-8) at Portland, OR., during the 1920s. Submarines alongside are (from left to right): USS S-27 (SS-132), USS S-29 (SS-134) and S-25 (SS-130). Photo by Peck.
    US Navy photo # NH 71012 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, photo donated to the US Naval Historical Center by LT. Gustave Freret, USN (Retired), 1970.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 132k USS Savannah (AS-8) dressed with flags while in port, with four submarines alongside, during the 1920s.
    US Navy photo # NH 71040 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center, photo donated to the US Naval Historical Center by LT. Gustave Freret, USN (Retired), 1970.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 92k Control Force submarines and their tenders at Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone, circa 1923. The tenders are (from left to right): USS Savannah (AS-8), USS Bushnell (AS-2), USS Beaver (AS-5) and USS Camden (AS-6). Submarines are mostly "R" type boats, among them USS R-23 (SS-100) and USS R-25 (SS-102), both in the nest alongside Savannah's port quarter. The larger submarine alongside Savannah's bow may be USS S-1 (SS-105), with her large seaplane hangar. Photo by A.E. Wells.
    US Navy photo # NH 42573 courtesy of CDR. Christopher Noble, USN (Retired), 1967. From the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 64k USS Savannah (AS-8) arriving at Boston, MA., 30 August 1924.
    US Navy photo # 81410 courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1974..From the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 88k USS Savannah (AS-8) at anchor in port, during the 1920s.
    US Navy photo # 44074 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 98k USS Savannah (AS-8) at sea under sail and steam, circa the mid-1920s. Photo by Chief Signalman Peck.
    US Navy photo # 98632 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 88k USS Savannah (AS-8) with three "S" type submarines alongside, December 1924. The outboard submarine is USS S-27 (SS-132). Savannah tended Submarine Division Eleven, which consisted of USS S-24 through USS S-29. USS Bushnell (AS-2) is in the left background.
    US Navy photo # 44073 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 121k USS Savannah (AS-8) at anchor, with "S"-type submarines alongside, 23 December 1924.
    US Navy photo # 98631 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    Savannah 78k USS Savannah (AS-8) at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME. during the 1920s. Photo by the Jones Foto Co.
    US Navy photo # 42414 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center    		 US Naval Historical Center
    USS Savannah (AS-8)
    Dictionary of American Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01LCDR. Jensen, Arthur3 November 1917 - March 1918
    02CDR. Cutts, Elwin FisherMarch 1918 - September 1919
    03LCDR. Kimball, Lucien Frank2 November 1921 - 30 August 1922
    04CDR. Jackson, John Parker30 August 1922 - 7 June 1923
    05CDR. Soulé Jr., Charles Caroll7 June 1923 - 24 June 1924
    06CDR. Coffey, Reuben Burton24 June 1924 - ?
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    Submarine Tenders of the United States Navy
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Service Force Ship Type Index Back To The ID & SP Ship Photo Index Back To The Submarine Tender (AS) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
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    Last Updated 24 March 2023