F Class Submarine: Laid down, as Pickerel, 17 August 1909, at Moran Bros, Seattle, WA.; Renamed F-3, 17 November 1911; Launched, 6 January 1912, by Moran Bros, Co., Seattle, WA.; Commissioned USS F-3, 5 August 1912; Placed in ordinary, 15 March 1916, at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, CA.; Placed in full commission, 13 June 1917; Training ship 1919-1921; Decommissioned, 15 March 1922; Struck from the Naval Register, (date unknown); Final Disposition, sold 17 August 1922, fate unknown.
Partial data submitted by Yves Hubert. Specifications: Displacement, surfaced 330 t., submerged 400 t.; Length 142' 7"; Beam 15' 5"; Draft 12' 2"; Speed, surfaced 13.5 kts, submerged 11.5 kts; Depth Limit 200'; Complement 1 Officer 21 Enlisted; Armament, four 18" torpedo tubes, four torpedoes; Propulsion, diesel electric, Craig Shipbuilding Co., engines, 800 hp, Fuel Capacity 11,500 gal., Electro Dynamic Co. motors, 620 hp, Battery Cells 120, twin propellers.
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 | 210k | U.S. submarines (SS-20) through (SS-23). General plans prepared by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, Massachusetts, 18 June 1910. This sheet features inboard and outboard profile drawings. These submarines were constructed by the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California. Initially named Carp (SS-20), Barracuda (SS-21), Pickerel (SS-22) and Skate (SS-23), they were renamed F-1 (SS-20) through F-4 (SS-23) in November 1911, while under construction. The original plan is in Record Group 19 at the U.S. National Archives. | USNHC photograph # NH 84383. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1976. | |
 | 201k | U.S. Submarines (SS-20) through (SS-23). General plans prepared by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, Massachusetts, 18 June 1910. This sheet features a table of dimensions, deck plans and hull section drawings. These submarines were constructed by the Union Iron Works, San Francisco, California. Initially named Carp (SS-20), Barracuda (SS-21), Pickerel (SS-22) and Skate (SS-23), they were renamed F-1 (SS-20) through F-4 (SS-23) in November 1911, while under construction. The original plan is in Record Group 19 at the U.S. National Archives. | USNHC photograph # NH 84382. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1976. | |
 | 24k | In the F class (SS-20 - 23) the conning tower is shown in dashed vertical lines between the two periscopes. This class & the E class (SS-24 - 25) introduced bow planes into Electric Boat practice. | Drawing by Jim Christley. Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press. | |
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409k | First Submarine Launch in the Northwest, the F-3 (SS-22), 6 January 1912. In spite of the austere dress, a national ensign and union jack only, the launch of F-3 (SS-22) & F-4 (SS-23) that cold day occasioned enthusiastic celebration along the entire waterfront. | Photo courtesy of Seattle Post Intelligencer. 7 January 1912, from Beneath the Surface: World War I Submarines Built in Seattle and Vancouver by Bill Lightfoot. | |
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100k | F-3 (SS-22) hull details shortly before her launching on 6 January 1912, by Moran Bros, Co., Seattle, WA. Key elements of the hull are shown here; the stem casting, bow cap, and the retractable diving planes. The submarine bell mounted on the fore deck is also readily apparent. | Photo & text courtesy of Beneath the Surface: World War I Submarines Built in Seattle and Vancouver by Bill Lightfoot. Photo courtesy of Rollie Web. | |
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1.22k | MIGHTY CLOSE SHAVE FOR SUBMARINE LOST AT SEA UNCLE SAMS NEW SUBMARINE F-3 (SS-22). |
Image and text provided by Washington State Library; Olympia, WA. Photo & text by The Tacoma Times. (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 05 November 1912, Image 4, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. |
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682k | F-3 (SS-22) testing out on Port Townsend bay. | Phot courtesy of Beneath the Surface: World War I Submarines Built in Seattle and Vancouver by Bill Lightfoot. | |
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74k | F-3 (SS-22), underway off San Diego, California, circa 1912. The original photograph was printed on a postal card postmarked from Tender Alert (AS-4), 2 February 1913. | USN photo # NH 77110, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1972. | |
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994k | F class (SS-20 - 23) submarines and their tender are in DD#2 at Mare Island on 21 January 1913. Left to right: F-3 (SS-22), F-2 (SS-21), F-1 (SS-20) and Alert (AS-4) in the background. | USN photo / MINSY # 01211913-01 courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
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1.10k | Cruisers and submarines which arrived in Honolulu harbor, this morning. from San Francisco. Upper picture: Armored cruiser West Virginia (ACR-5). Below: Her sister ship, South Dakota (ACR-9); lower picture; the submarines F-1 (SS-20) and F-3 (SS-22). | Image and text provided by University of Hawaii at Manoa; Honolulu, HI. Photo from Honolulu Star-Bulletin. (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii) 1912-current, 01 August 1914, 3:30 Edition, Page TWO, Image 2, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. |
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1.47k | From front to back: F-4, F-2, F-3 and F-1, in port Honolulu 1914. The US Army Transport Dix is in the background. Note the "fish" flags and 13-star "boat" ensigns flown by these submarines. Photographed by Noggle. | USN photo # NH 63259, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. | |
 | 106k | F class (SS-20 - 23) submarines at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, before World War I. This view shows the bows of F-1 (SS-20), F-2 (SS-21), & F-3 (SS-22). | USNHC photograph # NH 92187. Collection of Thomas P. Naughton, 1973. | |
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1.09k | K Submarines in Port After Long Voyage This is the way the K submarines looked as they glided to their dock in the navy slip Thursday afternoon, completing their run of 2,180 miles from San Francisco to this port under their own power-a big feat performed in a big way, and adding fresh laurels to the American navy. In the upper picture is shown the K-8 (SS-39) slowing down as she entered the slip, the last of the four submersible to complete the voyage. The lower view shows the K-3 (SS-34) in the foreground, another K boat and the F-1 (SS-20), F-2 (SS-21), & F-3 (SS-22) in the background. |
Image and text provided by University of Hawaii at Manoa; Honolulu, HI. Photo from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii) 1912-current, 16 October 1915, 3:30 Edition, Image 17, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. |
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126k | F-3 (SS-22) off Diamond Head, Hawaii, where the boat was conducting constant exercises and experiments to develop the techniques of submarine warfare, afrom August 1914 to November 1915. | USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org. | |
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124k | Tender Alert (AS-4) at Long Beach CA., circa 1914 with several subs alongside. The one next to the Alert is not identifible, the F-3 (SS-22) second inboard, third boat can't be identified due to flag & F-4 (SS-23) is outboard. | Photo courtesy of Vernon P. Maxson, Jr. LCDR,(former crew member, PARGO-SS-264) & Ric Hedman. | |
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49k | Submarines alongside Cheyenne (BM-10): at San Pedro, California, circa 1914-1916. The submarines are (from left to right): H-1 (SS-28); H-2 (SS-29); F-3 (SS-22), & H-3 (SS-30). |
USN photo # NH 101606, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Courtesy of H.R. ("Ed") Coffer, 1986. | |
 0802212 | 460k | This is the only photo I've found with submarines at the old Mare Island Submarine Base. The photo is NHHC NH 72129 and they date it as between 1914-1917. Since YO-8 is in the photo, photo is no earlier than the oil barge's launching on 11 March 1915: therefore date range is 1915-1917. Submarines are 2 F-Class and 2 H-Class boats. Ric and Dave could only determine the classes. |
USN photo # NHHC NH 72129 courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
 0802210 | NR | U. S. Submarine F-4 (SS-23) Lost Near Honolulu Submarines F-3 (SS-22) & F-4. The submarine is believed to have sunk in the harbor at a point where the water is 120 fantoms, 720 feet deep. No submarine could resist the water pressure at such depth without crumpling. |
Image and text provided by Oklahoma Historical Society. Photo from Tulsa Daily World. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 30 March 1915, MORNING EDITION, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov |
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NR | SUBMARINES HAVE ROUGH TRIP OF FIFTEEN DAYS Battling with heavy gales and mountainous seas for 13 days out of 15 during their 2,100-mile trip Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the American submarines of the F class arrived safely at San Francisco. This is the F-3 (SS-22) as she passed through the Gate Gate. |
Image and text provided by University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. PDF photo & text by The Public Ledger. (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 08 December 1915, Image 1, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. Photo from the private collection of Ric Hedman. | |
 | 677k | An oil painting by Peter Bull of the moment that the submarine F-3 (SS-22) rammed into her class mate F-1 (SS-20), off La Jolla, California, on 17 December 1917. | Image scanned from "U.S. Submarines 1900-35" by Jim Christley and illustrated by Peter Bull. Published by Osprey Publishing Ltd, ISBN978 1 84908 185 6, courtesy of Robert Hurst. | |
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145k | F-2 & F-3 alongside tender, date and location unknown. | USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org | |
 0802211 | 2.15k | The photo was taken in December 1920 and showing Eagle boats (PE #) (34, 38, 6, 35, 12, 7, 8, 10, 58 & 25) at the subase. At the end of the wharf (far right) there are two minesweepers (Brant (AM-24) & Eider (AM-17)) with several submarines moored to these sweepers. Shipyard daily journals (deck logs) indicate that with are F-3 (SS-22) & F-2 (SS-21). Note: In addition, subs H-2 (SS-29) & H-5 (SS-148) were in dry dock at this time. | USN photo # NH 54315 courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
View the Pickerel / F-3 (SS-22)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Not Applicable to this Vessel
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
PigBoats.COM TM, a Historic Look at Submarines
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