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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

R-7 (SS-84)

Radio Call Sign: November - India - Lima - Lima
R-1 Class Submarine: Laid down, 6 December 1917, at Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, MA.; Launched, 5 April 1919; Commissioned, USS R-7, 12 June 1919; Redesignated USS R-7 (SS-84), 17 July 1920; Decommissioned, 2 May 1931, at Philadelphia, PA; Laid up in the Reserve Fleet; Recommissioned in ordinary, 22 July 1940; Shifted to New London, recommissioned in full, 14 March 1941; Decommissioned, 14 September 1945, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, NH; Struck from the Naval Register, 11 October 1945; Final Disposition, on 4 September 1946 to John J. Duane, Quincy, MA.
Partial data submitted by Yves Hubert.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 569 t., Submerged: 680 t.; Length 186' 2" ; Beam 18'; Draft 14' 6"; Speed, Surfaced 13.5 kts, Submerged 10.5 kts; Depth Limit, 200'; Complement 2 Officers, 27 Enlisted; Armament, four 21" torpedo tubes forward, 8 torpedoes, one 3"/50 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel electric engines, New England Ship and Engine Co., diesel engines, 1200hp, Fuel Capacity, 18,880 gals., Electro Dynamic Co., electric motors, twin propellers.
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SS-84 19k R-7 (SS-84) probably taken after her launching, 5 April 1919. USN photo courtesy of Hyperwar US Navy in WWII.
SS-84 3.20k Ours (R) us.
Ship's Company R-7 (SS-84) with the R-5 (SS-82) & R-10 (SS-87) molded into the background. Time frame could have been circa 1920 when she was operating with infamous SUBDIV 9; all the boats in the photo were part of that division including the R-2 (SS-79) (which may just be visible in the top of the photo).
The R-7 appears underway in the bottom of the photo. 		Photo i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman.
Photo courtesy of Jan Reid.
SS-84 732k Full photo by W.O. Waterman, of the R-7 (SS-84) which appears above, c1920. Photo courtesy of David Wright.
R-3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, S-3 & 4 191k R & S boats nested together, May 1920, alongside Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6). From inboard to outboard:
R-4 (SS-81),
R-5 (SS-82),
R-6 (SS-83),
R-10 (SS-87),
R-9 (SS-86),
R-8 (SS-85),
R-7 (SS-84),
R-3 (SS-80),
S-4 (SS-109)
and S-3 (SS-107).
Note that all the R-boats have gun platforms, but that guns are fitted only on R-10,
and R-3.
S-4 has a platform for a 4"/50 gun (but no gun is installed), while S-3 still has no gun platform. 		USN photo # 19-N-9936, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham. Text i.d. courtesy of USNHC photo # NH 41855.
SS-84 & friends 87k R-boats off New York City, circa 1920. from inboard to outboard (left to right):
R-7 (SS-84),
R-8 (SS-85),
R-9 (SS-86),
R-10 (SS-87),
R-6 (SS-83),
R-5 (SS-82),
R-4 (SS-81).
Official USN photo # NH 41746, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Image and text provided by Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA.
Photo from The Madison Journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 05 June 1920, Image 2, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
SS-85 3.01k U.S. Navy Yard, Norfolk, Va., Dry dock No. 4, Submarines R-1 (SS-78) to R-10 (SS-87). Inc., Targets 43, 45, 53 & 60., 6 October 1920. National Archives Identifier: 52559671
Local Identifier: 181-V-2733.
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
SS-85 2.63k U.S. Navy Yard, Norfolk, Va., Dry dock No. 4, Submarines R-1 (SS-78) to R-10 (SS-87). Inc., Targets 43, 45, 53 & 60., 6 October 1920. National Archives Identifier: 52559669
Local Identifier: 181-V-2732
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
SS-84 & friends 79k The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) off New York City with twelve submarines alongside, circa 1920. Submarines are, from inboard to outboard (left to right):
R-1 (SS-78),
R-2 (SS-79),
R-4 (SS-81),
R-5 (SS-82),
R-6 (SS-83),
R-10 (SS-87),
R-9 (SS-86),
R-8 (SS-85),
R-7 (SS-84),
R-3 (SS-80),
S-4 (SS-109)
and S-3 (SS-107). 		Official USN photo # NH 99892, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
R-boats R- US 416k R-Boats tied to a tender. The cityscape in the background is New York City. Location is the 79th Street Boat Basin on the west side of Manhattan Island. They were in transit to Hawaii.
R-1 (SS-78),
R-2 (SS-79),
R-4 (SS-81),
R-5 (SS-82),
R-6 (SS-83),
R-10 (SS-87),
R-9 (SS-86),
R-8 (SS-85),
R-7 (SS-84) with the stern of another R-boat visible. It is quite possible that this photo is taken from a different angle from the one above with the same boats in order but only a partial view. 		Photo i.d. & text courtesy of Ric Hedman.
USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
BB-51 Montana132This photo shows the submarines R-1 (SS-78), R-2 (SS-79), R-3(SS-80), R-4 (SS-81), R-5 (SS-82), R-7 (SS-84), R-8 (SS-85) & R-10 (SS-87) with Mud Scow #8 in Mare Island's Dry Dock #2 between 8 May and 10 June 1922. Note: The scaffold for the construction of the Montana (BB-51) can be seen above and to the right of the head of the dry dock. Seattle NARA photo; # USN photo 60-30, Record Group 181, 13th Naval District, Records of the Naval District & Shore Establishments, courtesy of Tracy White @ Researcher @ Large. submitted by Darryl L. Baker.
SS-84 611k R stands for rough weather in this photo of the R-7 (SS-84) and another R-boat off San Pedro, CA. Photo courtesy of Ric Hedman.
L-6, F-2 & friends 90k San Pedro, Calif. submarine base. From inboard to outboard:
F-2 (SS-21), L-6 (SS-45), & what appears to be H-6 (SS-149)?, H-4 (SS-147), R-7 (SS-84). Photo is at or after 30 June 1921 through 1 July 1922. The R-7 had arrived from the Panama Canal then and the L-6 was placed in commission, in ordinary, 24 March 1922; returned to full commission 1 July; and sailed for the east coast the same month. All the H-class boats left on 25 July 1922 for the east coast as well.
Notice that the other boats seem higher out of the water, which is indicative of the H-class boats which had a higher beam than the F & L-classes. The boats behind this group are too far away to i.d. properly. 		USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
Partial text courtesy of DANFS.
Photo i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman.
SS-84 316k R-7 (SS-84) underway on 23 July 1924. USN photo # NH 59789, courtesy of US Naval History and Heritage Command.
Unknown Photos3.08kR boats at the sub base, Pearl Harbor, November 1925.
R-2 (SS-79), R-7 (SS-84), R-6 (SS-83), unknown, R-4 (SS-81) & R-5 (SS-82). The rest I could not identify.
The barracks ship, ex-Chicago (CL-14) is at the right of the photo. 		Photo i.d. & text courtesy of David Johnston
Photo from the private collection of Ric Hedman.
R-20 776k Five submarines docked at Pearl Harbor, circa summer 1927: foreground is the S-16 (SS-121), R-7 (SS-84), R-3 (SS-80), R-4 (SS-81) & at the right background, is another submarine with 3 vertical stripes, the R-20 (SS-97). Photo & text i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman.
Image NH 108397 and text courtesy of history.navy.mil
Sub Base Pearl Harbor152kThe crews of Submarine Divisions 9 & 14 line the decks of their boats (20 in all) at the Submarine base at Pearl Harbor on 12 December 1930.
R-1 (SS-78),
R-2 (SS-79),
R-3 (SS-80),
R-4 (SS-81),
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-11 (SS-88),
R-12 (SS-89),
R-13 (SS-90),
R-14 (SS-91),
R-15 (SS-92),
R-16 (SS-93),
R-17 (SS-94),
R-18 (SS-95),
R-19 (SS-96) &
R-20 (SS-97).
All the R-boats were to leave the base where they had been serving for upwards of 8 years and transfer to the East coast to be decommissioned over the next 3 years.
The only identifiable boat is the R-16. 		USN photo by Tai Sing Loo, courtesy of E. Little.
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)
Bermuda 419k R-3 (SS-80) & R-7 (SS-84) in tandem during the roaring 20's. Photo courtesy of David Buell.
Navy Yard 417k These World War submarines, [O & R-boats] tied up in the Navy Yard in Philadelphia for a dozen years, are being reconditioned and some are already in active service again, it was announced 10 January 1941. This picture shows them as they appeared before the repair program began.
From Left to right: O-3 (SS-64), unknown, R-1 (SS-78), R-7 (SS-84), R-20 (SS-97), R-19 (SS-96) & R-17 (SS-94). 		Photo courtesy of the George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Photographs @ digital.library.temple.edu
Bermuda 499k Submarines tied up at Base on Ordnance Island, Bermuda. Base building in background, February 1942.
The boats in these photos are likely the following: R-1 (SS-78), R-5 (SS-82), R-6 (SS-83), R-7 (SS-84), and R-9 (SS-86), with an outside possibility of R-15 (SS-92). All of those were known to be operating out of Bermuda at the time of the photo. I can't get any closer than that. 		Photo & text i.d. courtesy of David Johnston (USN, retired)
USN photo # 80-G-70634 & 70635, from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
SS-84 95k Port side view of the R-7 (SS-84), taken between 24 July 1943 & 3 April 1945, probably while the boat was going to the sub base in Groton, CT. USN photo submitted by Peter Fernandez & taken by Lieutenant Junior Grade, Joseph A. Fernandez, Jr., while aboard the Schmitt (APD-76).
SS-84 156k Starboard view of the R-7 (SS-84) underway at Pearl Harbor. Photo i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman.
USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
Pompano 401k This air view of Portsmouth Navy Yard taken just after the end of WW II shows the main shipbuilding shed which enabled construction to continue unimpeded by the Maine winters. The shed was widened to add two ways in 1941, and a fifth was squeezed in a year later. Drydocks No. 1 (left) & 2 (far right) contain six fleet submarines, while three R-boats are moored in the foreground.
The Pompano (SS-491) would have been under construction in the first ways on the left hand corner of the main shipbuilding shed. 		Photo and partial text from The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy: A Design and Construction History, by John D. Alden.
View the R-7 (SS-84)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
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