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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

S-3 (SS-107)

Radio Call Sign: November - India - Mike - Kilo
S-3 Class Submarine: Laid down, 16 August 1917, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, on Seavey Island in Kittery, Maine. Launched, 21 December 1918; Commissioned, USS S-3, 30 January 1919; Redesignated USS S-3 (SS-107), 17 July 1920; Decommissioned, 24 March 1931; Laid up at League Island; Struck from the Naval Register, 25 January 1937; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 875 t., Submerged: 1088 t.; Length 231'; Beam 21' 10"; Draft 13' 1"; Speed, surfaced 15 kts, submerged 11 kts; Complement 4 Officers, 34 Enlisted; Depth Limit 200'; Armament, four 21" torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes, one 4"/50 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel electric, New London Ship & Engine Co., diesel engines, HP 1400, Fuel capacity, 36,950 gal.; Westinghouse Electric Co., electric motors, HP 1200, Battery cells 120, twin propellers.
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O-1 101k O-1 (SS-62), at left being prepared for launching at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, 8 July 1918. She was launched on the following day. At right, also under construction in the wooden shiphouse, is S-3 (SS-107). USN photo # NH 46709, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-3 97k S-3 (SS-107) was C & R's (generally called the government's) version of the S-boats. Note that her stern was similar to that of M-1 (SS-47). Government S-boats could be identified by the prominent superstructures forward of their fairwaters, which held ready-use ammunition for the 4-in guns. Drawing by Jim Christley. Text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
S-3 126k Launching of the S-3 (SS-107) at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H., 21 December 1918. USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
S-3
0810714		45kThe S-3 (SS-107) was sponsored by Mrs. William L. Hill. As with so many other vessels, the Sponsor was camera shy & her husband was a Congressional Medal of Honor winner.Photo courtesy of Bill Gonyo.
S-3 247k Portside view of the S-3 (SS-107) on her trials, May 1919. Notice the complete lack of an enclosed bridge fairwater, a feature that was added later. USN photo # 19-N-3597, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham. Text courtesy of David Johnston, USNR.
S-3 42k S-3 (SS-107) underway during trials in May 1919. USN photo # NH 41801, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-3 65k S-3 (SS-107) underway during her trials, May 1919. USN photo # NH 46540, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-3 49k S-3 (SS-107), underway during her trial trip, May 1919. Photographed by the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine. Courtesy of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, San Francisco, California, 1969. USN photo # NH 99941, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-3 67k S-3 (SS-107) partially submerged during her trial trip, May 1919. USN photo # NH 41803, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-3 297k Starboard view of the S-3 (SS-107), underway, circa 1919 or the early 1920s, prior to being fitted with a four-inch deck gun. USN photo # 19-N-10680, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham. Text coutesy of the USNHC.
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 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.
S-8, 3, 4, & 6 74k The S-8 (SS-113);
S-3 (SS-107);
S-4 (SS-109) &
S-6 (SS-111) at Portsmouth, NH. The boat on far left can't be identified. 		USN photo courtesy of Milne Special Collections, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, N.H.". via PigBoats.COM TM A Historic Look at Submarines
Text courtesy of Ric Hedman.
S-6 & U-111 296k S-6 (SS-111) (left) with captured German U-111 in center of the photo. The photo is indistinct but it appears that the US sub on the far left of the photo is the S-3 (SS-107), one of the two subs the U-111 toured the east coast with on a bond drive to raise money for off setting war debts. The retractable radio antenna's can be seen on the starboard side of the U-111. Photo courtesy of Milne Special Collections, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, N.H.". via PigBoats.COM TM A Historic Look at Submarines
Text courtesy of Ric Hedman.
S-3 493k Deck view of the S-3 (SS-107) tied up at dock at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H., circa early 1920's. USN photo # 19-N-2676, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
S-3 361k Starboard view of the S-3 (SS-107) tied up at dock at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H., circa early 1920's.
This photo shows one of S-3's most unusual features, the screened over flood ports for her upper main ballast tanks. Apparently intended as a means of preserving surface buoyancy, S-3's MBTs were divided into upper and lower sections, each half with its own flood ports. This had the unfortunate side effect of greatly slowing her dive times (100 seconds or more). An attempt was made to rectify this situation in the later built Government and Lake boats by adding additional flood ports to the upper tanks, but this only resulted in a minor decrease in dive times. 		USN photo # 19-N-2677, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham. Text courtesy of David Johnston, USNR.
S-3 373k Starboard view of the S-3 (SS-107) tied up at dock at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Portsmouth, N.H., circa early 1920's. Note the Mayflower tied up in the background. USN photo # 19-N-2684, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
SS 107 881k Submarine S-3 (SS-107) at Navy Yard. Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection via Sean Hert & flickr.com.
S-boats
0811411		 766k Five S boats at dock: From outboard to inboard: S-9 (SS-114), S-7 (SS-112), & S-3 (SS-107) forward, behind are two unindentified S boats. Photo courtesy of texashistory.unt.edu via Daniel Hacker.
S-boats
0810712		 416k S-3 (SS-107) ready to sail in the 1920's. Photo courtesy of David Wright.
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.
S-boats 115k The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) photographed circa the middle or later 1920s, with ten S-boats alongside. The submarines are (on Camden's starboard side, from left to right):
S-18 (SS-123) & unidentified Electric Boat type S-boat;
S-19 (SS-124);
S-12 (SS-117); and an unidentified Government type S-boat.
On Camden'sport side, from left to right:
Unidentified Government type S-boat;
S-7 (SS-112);
S-8 (SS-113);
S-9 (SS-114); and
S-3 (SS-107). 		Collection of Vice Admiral Dixwell Ketcham, USN. USNHC photograph NH 100459.
S-3 86k Port side quarter view of the S-3 (SS-107), photographed in 1927. Courtesy of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, San Francisco, California, 1969. USN photo # NH 69040, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-23 190k S-23 (SS-128) with S-3 (SS-107) during the Presidential review of 4 June 1927 on maneuvers in the Atlantic with her crew lining the rails. USN photo # 19-N-11055, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
S-3 1.54k S-23 (SS-128) underway with crewmen manning the rail, during the Presidential Naval Review, 4 June 1927. S-3 (SS-107) is in the left background, also with rails manned. USN photo # NH 41805, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
S-3 NR SUBMARINE S-3 (SS-107) LOST FROM FLEET OFF CAPE HATTERAS. Image and text provided by Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo & text by Evening Star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 30 January 1928, Image 2, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
By By SS 425k S-3 (SS-107), S-6 (SS-111), S-7 (SS-112), S-8 (SS-113), S-9 (SS-114) going out of commission at Philadelphia Navy Yard, 23 October 1930. Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection via Sean Hert & flickr.com.
By By SS
0811409		 1.36k Six old US Navy submarines as tugs took them in tow at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, 15 October 1942, to tow them up the Delaware River to the Northern Metals Co. Plant, where they will be scrapped and the metal sent to steel plants to make new steel. The subs are the O-1 (SS-62), built in 1917 and of 480 tons; and the S-3 (SS-107), S-6 (SS-111), S-7 (SS-112), S-8 (SS-113), S-9 (SS-114), each of 790 tons built between 1919 and 1921. The vessels have been tied up in the Reserve Basin of the condemned as being of no further use as submarines. Photo courtesy of nky-photos.com via James Bass
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