V-1

Pre-launch photo of the bow of the V-1, taken on July 16, 1924 at Portsmouth Navy Yard. The sub has been decked out with bunting and signal flags for her launch the next day.

This is a good look of the bow torpedo tube outer doors. Unlike subsequent practice, they do not smoothly fare into the outer hull. The pressure hull was a complex of various angles and diameters bringing the torpedo tubes to the hull's lowest point. The hull was a variety of shapes from circular to ellipses, making the construction very difficult for the shipyard.

U.S. Navy photo

Stern view of the V-1, taken on July 16, 1924, the day before her launch. Signal flags are yet to be strung from the radio mast. A temporary platform with railing has been built on the deck for crew and dignitaries to stand on during the launching ceremony.

A large brace has been attached to the shaft struts and clamps together, over the top of the stern planes and aft of the rudder. This is to prevent damage to the rudder and stern planes as the submarine slides backwards into the water. Just above the rudder the two aft torpedo tubes can be seen.

U.S. Navy photo

Launch day, July 17, 1924. The V-1 sits on the ways. The tide is high making the launch less difficult. People have begun arriving for the ceremony. Workmen are checking out the ways and making preparations for the launching. A large American flag has been raised at the stern and the signal flags are in place for the event. More signal flags have been draped around the viewing platform at the right rear in the photo.

At the left in the photo, what is probably the V-2 sits on the ways. Just the slope of her stern, matching the V-1 stern, can be seen.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

V-1 alongside the fitting out pier at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine. The date is late summer 1924 and there is still a lot of work to do to complete her construction phase and get her ready for sea trials. The big fleet boat dwarfed any submarine previously built at Portsmouth, presenting special challenges to the yard workers.

USN photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

V-1 leaving Portsmouth Navy Yard on November 13, 1924 for post commissioning trials off Provincetown, MA. The undulating form of her main deck is evident in this photo.

U.S. Navy photo

Another view of V-1 steaming past buildings at the Portsmouth Navy Yard on November 13, 1924 on her way to sea for post commissioning trials.

U.S. Navy photo

The V-1 is seen here at the Washington Navy Yard on December 3, 1924, two months after her commissioning. She had arrived at the yard for inspection by the new Secretary of the Navy, Curtis D. Wilbur and members of the U.S. Senate and the House Committee on Naval Affairs. After the inspection the submarine was opened to the public for viewing. This was a big submarine with an exciting mission and public interest was high.

U.S. Navy photo

Another photo taken at the same time as the one above, from a different angle. This is a good view of the V-1 group's porpoise like bow, with an unusual stem mounted anchor. The shank of the anchor protrudes upward at an angle, necessitating the bulge in the deck above it. Directly behind the anchor bulge is a housing for the forward radio mast, which retracted down into the pressure hull between the torpedo tubes when the boat dived. The upward sheer of the forward deck is very evident in this photo. The retracted bow diving planes are seen just aft of the forward mooring lines.

There is an unidentified yacht like ship in the background, possibly the Presidential yacht, Mayflower. The Mayflower had her small boats stowed on highly raised davits as seen in this photo and a clipper type bow as implied here. Detail is lacking for full conformation.

U.S. Navy photo

A third view of the V-1 and although it is dated the same as the two photos above the lack of the ship in the background indicates that it was likely taken several hours after the other two.

U.S. Navy photo

V-1 shown underway in an unknown location, probably not long after her commissioning, late 1924 or early 1925. All three of her radio masts are raised, and the double aerial wire can be seen slung between the masts. The height of the mast and wires enabled very long range communication in those days of relatively low-powered radio sets.

Photo courtesy of Ron Martini

V-1 running close ashore to Block Island, approximately January, 1925. The trees are bare and there is lots of ice slurry on the calm waters. This shakedown cruise was intended to fully test the Busch-Sulzer 6M375 diesel engines and would range as far as the Caribbean. She did not return to Portsmouth until the end of May.

All three of her radio masts are lowered, indicating that she has just surfaced or is preparing to dive, although either maneuver would be dangerous this close to land.

It was reported in The Evening Leader of Corning, NY on Feb 20, 1925 the following: "Faizalli Mahrshacca. 20. Lascar¹ fireman in the British steamer Luceric, which came into Norfolk, Va., recently, had been denied shore leave and was determined to land in America. So when the ship was passing Thimble Shoals he threw a keg overboard and jumped after it, clinging to it through the chilly dawn. The submarine B-1² was proceeding down the harbor and sighted the Lascar, still clinging to his keg. He was almost frozen, but he fought against rescue and was subdued by force. The submarine carried the man to Cape Henry and placed him aboard the pilot boat Relief, which hastened to overtake the Luceric, and put the man back aboard her as she passed through the Virginia Capes"

1. Lascar; A semi-derogatory term for a sailor or militiaman from the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, British Somaliland or other lands east of the Cape of Good Hope who was employed on European ships from the 16th century until the mid-20th century.
2. Referring to this boat as B-1 was likely a simple typo at the time by the reporter. V-1's name was changed to Barracuda on February 19, 1931 and between then and late 1938 she coincidentally had the class identifier "B-1" painted on the side of her fairwater, but this was not the boat's name. It certainly was not being used in 1925 when the article was written. See this article for more information on this confusing issue.

National Archives photo

A fine photo of V-1 at anchor off Cuba, July 2, 1925. The exact location is not known, but is probably Guantanamo Bay. Awnings have been stretched fore and midships to give the crew some relief from the sun. Mattresses and bedding have been brought up and lashed to the lifelines to dry and air. The V-1 had no air conditioning so it must have been pretty uncomfortable below. It is my guess that the awning on the bow was set up for the officers with chairs for seating.

One of the two ship's boats, stowed under the deck just aft of the conning tower fairwater when not in use, can be seen moored alongside. Forward of the conning tower can be seen a folding set of steps to allow access to the submarine from a small boat. These were folded back into the superstructure when not needed.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

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These two images show the front and back of a photo of V-1 on February 26, 1926 while undergoing tests in New England waters. The location is a snowy, cold, and breezy Submarine Base New London, CT. She would soon head out out into Block Island Sound and the Atlantic to run tests. A stiff breeze is blowing, judging by the heavily waving flags.

It was reported on April 30, 1926 that the V-1, while under command of LCDR Sherwood Picking, struck a large whale while submerged off Cape Cod. The submarine was in the act of surfacing when a sudden jolt shook the submarine. Upon surfacing a 58 foot long whale was found to be bent around the bow of the submarine. The collision had apparently broken the whale's back and killed it. The sub suffered no damage. The whale was towed into Provincetown before being towed back to sea and allowed to sink.

International Newsreel photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

V-1 shown underway off an unknown location, possibly San Diego, 1925-1928. At the time of this photo, she still has her large 5"/51 caliber gun on the forward deck. This gun was removed in mid-1928 and replaced with a smaller 3"/50 caliber gun as a weight saving measure. The gun itself is trained out to port, indicating that they may have recently participated in a gunnery exercise. A number of the crew are lounging on the deck aft of the fairwater, atop the small boat stowage locker with their feet hanging over the boat boom crane. These boats still did not have air conditioning at this point, and thus were hot and stuffy belowdecks. The crew were afforded many opportunities to come topside in order to escape the sometimes fetid conditions below.

There is a slight roll to the seas, with the boat on top of one wave with water draining from the superstructure.

Photo in the private collection of Dave Johnston.

V-1 transiting the Gaillard Cut in the Panama Canal, November, 1927. The steep sides of the cut in these early days are evident in this photo.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

V-1 in port at Pearl Harbor, approximately December, 1927. The photographer took this picture from the deck over one of the two small boats, housed in raised slots in the deck on either side of the conning tower fairwater. The large kingpost derrick on the left was permanently mounted and was used to remove the deck covering over the boats, and to lift and swing out the boats to the water.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Close up of the photo above, showing the young sailor. A searchlight is mounted to a bracket above his head, and details of the hatch to the aft engine room can be seen.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

The crew of the V-1 photographed at Pearl Harbor sometime between the end of April, 1928 and mid-June, 1928. She came to Hawaii to take part in Fleet Problem VIII, an exercise that pitted light cruisers and a detachment of ships from Pearl Harbor ("Orange") against the Battle Fleet and the supply Train ("Blue"). The Submarine Division 20 tender seen alongside is the USS Argonne (AS-10).

In the photo the fourth man from the left, second row from the top, is Herman S. 'Brigham' Young, grandfather of Johanna Young who submitted this photo.

The barrel of the V-1's 5"/51 caliber deck gun is pointed to the right in the photo to make room for all the men to be positioned at the widest point on the deck. The top man on the right is leaning on the barrel.

Original photo in the family collection of Johanna Young. MAY NOT BE REUSED OR REPOSTED WITHOUT PERMISSION.

V-1 was renamed Barracuda on February 19, 1931 and a few months later was redesignated SS-163. The summer of 1934 had her and her sisters conducting a cruise to Alaska, and Barracuda is seen here anchored in Juneau, July, 1934. By this time her deck gun had been changed out for a 3"/50 caliber Mk 17 gun. The lighter weight weapon helped to improve stability problems of the class.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Barracuda is moored to one of her sisters in an Alaskan port, summer of 1934. Submarine Squadron 12 made its famous Alaska cruise with the submarine tender USS Holland (AS-3) herding "all her chicks" on the epic voyage testing long distance abilities of the fleet.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

Barracuda underway in an unknown location, approximately 1942-1943. This is likely before the conversion to a cargo configuration. The boat had been repainted flat black back in 1935 and her hull number replaced the B1 class identifier in 1939.

U.S. Navy photo

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