K-8

K-8 underway in San Pedro Harbor, California, early in 1915. The crew has just taken on stores, with a mound of boxes on the aft deck. Most likely K-8 was only shifting berths, as she would not go to sea with stores on deck.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

K-8 early in her career, probably 1915 with a location that is likely Hawaii. She does not have sort of bridge structure rigged. The helmsman is sitting on a stool on the left of the photo steering the boat using the bridge helm station.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

This photo shows K-8 berthed between K-7 (left), and K-3 (right) in San Diego in the spring of 1915.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

K-8 shown in the Inter Island Company drydock in Honolulu, approximately 1916-1917. The drydocks at Pearl Harbor were not yet ready to use so the Navy contracted with the Inter Island Company for drydock space. This is the same drydock that temporarily housed the F-4 (Submarine No. 23) after her accidental sinking in 1915.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman

A photograph of K-8 that had been sent home to a family member. It has notes written on it. See below.

#1: Our old USS St. Louis, the Queen of the Atlantic Ocean. #2: The old USS Alert as submarine tender. #3: The USS 39 (sic) and her crew with their submarine experience. They are going to make - Huns pay for that party with interest. Very sincerely yours till the war is over.

The photo is dated June 9, 1917. It was taken while the boat was running anti U-boat patrols in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean while operating out of Key West, Florida.

Photo courtesy of Jim Flanders.

While in Key West in 1917, several of the K-boats experimented with "Dazzle" paint schemes, intended to make it more difficult for an enemy vessel to determine course, speed, and range of a target. Many different patterns were tried. This photo shows K-8 (outboard), K-5, and two other K-class boats alongside the monitor USS Talahassee (Monitor No. 9), who was acting as a tender. The experiments were relatively short lived, as it could not be proven that the schemes actually worked the way they were intended. The boats were repainted into the standard haze gray.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

 

A closeup of the photo above, showing details of the conning tower fairwaters.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

A closeup of the bows, showing that the paint schemes were crudely applied in Florida while the boats were alongside the tender.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

John G. Cooper shown in his Navy Electrical School graduation photo taken September 25, 1917. The Electrical School was held at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. John Cooper served as an Electrician's Mate aboard the submarine tender USS Cheyenne (Monitor No. 10) and the submarine K-8 during WW I.

Photo provided by Gary Light, John G. Cooper's grandson.

The Navy Electrical School graduating class photo taken September 25, 1917. John Cooper is the 4th man from the left in the third row, the first man in that row is in all whites. The Electrical School was held at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Cooper would go on to serve on the K-8 in WW I.

Photo provided by Gary Light, John G. Cooper's grandson.

In this closeup, K-8 crewman John Cooper is the fourth man from the left, 2nd row from the bottom.

Photo provided by Gary Light, John G. Cooper's grandson.

K-8 underway in the Atlantic, early 1920's with her crew manning the rails. This was probably some sort of Naval Review.

Photo in the private collection of Ric Hedman.

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