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A Photographic Essay of United States Navy Submarines 1900-1940

Latest Update June 1, 2023

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  03-May-2023
  O-Boats
  USS O-3 & O-2 Groton Ct. c1921

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  03-May-2023
  B-Class
  B-1 before launch Cavite PI 1915

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  USS O-3 & O-2 Groton Ct. c1921

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  B-1 before launch Cavite PI 1915

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  A Good and Favorable Wind A Book by PigBoats.COM

An important note about submarine names

During the period of history covered by PigBoats.COM, the U.S. Navy changed the naming and designation convention for submarines several times. In order to avoid confusion as you look through these pages, we believe it is vital that you take the time to read over the document in this link: USN Submarine Naming Conventions Thank you!

About PigBoats.COM

These pages are quite a bit different from our older webpage version. The "Latest Update" section at the top will show you our latest work. The Navigation box on the left is key to finding everything else. All of the submarines are listed under the "Submarine Classes" category. They are further broken down by class and type on following pages. All photos are expandable by clicking on them. Enjoy! -Dave • - •

This new version of PigBoats.COM begins a new era for us. The formatting is changing and new skills are being learned but most importantly Dave Johnston, USN Retired, has been formally integrated into PigBoats.COM as a full and equal partner. Whereas he previously has been a most valued contributor and consultant for over 20 years and most importantly he has been a good friend. This is the formalization of that partnership. Welcome Dave!

Secondly, in this updated version of PigBoats.COM you will notice many colorized images. There are few from the day but with the new AI technology becoming available and being able to add color to older images it helps us see and visualize what the submarines, men, and service life in those days was like. Too often when we see old pictures and films we think of history as being black and white when, in fact, history was just as colorful as life is today. Black and white photography was just the mainstream technology of the day. We will not include color to all images but a portion of the collection will have this feature added. We hope you will enjoy all our additions and changes. -Ric

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USS K-3 heading out with crew on aft deck. circa 1915

This webpage began as a photo essay about United States submarines beginning with the year 1900 and working up to and through the year 1940. A line had to be drawn some place, so the sub had to be in the water (launched) by December 31, 1940 for inclusion on these pages. The page is also about the men who sailed these submarines. We do not know or remember most of the men's names you will see on these pages, but we have tried to pull their faces out of the crowd. Where the names are known we use it.

I was struck by this statement pulled from another submarine related page called Sweet Bird Of Youth.

These sailors were the boys down the street, around the corner, out on the farms, the high school football heroes and, yes, even the geeks of their time, but they became one of the elite, one of that 1% that made the cut and became "Qualified in Submarines". They were, and still are, the best of the best of the United States Navy.

It is important to remember that the submarines were just steel and machinery. It was the men who brought them to life and made them live. It is the men that gave them the romance, the mystery and the mystique.

I have included a number of first person accounts on a some of the pages of what life was like aboard an "S" or "R" or even a "K" boat. There is also an account of what it was like being bombed on Sealion at Cavite Harbor in December, 1941. All this is most valuable since the men who sailed these boats are rapidly making their own "eternal patrols". Preservation of these verbal images is important.

Sailors, rest your oar! You stand relieved, we have the watch. ...and thank you!

Acknowledgements

The Lost 52 Project

PigBoats.COM™ Is Proud to Endorse the work of the Lost 52 Project Check Them Out • - •

This work has become a collaborative effort by virtue of its viewers offering help, suggestions and images and names for publication on the page. Correcting errors we may have not known about and offering explanations for things we didn't know. Thank you all.

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Special thanks go out to Mr Roland Goodbody, Manuscripts Curator, Milne Special Collections & Archives at the University of New Hampshire Library and his staff and the University of New Hampshire for all their cooperation and kindness in helping me in this endeavor.

All photos that are from the Milne Special Collections, University of New Hampshire Library, Durham, N.H. are their property and may not be reproduced without their permission.

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I would also like to thank Wendy Gulley, Curator of The US Navy Submarine Force Museum Library in Groton, Ct. for her kind indulgences in letting me use their archive.

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Photos credited to the people who submitted them are their property, and may not be copied or reproduced without their permission unless the original photo came from the public domain such as The National Archives or the United States Navy.

No images may be downloaded and used for commercial purposes.

Submarine silhouettes provided by Submarine Silhouettes a PigBoats.COM service.

Page created by:
Ric Hedman & David Johnston
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