R-21 underway in Yellow Mill Channel off Bridgeport, CT. shortly after her commissioning in June, 1919. Note that the 3"/50 caliber deck gun has not yet been installed.
R-22 underway 1920-1922, probably in the Thames River, CT. south of the Submarine Base in Groton. Unlike the EB design R-boats, the Lake design stowed the gun with it pointed forward.
R-23 underway in Long Island Sound during her builder's trials, September 30, 1919. She had not yet been commissioned into the Navy, and Lake Torpedo Boat Company personnel, along with Navy observers, were sailing her. The yard personnel were responsible to test all systems on the boat to ensure that they met Navy specifications before the Navy would accept her.
R-24 just prior to her commissioning at a pier in Bridgeport, CT. near the Lake shipyard. The photo date is likely May or June of 1919. It looks as if she is going through an inclining experiment, a procedure that used weights placed on deck to determine the center of gravity and overall stability. The results of the experiment determined how much and where static lead ballast needed to be placed inside the boat.
R-25 sliding down the ways at the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Bridgeport, CT. on May 15, 1919. Lake launched his boats at approximately 60% complete, finishing the work at a fitting out pier. A launch was always a popular event with the local community, and hundreds would routinely show up at the Lake facility for the pomp and circumstance of the event.
R-26 at an unknown location, September 26, 1923. One caption for this photo had the location listed as Philadelphia, but this can't be confirmed. R-26 and her sisters operated mostly out of the Panama Canal Zone in the early 1920's, so this photo could have been taken somewhere in the waters near the Zone or the Caribbean.
R-27 running on the surface in the early 1920's, possibly off Panama. R-27 was the only Lake design R-boat to make a voyage to Hawaii in 1923, so it is possible that this photo was taken there.
