The U.S. Navy began operating submarines out of San Pedro, California as early as 1910, but officially established Submarine Base San Pedro on June 10, 1917. The Navy rented space in the warehouses along piers 57-60 in an area near what is now Cabrillo Marina Park. San Pedro eventually became a major fleet anchorage, although a full Navy Yard and base was never built. However, it was a significant submarine base until about 1940, when most of the remaining submarine operations were shifted to San Diego and Pearl Harbor. The movie photos shown below were all taken at Submarine Base San Pedro or in the nearby San Pedro Channel.
F-3 movie role as U-65
This series of 14 photographs in the Glover Collection show F-3 laying to off Submarine Base San Pedro, diving, or surfacing for the movie cameras. All photos are clickable for larger versions. The last photo shows her at rest with Deadman's Island in the background. Deadman's Island and Reservation Point were dredged away in 1928 as part of a harbor development effort. The island was in the main channel of the Port of Los Angeles and was dynamited and dredged away, with the resulting rubble used to add 62 acres to the southern tip of Terminal Island.
Photo gallery of George Glover
Eight photos of QM 2c George "Ray" Glover, USN while assigned to the USS F-3 (SS-25) in 1918 and 1919. In some of the photos the F-2 can be seen in the background.
Various Crew Photos
These are various informal crew photos of George Glover's shipmates on F-3. Although these men were consummate professionals, don't expect to see spit and polish or rigid discipline. Submarine life in this period was hot, smelly, and dangerous. The pretensions of the surface Navy simply did not work in this environment. The bonds amongst the crew were strong, and familiarity bred only respect, not contempt or carelessness.
