USS R-24
USS R-24 (SS-101) in the Reserve Basin at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, 22 September 1923, when the boat was undergoing a shipyard overhaul | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | R-24 |
| Ordered | 29 August 1916 |
| Builder | Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Bridgeport, Connecticut |
| Cost | $871,310.58 (hull and machinery)[1] |
| Laid down | 9 May 1917 |
| Launched | 21 August 1918 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. Elizabeth Norton |
| Commissioned | 27 June 1919 |
| Decommissioned | 11 June 1925 |
| Stricken | 9 May 1930 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 30 July 1930 |
| General characteristics [2][3] | |
| Class & type | R-21-class submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 175 feet (53 m) |
| Beam | 16 ft 7 in (5.05 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft 11 in (4.24 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 3,523 nautical miles (6,525 km; 4,054 mi) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph), 6,499 nmi (12,036 km; 7,479 mi) if fuel loaded into the main ballast tanks |
| Test depth | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Capacity | 17,922 US gallons (67,840 L; 14,923 imp gal) fuel |
| Complement |
|
| Armament | |
USS R-24 (SS-101), also known as "Submarine No. 101", was an R-21-class coastal and harbor defense submarines of the United States Navy commissioned after the end of World War I.
Design
The R-boats built by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, R-21 through R-27, are sometimes considered a separate class, R-21-class, from those built by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company, R-1 through R-14, and the Union Iron Works, R-15 through R-20, R-1-class.[2]
The submarines had a length of 175 feet (53.3 m) overall, a beam of 16 ft 7 in (5.1 m), and a mean draft of 13 ft 11 in (4.2 m). They displaced 497 long tons (505 t) on the surface and 652 long tons (662 t) submerged. The R-21-class submarines had a crew of 3 officers and 23 enlisted men. They had a diving depth of 200 ft (61.0 m).[2][4]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 500-brake-horsepower (373 kW) Busch-Sulzer diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 400-horsepower (298 kW) Diehl Manufacture Company electric motor. They could reach 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface and 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) underwater. On the surface, the R-21-class had a range of 3,523 nautical miles (6,525 km; 4,054 mi) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph), or 6,499 nmi (12,036 km; 7,479 mi) if fuel was loaded into their main ballast tanks.[4]
The boats were armed with four 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried four reloads, for a total of eight torpedoes. The R-21-class submarines were also armed with a single 3 in (76 mm)/50 caliber deck gun.[2][4]
Construction
R-24's keel was laid down on 9 May 1919, by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, of Bridgeport, Connecticut. She was launched on 21 August 1918,[5] sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth Norton,[6] and commissioned on 27 June 1919, with future Rear Admiral, Lieutenant Commander Andrew Carl Bennett in command.[5]
Service history
After four months of coastal operations off southern New England, R-24 got underway for her homeport, Coco Solo, in the Panama Canal Zone, on 1 November.[5]
When the US Navy adopted its hull classification system on 17 July 1920, she received the hull number SS-101.[3]
At the end of 1921, she returned to the United States for a shipyard overhaul. In the fall of 1922, she resumed operations out of Coco Solo, and Balboa. A year later she again sailed to the United States, for a shipyard overhaul, and at the end of 1924, she returned for inactivation.[5]
Fate
On 25 January 1925, she arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and on 11 June, she was decommissioned after only five-and-a-half years of service. R-24 was berthed at League Island, for the next five years. On 9 May 1930, she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register, and on 30 July 1930, she was sold for scrapping.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d Friedman 1995, p. 308.
- ^ a b Priolo & R-24.
- ^ a b c Gardiner & Gray 1985, p. 129.
- ^ a b c d e DANFS & R-24.
- ^ Hall 1925, p. 188.
Bibliography
- "Table 21 - Ships on Navy List June 30, 1919". Congressional Serial Set. U.S. Government Printing Office: 770. 1921.
- Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
- Priolo, Gary. "R-24 (SS-101)". Navsource.net. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- "R-24". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 20 November 2025. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Hall, Anne Martin (1925). Ships of the United States navy and their sponsors, 1913-1923. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
External links
- Photo gallery of USS R-24 (SS-101) at NavSource Naval History