US R Class submarines.
January 2nd, 2009 From
>Date: Tue, 30 Sep 1997 00:29:02 -0600
>From: Brooks A Rowlett
>Organization: None whatsoever
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>To: Mahan Naval History Mailing List
> MARHST
>Subject: US R Class submarines.
>Precendence: bulk
>Sender: mahan-owner@microworks.net
>Reply-To: mahan@microworks.net
>
>This thread appears currently on the “subwar” mailing list.
>
>First:
>
> > Subject: US R-Type Submarines
> > Date: Sun, 28 Sep 1997 17:05:01 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: Frederick J Milford
> > To: sub-list@webcom.com
> >
> >
> > There were at least two varieties of R boats: R-1 through R-20 (SS-78
> > through SS-97) were an EB design and R-21 through R-27 (SS-98 through
> > SS-104) were a Lake design. There may have been two varieties of EB boats.
> > I have checked a number of usually reliable references and found the
> > following statements re torpedo tubes:
> >
> > All had four 21″ tubes
> > All had four 18″ tubes (not to quibble over 17.7″ vs 18″)
> > The EB boats had four 21″ tubes and the Lake boats had > four 18″ tubes
> >
> > The sources included DANFS, Friedman, Conways and Fahey. I seems > clear that
> > at least some of the R boats had 18″ tubes, but which ones?
> >
> > Does anyone have very solid information, i.e., ships data books > or something
> > equivalent that would resolve this presumably factual issue?
> >
> > The genesis of the question is wheter or not any 17.7″ torpedoes were
> > actually taken on war patrols during WW II. As far as I know, the O boats,
> > which all had 18″ tubes, did not make official war patrols.
> >
> > Many thanks in advance
>
>Second:
>
> >Date: Sun, 28 Sep 1997 20:23:44 -0700 (PDT)
> > From: ron smith
> > Reply-To: subsmith@postoffice.worldnet.att.net
> > To: sub-list@webcom.com
> >
> >
> > Re Milfords question on R -boats, I can’t help on the “Who made what?”
> >
> > I can assure you that no US Submarines made war patrols with anything
> > except 21 inch tubes.
>
>Third:
>
> >Date: Mon, 29 Sep 1997 13:08:06 -0700 (PDT)
> >From: Walt Morgan
> >To: sub-list@webcom.com
> >
> >
> > R-1 thru R-9 were EB 77-A(a) design
> > R-10 thru R-20 were Eb 77A design
> > R-21 thru R-27 were a Lake design
> >
> > The above info comes from “United States Submarine Data” published by
> > The Submarine Library.
> >
> > H.T. Linton in his “American Submarines says R-21 thru R-27 were all
> > scrapped in 1930. He gives no specs on them.
>
>And here’s my input;
>
>To add to the confusion, Terzibaschitsch in AMERICAN SUBMARINES
>gives the surviving R’s in WWII 21 inch tubes and says that their
>size compared to O’s was due to this. Anthony J Watts ALLIED
>SUBMARINES in the WWII Fact Files series says the same thing, as
>does SDUBMARINES OF WORLD WAR TWO by Bagnasco. Silverstone in US
>WARSHIPS OF WORLD WAR I gives them all 18 inch tubes, as does Polmar
>in THE AMERICAN SUBMARINE. M.P. Cocker’s OBSERVER’S DIRECTORY OF
>ROYAL NAVY SUBMARINES 1901-1982 in the entry on _P511_, P512_ and
>_P514_, ex _R-3_,_R-17_, and _R-19_, respectively, says 21 inch. And at
>the moment I can’t find my Silverstone US WARSHIPS OF WW2.
>
>Friedman’s US NAVAL WEAPONS from 1983 says of the Bliss-Leavitt Mk 9 21
>inch torpedo, “Battleship torpedo (1915), used in WW2 to supplement
>stocks of Mark 14 (‘R’ and ‘S’ class submarines). Last Bliss torpedo”
>
>-Brooks A Rowlett
>brooksar@idny.net