USS ''R-15'' (SS-92) was an
''R''-class coastal and harbor defense submarine of the
United States Navy.
Construction and commissioning
''R-15''′s
keel was
laid down by the
Union Iron Works in
San Francisco, California, on 30 April 1917. She was
launched on 12 October 1917, sponsored by Mrs. Thales S. Boyd, and
commissioned on 27 July 1918.
Service history
1918–1931
Following shakedown, ''R-15'' conducted operations in waters adjacent to the
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
. Based at
Balboa through December 1918, she returned to
California in January 1919; operated between
San Pedro, California, and
San Diego, California, until March; then proceeded to
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates th ...
for overhaul prior to her transfer to
Pearl Harbor's
Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor. Arriving there on 25 June, ''R-15'' was given
hull classification symbol SS-92 in July 1920. She remained in
Hawaiian waters, participating in the development of submarine warfare tactics until 12 December 1930, when she got underway for the East Coast and inactivation.
Decommissioned at
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 7 May 1931, ''R-15'' remained in the Reserve Fleet until ordered to
New London, Connecticut, for activation in the summer of 1940.
1940–1945
Arriving in the
Thames River on 9 September, she recommissioned 1 April, and in June sailed south for duty in the Canal Zone. For the next three months she operated with SubRon 3. On 3 October she got underway for New London, arriving on 23 October and reporting for duty in SubRon 7.
Patrol duties off the coast followed the entry of the
United States into
World War II. In February 1942 she again sailed south. In early March she patrolled in the
Virgin Islands area then shifted to training and patrol duties out of
Trinidad. Relieved in early August, ''R-15'' returned to the Virgin Islands thence continued on to
Bermuda and with the fall, back to New London.
In December, ''R-15'' returned to the
Caribbean Sea and operated out of
Guantanamo Bay. Further training duties in waters adjacent to the Virgin Islands and off Bermuda followed, and in April 1944 she returned to New London. Following ten months of operating out of New London, ''R-15'' returned to the Bermuda area on 14 December. For the remainder of the war she operated off the Florida coast and from 1 March to 17 June 1945, from Guantanamo Bay. On 2 September she put into
Key West, Florida
Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...
, to complete her last tour.
''R-15'' was decommissioned 17 September 1945, struck from the
Naval Vessel Register on 11 October 1945, and sold the same month to Macey O. Scott of
Miami, Florida.
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:R-15 (SS-92)
R-15 (SS-92)
World War I submarines of the United States
World War II submarines of the United States
Ships built in San Francisco
1917 ships