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USS ''H-1'' (SS-28), the lead ship of her class of
On Eternal Patrol: USS ''H-1''
{{DEFAULTSORT:H-1 (SS-28) United States H-class submarines World War I submarines of the United States Lost submarines of the United States Maritime incidents in 1920 United States submarine accidents Shipwrecks of Mexico Ships built in San Francisco 1913 ships Ships built by Union Iron Works
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
of the United States Navy, was originally named ''Seawolf'', making her the first ship of the U.S. Navy to be named for the seawolf.
''Seawolf'' was laid down by the Union Iron Works of San Francisco, California. She was renamed on 17 November 1911, launched on 6 May 1913 sponsored by Miss Lesley Jean Makins, and commissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard on 1 December 1913.
Service history
The new submarine was attached to Torpedo Flotilla 2, Pacific Fleet, and operated along the West Coast out of San Pedro, California. During various exercises and patrols, she traveled the coast from Los Angeles, California to lower British Columbia, often in company with hersister ship
A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
s and sometimes .
Sailing from San Pedro, California on 17 October 1917, she reached New London, Connecticut on 8 November. For the remainder of World War I, she was based there and patrolled Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...
, frequently with officer students from the submarine school on board.
''H-1'' and ''H-2'' sailed for San Pedro, California on 6 January 1920, transiting the Panama Canal on 20 February. On 12 March, as ''H-1'' made her way up the coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula, she ran aground on a shoal off Magdalena Bay
Magdalena Bay ( es, Bahía Magdalena) is a long bay in Comondú Municipality along the western coast of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. It is protected from the Pacific Ocean by the unpopulated sandy barrier islands of Isla Magdalen ...
.
Four men – including the commanding officer died trying to reach shore. The diesel freighter on her maiden voyage for the California & Mexico Steamship Company (also this line's inaugural voyage), tried to pull the submarine into deep water, and then carried 22 survivors to San Pedro where they arrived on March 18. pulled ''H-1'' off the rocks in the morning of 24 March, but in only 45 minutes, the submarine sank in some of water. Further salvage effort was abandoned. Her name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 12 April, and she was sold for scrap in June 1920, but never recovered.
In 2019, her wreck was identified south of Baja California.
References
External links
*On Eternal Patrol: USS ''H-1''
{{DEFAULTSORT:H-1 (SS-28) United States H-class submarines World War I submarines of the United States Lost submarines of the United States Maritime incidents in 1920 United States submarine accidents Shipwrecks of Mexico Ships built in San Francisco 1913 ships Ships built by Union Iron Works