S-Boats

Other than the Nav Source site:

http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/03idx.htm

 

I know of this book, about the S-5:

http://www.amazon.com/Under-Pressure-Voyage-Submarine-S-Five/dp/0743236777/ref=sr_1_60?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245098272&sr=1-60

 

Also, just 'cause i thought it was a cool build, here's an S-Boat model someone made of a long out-of-production 1/72 vac-kit.

http://www.modelshipgallery.com/gallery/ss/ss/sclass-72-mg/mg-index.html

 

 

Thanks, that was pretty helpful!  Still looking for something more definitive though....

Check Theodore Roscoe's "US Submarine Operations in World War II".  A very complete compendium of operational histories, not just a rehash of various patrol reports

I will do that!  Thanks Ed!

searat12 wrote:

I have been recently going over some WW2 Pacific campaign reference books, and again and again, I see references to remarkable victories by the old US 'S-Boat' submarines.  Can anyone recommend a good reference book that deals specifically with this type of submarine?  There is tons of stuff around about the Gatos, but I can't seem to find much about the S-Boats.....

Revell of Germany makes a very accurate S-boat...in fact, there are two armament versions...

Wrong type.   The S-Boats currently under discussion is a class of US submarines which entered service after WWI and continued in service through WWII. 

Not the German Schnelle-boot

searat12 wrote:

I have been recently going over some WW2 Pacific campaign reference books...

I believe the S-boats were mainly operated by the Germans in the channel waters...

I guess it's time to explain the difference between S-Bootes (German MTBs) and S Boats (US Submarine Class). The S-Bootes were called E-boats by the RN.

Between 1919 and 1921 10 Submarines were build for the US Navy. Designated "S" Class, there were two variants, S-42 and S-48. S-42 (SS-153) thru S-47 (SS-158) were build by EB in Quincy, MA. S-48 (SS-159) thru S-51 (SS-162) were built by LAKE in Bridgeport, CT.

The S-42 (EB) Variant was 225 feet long with a 19.5 foot beam. It displaced 963 tons surfaced, and 1135 tons submerged. Four torpedo tubes.

The S-48 (LAKE) Variant was 240 feet  long with a 21.5 foot beam. It displaced 990 tons surfaced, and 1230 tons displaced. Five torpedo tubes.

It was preceded by the 'H' Class (5 ships) and followed by the Barracuda Class (3 ships).

S-42, 43, 45, 46, 47 & 48 were decommissioned in 1945. S-44 was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. S-49 & 50 were decommissioned in 1931. S-51 sank after a collision with the "SS City of Rome", with the loss of 32 men, in 1925.

Mike K.

mkeatingss wrote:

S-44 was sunk by a Japanese destroyer.

Really?  I didn't know German S-boats operated in Japanese waters???

US Submaines "American" not German PT boats.

U-571 (the movie was a total work of fiction) has a US S-Class submarine disguised as a German Boat to capture the Enigma.

 

Eric... 

  

 

Dont feed the troll

6400+ posts ... his knowledge is a mile wide and an inch deep

nah, no troll there... he just likes pushing folks buttons... when he is not posting his works...

In any case.... The initial issue that caught my attentiojn, and then caused me to research further, occured just after the US Marines first invaded Guadalcanal and Tulagi on 7 August, 1942.  Japanese Admiral Mikawa responded immediately by assembling a reinforcement convoy containing a force of 519 highly trained soldiers (all that were available in Rabaul at the time) loaded in two transports that set sail at 22000 on 7 August.  However, at 1255 8 August, some of the extent and size of the Marine landings became known, and the convoy was turned around to head back to Rabaul, but just off Cape St George, one of the troop ships (Meiyo Maru) was torpedoed and sunk by the old S-Boat, S-38, taking 375 men down with her, which meant no immediate land reinforcements would be coming to Guadalcanal for awhile.  Instead, Mikawa and his hastily assembled heavy cruiser force proceeded to head South to engage the Americans at the Firts Battle of the Solomon Sea, which so hammered the US and allied cruiser forces in the vicinity.  But the story doesn't end there, as after the battle (which had been pretty much an unqualified success for the Japanese), the heavy cruiser 'Kako' was torpedoed three times and sunk by the old American S-boat S-44!  After a bit more research, I found out that the S-boats were heavily involved in the whole Aleutian Islands campaign as well, and many served until 1945!  Not bad for a bunch of antique 'pig boats' designed and built for WW1!!!

The S-boats really were the archetypical "pig boats". But they live on to this day as the submarine depicted on a submariner's Dolphins.

While the fleet boats when on to the open seas as commerce raiders, I think the S-Boats were used primarily for coastal patrols, and as such, got a lot of cracks at warships as opposed to cargo and tankers.

Intersesting, SF, I never realized the sub on that medal actually depicted a real boat.

There was that famous incident when some S-boats sank some Amercian LST's off of the English Coast in Exercise Tiger during the run up to D-day...

MR!  Give it up!  If you really want to talk about German torpedo boats, then could you please start a different thread?

As for US S-boat submarines, I understand they were quite busy up in the Aleutians, and down the Kuriles and even into the Sea of Japan as well...

I bought a 1/700 scale S-Boat at the IPMS event in Alanta on Saturday...

I'm afraid I jumped the gun, on this one. I've only identified 2 classes (variants) of "S" or "Sugar" boats. The "Hotel" class didn't precede the "S" class, it broke then into early and later variants. The two variants, that I talked about, were the last two.

There were, in fact 51, not 10, in the "S" series and 9 Variants.

 S-1, 2 & 3 (SS-105, 106 & 107) were each a one ship variant. S-1 was EB, S-2 - LAKE and S-3 - Portsmouth.

SS-108, a Hydrogen peroxide fueled boat was designated Neff Class, but never built) 

 The S-4 variants consisting of 6 boats S-4 to S-9 (SS-109 - 114) were Portsmouth built.

 S-10 was a group of 4, S-10 to S-13 (SS-115 to 118).

 S-14 was the next class built with 4 boats, S-14 to S-17 (SS-119 to 122).

The last of the early "S" boats was the S-18 variant, of which 24 were built, at various yards. S-18 (SS-123) through S-30 (SS-134) were build by EB at Fore River, MA. S-31 (SS-135) through S-41  (SS-146) were build by Bethlehem Shipbuilding in San Francisco.

If anyone wants more info, drop me an email at << mkeatingss(AT)cox.net >>.

Mike K.

Gentlemen,

This is a fascinating topic to me!  The "S" Class is one of my favorite pre-war designs.  However, there is one error concerning the submariner warfare insignia.  The dolphin insignia does not depict an "S" Class boat.  Actually, the Dolphin insignia was designed to depict the starboard bow of a WWI "O" Class submarine and was adopted for both officers and enlisted men in March, 1924.  I still wear mine proudly every day (I retired from the navy 13 years ago).

Bill Morrison 

warshipguy wrote:

Gentlemen, This is a fascinating topic to me!  The "S" Class is one of my favorite pre-war designs.  However, there is one error concerning the submariner warfare insignia.  The dolphin insignia does not depict an "S" Class boat.  Actually, the Dolphin insignia was designed to depict the starboard bow of a WWI "O" Class submarine and was adopted for both officers and enlisted men in March, 1924.  I still wear mine proudly every day (I retired from the navy 13 years ago). Bill Morrison

I stand corrected, thank you Bill.

My pleasure, subfixer!

Bill Morrison

SHHHH, I think I hear the sound of someones chain being pulled. If one has Silent Hunter IV, one can command a "Sugar" boat out of Cavite. If your good you can bag several unaccompanied ships on each patrol. RickM

mkeatingss wrote:

I'm afraid I jumped the gun, on this one. I've only identified 2 classes (variants) of "S" or "Sugar" boats. The "Hotel" class didn't precede the "S" class, it broke then into early and later variants. The two variants, that I talked about, were the last two. There were, in fact 51, not 10, in the "S" series and 9 Variants.  S-1, 2 & 3 (SS-105, 106 & 107) were each a one ship variant. S-1 was EB, S-2 - LAKE and S-3 - Portsmouth. SS-108, a Hydrogen peroxide fueled boat was designated Neff Class, but never built)   The S-4 variants consisting of 6 boats S-4 to S-9 (SS-109 - 114) were Portsmouth built.  S-10 was a group of 4, S-10 to S-13 (SS-115 to 118).  S-14 was the next class built with 4 boats, S-14 to S-17 (SS-119 to 122). The last of the early "S" boats was the S-18 variant, of which 24 were built, at various yards. S-18 (SS-123) through S-30 (SS-134) were build by EB at Fore River, MA. S-31 (SS-135) through S-41  (SS-146) were build by Bethlehem Shipbuilding in San Francisco.

The early ones didn't have the skull-caps, right?

Skull Caps???

 

Mike K