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History | |
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Name: | USS O-15 |
Ordered: | 3 March 1916 |
Builder: | California Shipbuilding Company, Long Beach, California |
Laid down: | 21 September 1916 |
Launched: | 12 February 1918 |
Commissioned: | 27 August 1918 |
Decommissioned: | 11 June 1924 |
Struck: | 9 May 1930 |
Fate: | Sold for scrap, 30 July 1930 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | O-class submarine |
Displacement: |
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Length: | 175 ft 3 in (53.4 m) |
Beam: | 16 ft 9 in (5.1 m) |
Draft: | 13 ft 9 in (4.2 m) |
Installed power: |
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Propulsion: |
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Speed: |
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Range: | 5,500 nmi (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) on the surface |
Test depth: | 200 feet (61.0 m) |
Complement: | 2 officers, 27 men |
Armament: |
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USS O-15 (SS-76) was one of 16 O-class submarines built for the United States Navy during World War I.
The later O-boats (O-11 through O-16) were designed by Lake Torpedo Boat Company to different specifications from the earlier ones designed by Electric Boat. They did not perform as well, and are sometimes considered a separate class. The submarines had a length of 175 feet 3 inches (53.4 m) overall, a beam of 16 feet 9 inches (5.1 m) and a mean draft of 13 feet 9 inches (4.2 m). They displaced 491 long tons (499 t) on the surface and 566 long tons (575 t) submerged. The O-class submarines had a crew of 29 officers and enlisted men. They had a diving depth of 200 feet (61.0 m).
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 440-brake-horsepower (328 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 370-horsepower (276 kW) electric motor. They could reach 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) on the surface and 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) underwater. On the surface, the O class had a range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,200 km; 6,300 mi) at 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph).
The boats were armed with four 18-inch (45 cm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried four reloads, for a total of eight torpedoes. The O-class submarines were also armed with a single 3"/50 caliber deck gun.
O-15 was laid down on 21 September 1916 by California Shipbuilding Company in Long Beach, California. The boat was launched on 12 February 1918, sponsored by Mrs. J. J. Murphy, and commissioned on 27 August 1918 with Lieutenant C. K. Martin in command. Commissioning during the final months of World War I, O-15 saw brief war time service, on patrol along the Atlantic coast. After the war, she reported to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where machinists and electricians worked on her until 20 September 1919, when she was reduced to "in commission, in reserve," at Cape May, New Jersey. She departed Philadelphia in April 1920 and proceeded, via Jamaica, to Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone, where she underwent overhaul and conducted experimental tests. Conducting training cruises, she operated in and around Cuba and the Virgin Islands early in 1922 and returned to Coco Solo in April.