USS O-9 (SS-70)

O-9 dressed overall on Washington's Birthday 1928 in Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone
History
Name:	USS O-9
Ordered:	3 March 1916
Builder:	Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, Massachusetts
Laid down:	15 February 1917
Launched:	27 January 1918
Commissioned:	27 July 1918
Decommissioned:	25 June 1931
Recommissioned:	14 April 1941
Struck:	23 October 1941
Fate:	Foundered, 20 June 1941
General characteristics
Type:	O-class submarine
Displacement:	520.6 long tons (529.0 t) surfaced 629 long tons (639 t) submerged
Length:	172 ft 4 in (52.53 m)
Beam:	18 ft (5.5 m)
Draft:	14 ft 5 in (4.39 m)
Installed power:	440 hp (330 kW) (diesel engines) 370 hp (280 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion:	Diesel-electric: 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors 2 × shafts
Speed:	14 kn (16 mph; 26 km/h) surfaced 10.5 kn (12.1 mph; 19.4 km/h) submerged
Complement:	2 officers, 27 men
Armament:	4 × 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes (8 torpedoes) 1 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 cal deck gun

USS O-9 (SS-70) was an O-class submarine of the United States Navy. Her keel was laid down on 15 February 1917 at Fore River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on 27 January 1918 sponsored by Mrs. Frederick J. Sherman, and commissioned on 27 July 1918 with Lieutenant Oliver M. Read, Jr. in command.

During the final months of World War I, O-9 operated on coastal patrol and protected the Atlantic coast from U-boats. She departed Newport, Rhode Island, on 2 November 1918 for Britain, in order to conduct her first war patrol. However, the end of the war came before O-9 reached Europe.

After the war, O-9 continued in Naval service and trained submarine crews at the Submarine School at New London, Connecticut. Proceeding to Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone, in 1924, the boat was reclassified to a second line submarine during her year there. Returning to operate at New London, O-9 reverted to a first line submarine on 6 June 1928. Sailing up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire in January 1930, the submarine returned to New London in March; the following February, she sailed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to decommission there on 25 June 1931.

Remaining on the Naval Vessel Register, O-9 was recalled to training service as American involvement in World War II became more inevitable. The 12 Tambor-class submarines were already nearing completion and 73 Gato class boats had already been ordered when O-9 was recommissioned at Philadelphia, on 14 April 1941, and went to New London on 31 May.