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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

L-6 (SS-45)

Radio Call Sign: November - Yankee - Sierra
L-5 Class Submarine: Laid down, 27 May 1914, at Craig Shipbuilding Co., Long Beach, CA.; Launched, 31 August 1916; Commissioned, USS L-6, 7 December 1917; Designated (SS-45), 17 July 1920; L-6 was placed in commission, in ordinary, on 24 March 1922; returned to full commission on 1 July 1922; Struck from the Naval Register, 20 March 1925; Decommissioned, and struck from the Naval Register, 25 November 1922; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 21 December 1925, to M. Samuel & Sons.
Partial data submitted by Yves Hubert.

Specifications: Displacement, surfaced: 456 t., submerged: 524 t..; Length 165'; Beam 14' 9"; Draft 13' 3"; Speed, surfaced 14 kts, submerged 10.5 kts; Depth Limit 200'; Complement 2 Officers, 26 Enlisted; Armament, four 18", torpedo tubes, 8 torpedoes, one 3"/23 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel-electric, Busch Sulzer Brothers Diesel Engine Co., diesel engines, 1,200hp, Fuel Capacity, 17,800 gal., Diehl Manufacture Co. electric motors, 800hp, Battery Cells 120, single propeller.
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L-6 78k L-6 (SS-45), at the California Shipbuilding Co., Long Beach California, 30 June 1917, during her sea trials. Submitted by Larry Bohn. Courtesy of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, home of the Cobia SS-245.
Pennell 127k What looks to be L-class (SS-40/51) submarines in dry dock, by the artist Joseph Pennell, 1917. Photo # 3c19552v, LC-USZ62-119552. Photograph courtesy of memory.loc.gov.
L-6 95k L-6 (SS-45), possibly at the California Shipbuilding Co., Long Beach California, 1917. USN photo.
L-7 2.00k The submarine L-7 (SS-46) with L-6 (SS-45) inboard berthed at Mare Island on 14 April 1918. Yale (ID-1672) and Charles (ID-1298) are to the right. USN Photo # 4038, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
L-7 1.90k Stern view of L-7 (SS-46) outboard of L-6 (SS-45) berthed at Mare Island on 14 April 1918. USN Photo # 4038, courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
L boat 750k The Alert (AS-4) and two of her 'pigs' in Bermuda, L-5 (SS-44), L-6 (SS-45), L-7 (SS-46) & L-8 (SS-48). Photo i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman & David Johnston
Photo courtesy of Kristina Magill via Gary Priolo.
L-6, 7 & 8 35k L-6 (SS-45), L-8 (SS-48), and L-7 (SS-46) at San Pedro, circa 1919 - 1922. Photo i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman.
Photo courtesy of Ms. Patricia Kipp Combs.
L-boats 623k L-5 (SS-44), L-6 (SS-45), L-7 (SS-46) & L-8 (SS-48) at San Pedro, circa 1919 -1922. Photo i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman & David Johnston
Photo courtesy of Carlos Manuel Estrela via Fabio Peña.
Lake type97kSubmarines at a West Coast port, circa 1919-1922. The Lake type L-8 (SS-48) is at the outboard (left) end of the nest, with her sister, L-7 (SS-46), in the middle (3rd from left). H-3 (SS-30) is between them, with another Electric Boat Company submarine second from right. The inboard (right) "boat" and that in the foreground are the other two units of the Lake-designed L-5 class; L-5 (SS-44) and L-6 (SS-45). Note piloting station details, periscope, and wide deck of the Lake type L-boat in the foreground. USNHC photo # NH 103256. Collection of Chief Engineman Virgil Breland, USN. Donated by Mrs. E.H. Breland, 1979.
Lake type97kSubmarines at a West Coast port, circa 1919-1922. The Lake type L-8 (SS-48) is at the outboard (left) end of the nest, with her sister, L-7 (SS-46), in the middle (3rd from left). H-3 (SS-30) is between them, with another Electric Boat Company submarine second from right. The inboard (right) "boat" and that in the foreground are the other two units of the Lake-designed L-5 class; L-5 (SS-44) and L-6 (SS-45). Note the "Y-tube" hydrophone mounted on the bow of the submarine in the foreground. USNHC photo # NH 103255. Collection of Chief Engineman Virgil Breland, USN. Donated by Mrs. E.H. Breland, 1979.
L-6, F-2 & friends 90k San Pedro, Calif. submarine base. From inboard to outboard:
F-2 (SS-21), L-6 (SS-45), & what appears to be H-6 (SS-149)?, H-4 (SS-147), R-7 (SS-84). Photo is at or after 30 June 1921 through 1 July 1922. The R-7 had arrived from the Panama Canal then and the L-6 was placed in commission, in ordinary, 24 March 1922; returned to full commission 1 July; and sailed for the east coast the same month. All the H-class boats left on 25 July 1922 for the east coast as well.
Notice that the other boats seem higher out of the water, which is indicative of the H-class boats which had a higher beam than the F & L-classes. The boats behind this group are too far away to i.d. properly. 		USN photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri. Partial text courtesy of DANFS.
Photo i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman.
R-24 134k PDF entitled "How the Diesel engine came to America." Photo courtesy of subvetpaul.com.
H-7 236k H and L class submarines berth in San Pedro.
From Back to front & L-R: H-6 (SS-149), L-5 (SS-44), H-7 (SS-150), H-3 (SS-30) in back berth. The H-4 (SS-147) is moored alongside the pier, ahead of her is a row with at least 2 submarines, the H-5 (SS-148) on the left & what might be either the L-6 (SS-45) or L-7 (SS-46) alongside.
The photo appeared in the LA Times on 20 February 1920. The LA Water & Power states that the San Pedro submarine base closed in 1923. 		Text i.d. courtesy of Ric Hednan .
Photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker.
L-5
0804409		 NR WIRELESS SAYS SUBMARINES ARE ACCOUNTED FOR
A1l twelve of the submarines en route from Los Angeles to Hampton Roads, Va., under convoy of the tender Beaver (AS-5), were said at the local submarine base to be accounted for this morning. 		Image and text provided by University of Florida.
Photo & text by The Lakeland Evening Telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 29 July 1922, Image 1, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
graveyard shiftNRStarting a 5,000-mile journey, which will end at their own graveyard,twelve H and L type submarines left the Navy base at San Pedro, CA, recently, bound for Hampton Roads, VA. through the Panama Canal. Upon arrival on the East coast they are to be decommissioned and cut up for scrap iron.
Eleven of the boats were:
H-2 (SS-29),
H-3 (SS-30),
L-5 (SS-44),
L-6 (SS-45),
L-7 (SS-46),
H-4 (SS-147),
H-5 (SS-148),
H-6 (SS-149),
H-7 (SS-150),
H-8 (SS-151),
H-9 (SS-152).
Image and text provided by Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA
Photo from The Weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 19 August 1922, Image 2, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
View the L-6 (SS-45)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Not Applicable to this Vessel
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