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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive
Patch contributed by
Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN (ret.)

O-3 (SS-64)

Radio Call Sign: November - Alpha - Mike - Romeo
O Class Submarine: Laid down, 2 December 1916, at Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, MA.; Launched, 27 September 1917; Commissioned, USS O-3, 13 July 1918; Designated (SS-64), 17 July 1920; Reclassified a 2nd line submarine 25 July 1924 and to a 1st line submarine, 6 June 1928; Decommissioned, 6 June 1931, at Philadelphia, PA.; Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; Recommissioned, 3 February 1941, at Philadelphia, PA.; Decommissioned, 11 September 1945; Struck from the Naval Register, 11 October 1945; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 4 September 1946, to John J. Duane Co.
Partial data submitted by Yves Hubert.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 521 t., Submerged: 629 t.; Length 172' 4"; Beam 18' 0"; Draft 14' 5"; Speed, Surfaced 14 kts, Submerged 10.5 kts; Operational Depth Limit 200 ft; Complement 2 Officers 27 Enlisted; Armament, four 18", torpedo tubes, 8 torpedoes, one 3"/23 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel-electric, New England Ship and Engine Co, diesels, 880 hp, Fuel Capacity, 21,897 gal.; New York Navy Yard electric motors, 740 hp, Battery Cells 120, single propeller.
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R 1.60k Schley (SS-52) forward looking aft, 9 January 1917.
Note the construction of two other submarines on the ways to the left.
The only other submarines under construction at Fore River were O-3 (SS-64), O-4 (SS-65), O-5 (SS-66), & O-6 (SS-67), which were all laid down between 2 thru 8 December 1916. 		Photo & text i.d. courtesy of David Johnston
US National Archives photo # 19lc 11 from NARA, College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
O-3 154k Launching of the O-3 (SS-64) on 27 September 1917. Photo from Hearst Pathe News.
National Archives Identifier: 45548667
Local Identifier: 165-WW-505B-063.
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
O-3 64k O-3 (SS-64) pictured here during her shakedown trials on 24 March 1918. US National Archives photo # 19-N-599, a US Navy Bureau of Ships photo now in the collections of the US National Archives. Partial text courtesy of DANFS.
SS-64710kO-3 (SS-64) makes a pretty picture here during her shakedown trials.Photo from Hearst Pathe News.
National Archives Identifier: 45513783
Local Identifier: 165-WW-338B-045
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
O-3 778k Starboard side view of the O-3 (SS-64), underway, circa 1918. She is shown in much of her original form with a 3in/23 disappearing mount forward of her bridge fairwater and her two periscopes in faired shears. US Naval Historical Center photo # 44546 courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
Partial text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
O-3, 6 & 7 746 O-boats of Submarine Division Eight at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, circa Christmas 1918. Note holiday greenery displayed on the submarines' superstructures. The three outboard submarines are (from left to right): O-6 (SS-67); O-3 (SS-64); and O-7 (SS-68). The two-stack ship in the left center distance is probably Dubuque (PG-17). Copied from the collection of David J. Lohr, by courtesy of Radioman 1st Class Pamela J. Boyer, USN, 1986. US Naval Historical Center photo # NH 101013.
O-3 64k Gunner's Mate 2nd Class David J. Lohr, USN (left) poses with two friends, a Chief Gunner's Mate (center) and a 2nd Class Machinist's Mate (right), circa 1918-1920. The Machinist's Mate wears a O-3 (SS-64) band on his "flat hat". Note the distinguishing marks on the uniform sleeves of GM2c Lohr and the Chief. Both have the Torpedoman mark. Lohr wears the Expert Rifleman mark, and the Chief wears the Seaman Gunner mark. Copied from the collection of David J. Lohr, by courtesy of Radioman 1st Class Pamela J. Boyer, USN, 1986. US Naval Historical Center photo # NH 100999.
O-5 & O-3 95k O-5 (SS-66), left and O-3 (SS-64), probably at the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts, circa 1918-1920. Collection of Christopher Henry William Lloyd, donated by Virginia M. Agostini, 1990. US Naval Historical Center photo # NH 98061.
O-1 128k Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina. Seven O-boats in drydock, circa 1919. O-10 (SS-71) is in the foreground. The most distant "boats" are O-1 (SS-62) , and O-3 (SS-64) . The drydock is in the process of being filled. US Naval Historical Center photo # NH 42564.
O-1 137k Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina.Seven O-boats in drydock, circa 1919. O-1 (SS-62) is in the foreground. O-3 (SS-64) is next astern, to left. O-10 (SS-71) is the most distant, in the right center. Outside the drydock (center background) are three destroyers, one of which is Terry (DD-25), and Asheville (PG-21), which is under construction. The drydock is being filled. US Naval Historical Center photo # NH 42565.
O-boats 579k U.S. submarines at Bermuda. Just returned from war zone.
From left to right, 2 unidentified O-boats, O-3 (SS-64), O-5 (SS-66) & O-7 (SS-68).
On 2 November 1918 O-boats 1 / 10 (SS-62 / 71) departed Newport with a 20-sub contingent bound for European waters, however, the Armistice was signed before the ships reached the Azores, and they returned to the United States.		 Text i.d. courtesy of DANFS.
Photo by James W. Anderson, courtesy of Kristina Magill via Gary Priolo.
O-boats 1.04k Late type American submarine, Bermuda. One of the unknown 10 O-boats 1 / 10 (SS-62 / 71) . Photo by James W. Anderson, courtesy of Kristina Magill via Gary Priolo.
O-boats 659k A steel sea monster, amphibious and formidable, is Uncle Sam's newest submarine just home from war duty. The great fin rudders stabilize the boat under water and assist in speedy submerging. They fold up snugly against the sides when the "sub." is under way. Several of these new O-boats are making their initial New York appearance in the Naval Review. Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Photo from the New-York Tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 27 April 1919, Image 47, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
O-boats 85k Submarine Division 8,Commander Guy E. Davis commanding. Nine of the Division's ten O-boats at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 16 August 1921. Panoramic photograph by Crosby, "Naval Photographer", 11 Portland Street, Boston. Submarines in the front row are (from left to right): O-3 (SS-64), O-6 (SS-67), O-9 (SS-70) and O-1 (SS-62). Those in the second row are (from left to right): O-7 (SS-68), unidentified (either O-2 or O-8), O-5 (SS-66), O-10 (SS-71) and O-4 (SS-65). Large four-stacked ship in the left center distance is the U.S. Army Transport Mount Vernon. USNHC photograph # NH 103193.
O-boats 800k GERMAN MOTHER OF U.S. SUBS
The Saxonia, now Savannah (AS-8), once considered the finest German passenger ship, is now a mother for United States submarines. Here she is off the coast at Provincetown, Mass., with some of her cubs. 		Image and text provided by Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ.
Photo from the Bisbee Daily Review. (Bisbee, Ariz.) 1901-1971, 21 August 1921, SECOND SECTION, Image 9, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
Groton
0811504		1.14k The Dock. Submarine Base, Groton, Conn.
From front to back & right to left: S-10 (SS-115), S-20 (SS-125), O-1 (SS-62), O-4 (SS-65), O-2 (SS-63) & O-3 (SS-64), circa 1923.		Photo courtesy of digitalcommonwealth.org
S- boats etc 561k S-10 (SS-115) & S-15 (SS-120) in the foreground.
Behind them from right to left: O-1 (SS-62), O-4 (SS-65), O-2 (SS-63) & O-3 (SS-64). What appears to be another conning tower is behind the O-3. If so, and being that all the O-boats are together numerically, it might be the O-5 (SS-66), which would date the photo no later than 28 October 1923 when the O-5 sank after being rammed while entering Limon Bay, Canal Zone, 28 October 1923, by United Fruit steamer Abangarez. 		Photo by Arkivi/Getty Images via Getty Images, courtesy of gettyimages.com.
Solo 162k US Submarine base at Coco Solo, Panama 1923.
The R-26 (SS-103) is in the background with the white tarp over her fore deck.
The Submarine Chaser in the background is SC 285.
The O-3 (SS-64) & O-7 (SS-68) are in front of the R-26. The O-9 (SS-70) is next closest to the camera. The two boats in the foreground are the O-5 and a mystery "O" boat.
The O-5 reported to Coco Solo in January of 1923 and she sank 18 October 1923 with the loss of 2 lives. 		USN photo courtesy of Ric Hedman.
S-69
0806917		484k3 O-boats bows: Broadside view of O-8 (SS-69) with two other unidentified O-boats moored to a buoy in Gatun Lake, Panama, approximately 1925. The famous Gatun Dam can be seen in the background, with the hydroelectric power station building on the right. The dam is the centerpiece of the canal, providing water for the 21 mile long lake as well as for the majority of the rest of the canal. It also provides power to operate the locks as well as for the needs of the surrounding population. Photo i.d. & text courtesy of David Johnston (USN, retired)
USN photo thanks to Jim Kurrasch @ Battleship Iowa, Pacific Battleship Center.
US Fleet Problem Number VI 1.72k Control Force Employment Schedule, 4 January to 1 March 1926. US Fleet Problem Number VI. Photo courtesy of Steve Ireland.
S-10 67k These O type and S type submarines which were used during the World War have since been decommissioned and are now laid up in the Phila. Navy Yard. The peaceful surroundings are quite a contrast to those of their active war days. They are pictured here on 17 July 1936.
The S-10 (SS-115) was decommissioned on the day this photo was taken at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA. and laid up in the Reserve Fleet.
Pictured also are any of the following boats that were at the PNY during this time.
The O boats: O-1 (SS-62), O-2 (SS-63), O-3 (SS-64), O-6 (SS-67), O-7 (SS-68), O-8 (SS-69), O-9 (SS-70), O-10 (SS-71).
The S boats: S-6 (SS-111), S-7 (SS-112), S-8 (SS-113), S-9 (SS-114), S-11 (SS-116), S-12 (SS-117), S-13 (SS-118), S-14 (SS-119), S-15 (SS-120), S-16 (SS-121), S-17 (SS-122) & S-48 (SS-159). 		Photo & text courtesy of A.P. Wire courtesy of philly.com.
Philadelphia Navy Yard 2.49k Philadelphia Navy Yard, 28 October 1940.
The photo presented panorama military shipyards in Philadelphia Navy Yard. Most of the ships are obsolete US destroyers, that were transfer to Great Britain under lend lease.
The submarines are on the left hand side of the photo, and they are: (in no particular order)
The O boats: O-1 (SS-62), O-2 (SS-63), O-3 (SS-64), O-6 (SS-67), O-7 (SS-68), O-8 (SS-69), O-9 (SS-70), O-10 (SS-71).
The R boats: R-1 (SS-78), R-2 (SS-79), R-3 (SS-80), R-5 (SS-82), R-6 (SS-83), R-7 (SS-84), R-8 (SS-85), R-9 (SS-86), R-10 (SS-87), R-12 (SS-89), R-15 (SS-92), R-16 (SS-93), R-17 (SS-94), R-18 (SS-95), R-19 (SS-96) & R-20 (SS-97).
The S boats: S-11 (SS-116), S-12 (SS-117), S-13 (SS-118), S-14 (SS-119), S-15 (SS-120), S-16 (SS-121), S-17 (SS-122) & S-48 (SS-159).
The Olympia (C-6) is shown at the right of the wharf on Broad Street.
The stadium in the upper left, was John F. Kennedy Stadium (formally Philadelphia Municipal Stadium) that stood from 1926 to 1992. It was erected for the 1926 Sesquicentennial. 		Photo i.d. courtesy of Ron Reeves (of blessed memory).
Photo courtesy of flickr.com.
Lower resolution photo. (548k)
Navy Yard 417k These World War submarines, [O & R-boats] tied up in the Navy Yard in Philadelphia for a dozen years, are being reconditioned and some are already in active service again, it was announced 10 January 1941. This picture shows them as they appeared before the repair program began.
From Left to right: O-3 (SS-64), unknown, R-1 (SS-78), R-7 (SS-84), R-20 (SS-97), R-19 (SS-96) & R-17 (SS-94). 		Photo courtesy of the George D. McDowell Philadelphia Evening Bulletin Photographs @ digital.library.temple.edu
205 189k A scene from the 1943 movie Crash Dive, showing an unidentified O-class submarine backing out of a berth at the Naval Submarine Base New London, CT in the late summer of 1942. The boat can not be positively identified, but is one of group of eight O-class submarines that were brought out of mothballs to train submarine crews. This particular boat is either O-2 (SS-63),O-3 (SS-64), O-4 (SS-65), O-7 (SS-68), O-8 (SS-69), or O-10 (SS-71). The submarine in the foreground is the Marlin (SS-205). Photo & text courtesy of David Johnston
O-3 53k Shown here in the grim reality of winter in the North Atlantic is the training boat O-3 (SS-64) covered in snow and ice, circa 1943. The destroyer sent to escort them home can just be made out in the top left. USN photo from the book "Submarine: An anthology of first-hand accounts of the war under the sea, 1939-1945", edited by Jean Hood & submitted by Robert Hurst.
O-3 324k Aerial of the O-3 (SS-64) photographed by the ZP-11 on 8 February 1944. USN photo # 80-G-214546, from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
SS 64 316k Aerial of the O-3 (SS-64) photographed by the ZP-11 on 8 February 1944. USN photo # 80-G-214547, from National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), College Park, Maryland, courtesy of Sean Hert.
View the O-3 (SS-64)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Not Applicable to this Vessel
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
PigBoats.COM TM, a Historic Look at Submarines
HISTORIC SUBMARINE DOCUMENTARY AND TRAINING FILMS
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