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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

R-1 (SS-78)

Radio Call Sign: November - India - Lima - Charlie

R-1 Class Submarine: Laid down, 16 October 1917, at Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, MA.; Launched, 24 August 1918; Commissioned, USS R-1, 16 December 1918, at Boston, MA.; Redesignated USS R-1 (SS-78), 17 July 1920; Decommissioned, 1 May 1931, at Philadelphia, PA.; Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; Recommissioned in ordinary, 23 September 1940, at Groton, CT.; Placed in full commission, 16 October 1940; Decommissioned, 20 September 1945, at Key West, FL.; Struck from the Naval Register, 10 November 1945; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 13 March 1946, to Macey O. Smith, Miami, FL.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 569 t., Submerged: 680 t.; Length 186' 2" ; Beam 18'; Draft 14' 6"; Speed, Surfaced 13.5 kts, Submerged 10.5 kts; Depth Limit, 200'; Complement 2 Officers, 27 Enlisted; Armament, four 21" torpedo tubes forward, 8 torpedoes, one 3"/50 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel electric engines, New England Ship and Engine Co., diesel engines, 1200hp, Fuel Capacity, 18,880 gals., Electro Dynamic Co., electric motors, twin propellers.

Size	Image Description	Source
167k	E.B.'s R-1 (SS-78), is shown as completed, with three housing periscopes (conning tower, control room & after battery compartment, the later extemporized during WW I) & a 3in/50 deck gun. The only sound gear shown is the circular plate of the Fessenden oscillator. As in other E.B. designs, she has her battery fore & aft of the control room.	Drawing by Jim Christley, text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
83k	The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) at anchor on 21 January 1920, with R-1 (SS-78), alongside.	US Navy photo # NH 99894, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
79k	The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) off New York City with twelve submarines alongside, circa 1920. Submarines are, from inboard to outboard (left to right): R-1 (SS-78), R-2 (SS-79), R-4 (SS-81), R-5 (SS-82), R-6 (SS-83), R-10 (SS-87), R-9 (SS-86), R-8 (SS-85), R-7 (SS-84), R-3 (SS-80), S-4 (SS-109) and S-3 (SS-107).	Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 99892, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
100k	The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) off New York City with twelve submarines alongside, circa 1920. Submarines are, from inboard to outboard (left to right): R-1 (SS-78), R-2 (SS-79), R-4 (SS-81), R-5 (SS-82), R-6 (SS-83), R-10 (SS-87), R-9 (SS-86), R-8 (SS-85), R-7 (SS-84), R-3 (SS-80), S-4 (SS-109) and S-3 (SS-107).	Official U.S. Navy Photograph # NH 59972, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
78k	The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) in San Pedro Harbor, California, 1921. Submarines alongside are (from outboard to inboard): R-1 (SS-78) R-3 (SS-80) R-8 (SS-85), R-4 (SS-81), R-2 (SS-79) & R-10 (SS-87)	US Navy photo # NH 55044, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
77k	The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) in San Pedro Harbor, California, 1921. Submarines alongside are (from outboard to inboard): R-1 (SS-78) R-3 (SS-80) R-8 (SS-85), R-4 (SS-81), R-2 (SS-79) & R-10 (SS-87)	US Navy photo # NH 55045, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
132	This photo shows the submarines R-1 (SS-78), R-2 (SS-79), R-3(SS-80), R-4 (SS-81), R-5 (SS-82), R-7 (SS-84), R-8 (SS-85) & R-10 (SS-87) with *Mud Scow #8* in Mare Island's Dry Dock #2 between 8 May and 10 June 1922. Note: The scaffold for the construction of the Montana (BB-51) can be seen above and to the right of the head of the dry dock.	Seattle NARA photo # USN photo 60-30 Record Group 181, 13th Naval District, Records of the Naval District & Shore Establishments, courtesy of Tracy White, submitted by Darryl Baker.
105k	The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) in New York Harbor during the early 1920s, with several *R-boats* alongside. The sub closest to *Camden* is R-1 (SS-78). Note that all these submarines have platforms forward of their fairwaters for a 3"/50 gun, but only one of them carries the gun.	US Navy photo # NH 61543, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
94k	The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) in New York Harbor during the early 1920s, with several *R-boats* alongside. The sub closest to *Camden* is R-1 (SS-78).	US Navy photo # NH 99895, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
91k	The Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6) in New York Harbor during the early 1920s, with several *R-boats* alongside. The sub closest to *Camden* is R-1 (SS-78).	US Navy photo # 80-G-1024959, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
167k	*R-boats* in dry dock at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, during the early 1920s. Submarines in the foreground are (from left to right): R-3 (SS-80); R-2 (SS-79); and R-1 (SS-78). Five other *R-boats* are further back in the dry dock.	US Navy photo # NH 69000, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1969.
145k	R-1 (SS-78) was ordered to the Pacific 11 April 1921, transited the Panama Canal in late May, and arrived on 30 June at her new base, San Pedro Calif. She took part in fleet exercises off Central America from 5 February through 6 April 1923, returned to San Pedro on 10 April, and on 16 July was transferred, along with Division 9, to Pearl Harbor where for the next 8 years she trained crews and developed submarine tactics. This photo dates from this time period & is possibly at San Pedro, Calif.	US Navy photo from National Archives & Record Administration (NARA), Record Group R-119-E13GG BOX-13, courtesy of interwarnavy.org. via Bill Gonyo. Text courtesy of DANFS.
58k	R-1 (SS-78),possibly at San Pedro, Calif.	Submitted by Larry Bohn, courtesy of the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Manitowoc, WI., home of the Cobia SS 245.
152k	The crews of Submarine Divisions 9 & 14 line the decks of their boats (20 in all) at the Submarine base at Pearl Harbor on 12 December 1930. R-1 (SS-78), R-2 (SS-79), R-3 (SS-80), R-4 (SS-81), 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-11 (SS-88), R-12 (SS-89), R-13 (SS-90), R-14 (SS-91), R-15 (SS-92), R-16 (SS-93), R-17 (SS-94), R-18 (SS-95), R-19 (SS-96) & R-20 (SS-97). All the *R-boats* were to leave the base where they had been serving for upwards of 8 years and transfer to the East coast to be decommissioned over the next 3 years. The only identifiable boat is the *R-16*.	US Navy photo by Tai Sing Loo, courtesy of E. Little.
66k	From left to right R-1 (SS-78), R-13 (SS-90), R-4 (SS-81), and S-22 (SS-127), at New York City, circa 1930s.	US Navy photo # NH 68899, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
91k	These World War submarines, [*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 Jan. 1941. This picture shows them as they appeared before the repair program began.	Photo & text courtesy of A.P. Wire courtesy of philly.com. Photo added 06/09/09.
39k	Fine screen halftone reproduction of a photograph of the R-1 (SS-78) taken in June 1943. Published by the Division of Naval Intelligence, Identification and Characteristics Section.	US Navy photo # NH 102947, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
189k	R-1 (SS-78), underway, starboard view, date and location unknown. *R-1* was the only *R-boat* during WW II that was credited with shooting at a German *U-boat*.	USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.