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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

R-10 (SS-87)

Radio Call Sign: November - India - Lima - Papa
R-1 Class Submarine: Laid down, 21 March 1918, at Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, MA.; Launched, 28 June 1919; Commissioned, USS R-10, 20 August 1919, at Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA.; Redesignated USS R-10 (SS-87), 17 July 1920; Decommissioned, 18 June 1945, at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA.; Struck from the Naval Register, 11 July 1945; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in 22 January 1946, to North American Smelting Co., Philadelphia, PA.
Partial data submitted by Yves Hubert.

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.
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R-10 973k Uncle Sam's newest and greatest submarine, taking the water at the yards of the Fore River Shipbuilding Company, at Quincy, Mass.
The R-10 (SS-87) is the last word in submersibles, being fitted with many inventions that have proved their value during the war. 		Image and text provided by Indiana State Library & Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA.
Photo from the South Bend News-Times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 16 October 1919, AFTERNOON EDITION, Image 12, & Evening Public Ledger. (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 21 July 1919, Night Extra Financial, Image 24, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
SS-84 3.20k Ours (R) us.
Ship's Company R-7 (SS-84) with the R-5 (SS-82) & R-10 (SS-87) molded into the background. Time frame could have been circa 1920 when she was operating with infamous SUBDIV 9; all the boats in the photo were part of that division including the R-2 (SS-79) (which may just be visible in the top of the photo).
The R-7 appears underway in the bottom of the photo. 		Photo i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman.
Photo courtesy of Jan Reid.
R-3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10, S-3 & 4 191k R & S boats nested together, May 1920, alongside Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6). From inboard to outboard:
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).
Note that all the R-boats have gun platforms, but that guns are fitted only on R-10,
and R-3.
S-4 has a platform for a 4"/50 gun (but no gun is installed), while S-3 still has no gun platform. 		USN photo # 19-N-9936, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham. Text i.d. courtesy of USNHC photo # NH 41855.
SS-85 3.01k U.S. Navy Yard, Norfolk, Va., Dry dock No. 4, Submarines R-1 (SS-78) to R-10 (SS-87). Inc., Targets 43, 45, 53 & 60., 6 October 1920. National Archives Identifier: 52559671
Local Identifier: 181-V-2733.
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
SS-85 2.63k U.S. Navy Yard, Norfolk, Va., Dry dock No. 4, Submarines R-1 (SS-78) to R-10 (SS-87). Inc., Targets 43, 45, 53 & 60., 6 October 1920. National Archives Identifier: 52559669
Local Identifier: 181-V-2732
Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov
SS-84 & friends 87k R-boats off New York City, circa 1920. from inboard to outboard (left to right):
R-7 (SS-84),
R-8 (SS-85),
R-9 (SS-86),
R-10 (SS-87),
R-6 (SS-83),
R-5 (SS-82),
R-4 (SS-81).
Official USN photo # NH 41746, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
Image and text provided by Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge, LA.
Photo from The Madison Journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 05 June 1920, Image 2, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov.
SS-84 & friends 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 USN photo # NH 99892, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.
R-boats R- US 416k R-Boats tied to a tender. The cityscape in the background is New York City. Location is the 79th Street Boat Basin on the west side of Manhattan Island. They were in transit to Hawaii.
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) with the stern of another R-boat visible. It is quite possible that this photo is taken from a different angle from the one above with the same boats in order but only a partial view. 		Photo i.d. & text courtesy of Ric Hedman.
USN photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
R-9 & 10 65k R-boats of Submarine Division 9, circa late 1920. From outboard to inboard:
R-10 (SS-87) and R-9 (SS-86) are tied up at dock, most likely at New London, CT., or Portsmouth, ME. 		USN photo # 19-N-10260, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
SS 87368k R-10 (SS-87), underway off the Hawaiian coast on 27 October 1923. USN photo courtesy of David Buell.
SS-83 58k R-6 (SS-83), being refloated in San Pedro Harbor, California, 13 October 1921. She had sunk there on 26 September of that year. In the background, assisting with the salvage work, is R-10 (SS-87). USN photo # NH 93419, from the collection of Delmar Ketch, photographed by A.E. Wells, Washington, D.C.
R-6
0808309		468k R-6 (SS-83) partly up. Submarine Tender #4 Alert, R-10 (SS-87) & tug Cardinal, 1921. Photo courtesy of digitalcommonwealth.org
BB-51 Montana132This 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 @ Researcher @ Large & submitted by Darryl L. Baker.
Sub Base Pearl Harbor152kThe 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. 		USN photo by Tai Sing Loo, courtesy of E. Little.
R-14 419k Loading a torpedo aboard the R-14 (SS-91), with the R-10 (SS-87) operating out of Portsmouth Navy Yard in Portsmouth New Hampshire in 1939. Source: LIFE Magazine Archives - Carl Mydans Photographer, shared by Peter DeForest via Mike Green.
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 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 January 1941. This picture shows them as they appeared before the repair program began. Photo & text courtesy of A.P. Wire courtesy of philly.com.
R-10 31k A 1940's Watercolor by the artist Albert K. Murray entitled "Submarine R-10 (SS-87) St. Thomas, Virgin Islands". Painting #36A 88-195-AL, courtesy of the USNHC.
Pompano 401k This air view of Portsmouth Navy Yard taken just after the end of WW II shows the main shipbuilding shed which enabled construction to continue unimpeded by the Maine winters. The shed was widened to add two ways in 1941, and a fifth was squeezed in a year later. Drydocks No. 1 (left) & 2 (far right) contain six fleet submarines, while three R-boats are moored in the foreground.
The Pompano (SS-491) would have been under construction in the first ways on the left hand corner of the main shipbuilding shed. 		Photo and partial text from The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy: A Design and Construction History, by John D. Alden.
McWethy 911k Photo of the then LCDR R. D. McWethy, USN. This photo was taken in October 1947 while he was serving as Assistant to the Mare Island Shipyard Commander. He served as the CO of the R-10 (SS-87) from 15 July 1944 18 June 1945. Text i.d. courtesy of Wolfgang Hechler.
Photo from the files of the Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum via Darryl L. Baker.
View the R-10 (SS-87)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
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