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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

R-20 (SS-97)

Radio Call Sign: November - Alpha - Romeo - Zulu
R-1 Class Submarine: Laid down, 4 June 1917, at Union Iron Works, San Francisco, CA.; Launched, 21 January 1918; Commissioned, USS R-20, 26 October 1918; Redesignated USS R-20 (SS-97), 17 July 1920; Decommissioned, 15 May 1931, at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA.; Laid up at League Island; Recommissioned, 22 January 1941. at New London, CT.; Decommissioned, 27 September 1945 at Portsmouth, NH; Struck from the Naval Register, 1 October 1945; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 13 March 1946, to Macey O. Scott, 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.
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SS 97608k R-20 (SS-97), launched at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. Lt'd, Union Plant San Francisco on Jan 21, 1918. The left insert is a picture of the ship's sponsor, Mrs. Arnold Foster.
U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
SS 9797k R-20 (SS-97) taken in 1918, probably at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. Lt'd, Union Plant San Francisco.
U.S. Navy photo.
SS 97123k R-20 (SS-97) possibly in the Thames River near New London CT., between April - June 1941.
Text courtesy of DANFS. U.S. Navy photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
SS 92-9787k Beaver (AS-5) at anchor off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, with six submarines alongside, circa late 1918.
R-17 (SS-94),
R-20 (SS-97),
R-15 (SS-92),
R-16 (SS-93),
R-18 (SS-95) &
R-19 (SS-96).
U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 56366.
SS 92-9761k Beaver (AS-5) in port, circa 1919, with R-20 (SS-97) and other R-Boats alongside. Note the identification symbols painted on the submarines' conning towers.
U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 56364.
SS 9763k R-20 (SS-97) with the R-16 (SS-93) in the background taken from the deck of the R-14 (SS-91) off the shores of Hawaii circa 1920's.
Photo courtesy of Ric Hedman.
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. 		US Navy photo by Tai Sing Loo, courtesy of E. Little. Photo added 04/15/07.
View the R-20 (SS-97)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation
Fleet Reserve Association
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Through the Looking Glass A Historic Look at Submarines
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