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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Patch courtesy of
Don McGrogan, BMCS, USN (ret.)

S-33 (SS-138)
Keel Laying - Sea Trials

Radio Call Sign: November - India - Papa - Bravo

To Additional Pages

Commissioning - WW II Service

S-18 Class Submarine: Laid down, 14 June 1918, at Union Iron Works, San Francisco, CA.; Launched, 5 December 1918; Commissioned, USS S-33 (SS-138), 18 April 1922; Decommissioned, 15 June 1922, at New London, CT.; Recommissioned, 21 December 1922, at New London; Decommissioned, 1 December 1937, at Philadelphia, PA.; Laid up in the Reserve Fleet at League Island; Recommissioned, 16 October 1940, at Philadelphia; Decommissioned, 23 October 1945, at San Francisco, CA.; Struck from the Naval Register, 1 November 1945; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in 1946 to Salco Iron and Metal Co. S-33 was awarded one battle star for her services in World War II.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 854 t., Submerged: 1,062 t.; Length 219' 3" ; Beam 20' 8"; Draft 15' 11"(mean); Depth Limit 200'; Speed, Surfaced 14.5 kts, Submerged 11 kts; Complement, 4 Officers, 34 Enlisted; Armament, four 21" torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes, one 4"/50 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel-electric, New London Ship & Engine diesel engines, HP 1200, Fuel Capacity, 41,192 gals.; Electro Dynamic Co., electric motors, Battery Cells, 120, twin propellers.

Size	Image Description	Source
82k	Port side view of the S-33 (SS-138) waterborne after her launch on 5 Dec 1918.	US Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
74k	The S-boats (SS-105/146-153/162) were almost an alternative to fleet boats, capable of great range (of pre WW I standards) though not of high surface speed. S-33(SS-138) was typical of the first series S-18/41(SS-123-146) of E.B.- built "Holland" *S-boats. Redesigned during construction to mount powerful 4in/50 guns instead of the planned 3in/23s, they had prominent gun sponsons. They could be distinguished from the second series of "Holland" boats by the small ammunition-passing trunks at the fore end of their trunk conning tower fairwaters (covered by the second "3" in S-33*; the later boats had much larger gun crew access hatch trunks. The prominent skeg aft (the sloping continuation of the upper deck) was typical of E.B. designs.	Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
113k	The small submarines were conceived as successors to WW I-built *R & S-boat. Four first-generation Holland S-boats* are shown, three of them identifiable, two with their radio masts raised: S-34 (SS-139), S-32 (SS-137) & S-33(SS-138) .	US Navy photo. Text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
90k	Starboard view of the S-33(SS-138) on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 3, 1920 at 16.6 knots, surfaced on 2 motors.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6082, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
98k	Starboard view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 3, 1920 at 11.3 knots, surfaced on 2 motors.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6118, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
83k	Starboard view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 3, 1920 at 10 knots, surfaced on 2 motors.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6119, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
86k	Portside view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 3, 1920 at 16.6 knots, surfaced on 2 motors.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6121, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
86k	Portside view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 3, 1920 at 12 knots, surfaced on 2 motors.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6127, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
87k	Portside view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 3, 1920 at 12 knots, surfaced on 2 motors.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6129, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
89k	Portside view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 3, 1920 at 10.9 knots, surfaced on 2 motors.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6253, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
79k	Starboard side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 3, 1920 at 10 knots, surfaced on 2 motors.	US Navy photo # 19-N-9598, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
90k	Starboard side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 4, 1920, stationary.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6081, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
71k	Port side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 4, 1920, at 13 knots, surfaced on 2 engines.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6117, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
73k	Port side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 4, 1920, at 14.8 knots, surfaced on 2 engines.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6120, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
67k	Starboard side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 4, 1920, at 15.6 knots, surfaced on 2 engines.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6124, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
89k	S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 4, 1920, at 11.1 knots, submerged on 2 engines.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6130, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
87k	Port side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 4, 1920, at 9.2 knots, awash on 2 motors.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6139, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
75k	Port side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 4, 1920, at 13.5 knots, surfaced on 2 engines.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6257, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
53k	Starboard side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 5, 1920, at 10.9 knots, surfaced on 1 engine.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6257, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
91k	Starboard side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 5, 1920, at 9.7 knots, surfaced on 1 engine.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6080, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
106k	Starboard side view of the S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 5, 1920, at 9.7 knots, surfaced on 2 engines.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6123, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
88k	S-33(SS-138) , on her sea trials at San Pedro, California, November 5, 1920, at 6 knots, submerged on 2 engines.	US Navy photo # 19-N-6138, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.