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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

S-50 (SS-161)

S-48 Class Submarine: Laid down, 15 March 1920, at Lake Torpedo Boat Co., Bridgeport, CT.; Launched, 18 June 1921; Commissioned, USS S-50 (SS-161), 20 May 1922; Decommissioned, 20 August 1927, at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA.; Laid up in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, League Island, PA; Struck from the Naval Register, 31 March 1931; Final Disposition, sold for scrapping in 1936.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 903 t., Submerged: 1,230 t.; Length 240'; Beam 21' 10"; Draft 13' 6"; Depth Limit 200"; Speed, surfaced 14.5 kts, submerged 11 kts; Complement 4 Officers 34 Enlisted; Armament, five 21" torpedo tubes, 16 torpedoes, one 4"/50 deck gun; Propulsion, diesel electric engines, Busch Sulzer Brothers Diesel Engine Co., diesel engines, HP 1800; Fuel Capacity 44,350 gal.; Ridgeway Dynamo & Electric Co., electric motors, HP 1500, Battery cells 120, twin propellers.

Size	Image Description	Source
45k	Launching day for the S-50 (SS-161), at Lake Torpedo Boat Co., Bridgeport, CT., 18 June 1921.	Photo courtesy of Ric Hedman.
155k	Port side view of the S-50 (SS-161), underway, 1922, probably on her shakedown cruise off the New England coast.	USN photo # 19-N-8509 courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
131k	Part of the S-50's (SS-161) crew pose alongside in the early 1920's.	US Navy photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
49k	*S-51* & what is probably S-50 (SS-161) alongside, circa 1922-25.	USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org.
117k	S-50 (SS-161) on maneuvers in the Atlantic, circa 1924. Note that the launch is towing two torpedoes, one from each quarter.	US Navy photo # 80-G-1024953, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham. Text courtesy of Ric Hedman.
139k	S-16 (SS-121) & next to her is possibly the S-50 (SS-161) with another unknown *S-boat* and 4 unidentified *R-boats* alongside their tender, Shawmut (CM-4), probably in the Panama Canal area, circa 1924.	US Navy photo # 80-G-1024884, from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), courtesy of Daniel Dunham.
44k	This and the next photo were both taken during the S-51 (SS-162) salvage operation. The first one was taken on 5 July 1926, the day the *S-51* was finally brought to the surface. The S-50 (SS-161) had just emptied her air banks into hoses that led down to the *S-51. The air was used to empty the engine and motor rooms of water. The S-3* (SS-107) stood by with full air banks to take over the operation. The *S-50* reported her air all gone. The *S-3* maneuvered to get alongside her. (Sept. 1925).	Photo originally appeared in Edward Ellsberg's 1929 book, On the Bottom which told the story of the *S-51* salvage. Photo i.d. & text courtesy of Dave Johnston (USNR). US Navy photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
114k	The S-50 (SS-161) came alongside the repair ship Vestal (AR-4) for a divers rehearsal (Oct. 1925). The *S-50* was being used as a diver training ship. Techniques for installing special salvage hatches on the S-51 (SS-162) were first practiced on the *S-50* so that the divers could work out the procedures prior to getting into the water.	US Navy photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com.
55k	Engine room salvage hatch-practice S-50 (SS-161).	Photo originally appeared in Edward Ellsberg's 1929 book, On the Bottom which told the story of the *S-51* salvage. US Navy photo courtesy of Scott Koen & ussnewyork.com. Photo added 07/18/10.

View the S-50 (SS-161)
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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