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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

V-2 (SF-5)
Bass (SS-164)
Keel Laying - Decommissioning

Radio Call Sign: November - India - Charlie - Romeo,

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Recommissioning - Scrapping

Barracuda Class Submarine: Laid down, 20 October 1921, at Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, ME.; Launched, 27 December 1924; Commissioned USS V-2 (SF-5), 26 September 1925; Renamed Bass, 9 March 1931; Reclassified (SS-164), 1 July 1931; Decommissioned, 9 June 1937, at Philadelphia, Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA.; Recommissioned, 5 September 1940, at Portsmuth, NH; Decommissioned, 3 March 1945, at Submarine Base, New London, CT.; Struck from the Naval Register, 10 March 1945; Final Disposition, sunk as a target, 12 March 1945, southeast of Block Island in 155' of water.

Specifications: Displacement, Surfaced: 2,000 t., Submerged: 2620 t.; Length 341' 6" ; Beam 27' 7"; Draft 14' 7"; Speed, surfaced 21 kts, Submerged 8 kts; Depth Limit 200'; Complement, 6 officers, 50 enlisted; Armament, six 21" torpedo tubes, four forward, two aft, 12 torpedoes; one 5"/51 deck gun; Propulsion, Busch-Sulzer Diesel Engine Co., diesel engines, hp 4100; Fuel Capacity, 90,935 gal., Elliot Motor Co., electric motors, hp 2400, Battery Cells 120, twin propellers.

Size	Image Description	Source
80k	Portside view of the V-2 (SS-164) underway, circa 1920's. Note small boat after the conning tower.	U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
183k	Starboard side view of the V-2 (SS-164) probably transiting the Panama canal, circa late 1920's.	U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
80k	Portside view of the V-2 (SS-164) probably transiting the Panama canal, circa late 1920's.	U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
77k	Fleet submarines had to be far larger than their presecessors to reach higher speeds & to run greater distances. V-2 (SS-164) lies alongside S-46 (SS-157) at the sub base in Coco Solo in the Canal Zone, circa mid 1920's. In the background is the minesweeper Swan (AM-34). Note the big telescopic masts fore & aft, intended to raise the submarine's radio antennas and thus to increase her radio range.	Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
61k	V-2 (SS-164) at Gonaives, Haiti, waiting for an Admiral's inspection, March 1927.	US Navy photo courtesy of Robert M. Cieri.
154k	Battleship Maryland (BB-46); Submarine Tender Camden (AS-6); two unknown *S-boats; and two V-1 class* submarines, possibly Barracuda (SS-163), Bass (SS-164) and or Bonita (SS-165) in port in May 1927. Note the tremendous difference in size between the *S-boats* and *V-1 class* submarines.	Photo # NH 46418 courtesy of the U.S. Naval Historical Center.
113k	*V-1 class* submarines alongside Argonne (AS-10), at San Diego, California, 10 December 1927. The submarines are (from left to right): Bass (SS-164); Barracuda (SS-163) and Bonita (SS-165).	Courtesy of the San Francisco Maritime Museum, San Francisco, California, 1969. US Navy photo # NH 69094, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
129k	Argonne (AS-10) in Panama waters, 1927-1928, while en route to join the Battle Fleet. The submarines alongside her are (from outboard to inboard): Bass (SS-164), Barracuda (SS-163) and Bonita (SS-165).	US Navy photo # NH 61683, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
225k	Starboard side view of the V-2 (SS-164) on 2 Jan 1929 at anchor, probably on the West Coast.	U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
102k	Holland (AS-3) moored at San Diego, CA., circa 1930. Submarines alongside, apparently holding inspection, are (from inboard): V-3 (SF-6), later Bonita (SS-165); V-2 (SF-5), later Bass (SS-164); S-45 (SS-156); S-43 (SS-154); <I>S-44 (SS-155); and S-42 (SS-153);	US Navy photo # NH 53437, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
68k	Starboard side view of the V-2 (SS-164), underway, circa 1931 plus. Note the unusual raised deck section around and abaft the bridge fairwater.	Partial text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press. Photo courtesy of Erminio Bagnasco book, "Submarines of WW II", submitted by Aryeh Wetherhorn.
129k	Starboard broadside photo of the Bass (SS-164) sometime between 1931 plus and 1937.	US Navy photo courtesy of John L. Ross.
459k	The Bass (SS-164) is seen in dry dock one at Mare Island between 19 Sep and 31 Oct 1933. The yard's 150 ton floating crane is on the far left. The target raft *124* (the long narrow vessel with workers on top), *YF 201* and *200* are in dock with the *Bass* on the left. The bow on the right is the San Francisco (CA-38) being outfitted at yard.	U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Darryl Baker.
141k	The Bass (SS-164) when she was assigned to Rotating Reserve Submarine Division 15, is seen in dry dock one at Mare Island between 19 Sep and 31 Oct 1933. The bow on the right is the San Francisco (CA-38) being outfitted at yard. *Bass* shows her bulbous forefoot (carrying her bow torpedo tubes) and her clipper stern & flared deck. As in many surface ships, the bulbous bow was intended to reduce wavemaking resistance & thus to improve the submarine's surface speed; the unusual bow was expected to make the deck drier.	U.S. Navy photo courtesy of ussubvetsofworldwarii.org web site. Partial text from DANFS & partial text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
97k	Bass (SS-164), outboard and Bonita (SS-165) at San Francisco, California, circa the early 1930s.	US Navy photo # NH 56516, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Courtesy of J.A. Casoly.
98k	Bass (SS-164), outboard and Bonita (SS-165) with civilian visitors on board, at San Francisco, California, May 1932. Photographed by Lauzin.	US Navy photo # NH 91779, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
104k	Bass (SS-164), outboard and Bonita (SS-165) with civilian visitors on board, at San Francisco, California, May 1932. Photographed by Lauzin.	US Navy photo # NH 91780, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
108k	Bass (SS-164), outboard and Bonita (SS-165) with civilian visitors on board, at San Francisco, California, May 1932. Photographed by Lauzin.	US Navy photo # NH 91781, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
89k	Bass (SS-164), outboard and Bonita (SS-165) with civilian visitors on board, at San Francisco, California, May 1932. Note that *Bass* has a 3"/50 deck gun, while *Bonita* carries a 5"/51. Also note the retractable embarkation ladder built into *Bass's* hull amidships. Photographed by Lauzin.	US Navy photo # NH 91778, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
111k	Bass (SS-164), outboard and Bonita (SS-165) with civilian visitors on board, at San Francisco, California, May 1932. Photographed by Lauzin.	US Navy photo # NH 91782, from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center.
93k	Broadside view of the Bass (SS-164) at Pearl Harbor, 1932.	USN photo.
83k	Tender and submarines at dock in Juneau, Alaska, July, 1934. At far left, tender Holland (AS-3), submarines (l to r) Bass (SS-164), Bonita (SS-165), Barracuda (SS-163), Nautilus (SS-168) and Narwhal (SS-167). The mill of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company is in the background.	Photo by Winter & Pond courtesy of the Alaska State Library. Submitted by Joe Radigan. Photo added 03/17/08.
86k	Holland (AS-3) with seven submarines alongside, in San Diego harbor, California, 24 December 1934. The submarines are (from left to right): Cachalot (SS-170) ; Dolphin (SS-169) ; Barracuda (SS-163) ; Bass (SS-164); Bonita (SS-165); Nautilus (SS-168); and Narwahl (SS-167).	Photo courtesy of the USNHC, NH # 80-G-63334, Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.
69k	Commemorative postal cover marking Bass's (SS-164) 10th anniversary commissioning, 26 September 1935.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
78k	Commemorative postal cover marking: Bass (SS-164); Dolphin (SS-169); Porpoise (SS-172); Argonaut (SS-169); Nautilus (SS-168); Cuttlefish (SS-171) Barracuda (SS-163); Narwahl (SS-167) Bonita (SS-165); & Cachalot (SS-170) on Navy Day, 27 October 1935.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
94k	Holland (AS-3) in San Diego harbor, California, circa 1935. Submarines alongside are (from outboard to inboard): Cachalot (SS-170); Barracuda(SS-163); Bass (SS-164); Bonita (SS-165); Nautilus (SS-168); and Narwahl (SS-167). Closest ship in the nest of destroyers at far right is Yarnall (DD-143).	Photo courtesy of the USNHC, NH # 82789. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.
69k	Commemorative postal cover marking Thanksgiving Day on the Bass (SS-164), 26 November 1936.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.
69k	Commemorative postal cover marking Valentine's Day, 14 Feb 1937, issued from the Barracuda (SS-163) and commerating all the boats in her class: Bass (SS-164); *Barracuda* and Bonita (SS-165).	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.