USS H-4 (SS-147)


USS H-4 was a H-class submarine originally built for the Imperial Russian Navy. Six of these were not delivered pending the outcome of the Russian Revolution of 1917 before being purchased by the United States Navy on 20 May 1918.

Description

The H-class submarines had a length of overall, a beam of and a mean draft of. They displaced on the surface and submerged. The boats had a crew of 2 officers and 23 enlisted men. They had a diving depth of.
For surface running, they were powered by two New London Ship & Engine Co. diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a Electro Dynamic Co. electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the boats had a range of at and at submerged.
The boats were armed with four 18 inch torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried four reloads, for a total of eight torpedoes.

Construction and career

H-4 was launched on 9 October 1918, and commissioned on 24 October 1918 with Lieutenant Ralph O. Davis in command. Stationed at San Pedro, California — first with Submarine Division 6 and then SubDiv 7 — H-4 participated in various battle and training exercises along the West Coast with her sister H-boats. These exercises were interrupted by occasional patrol duty off Santa Catalina Island and periodic overhauls at Mare Island.
In company with the two sub divisions and tender, H-4 sailed from San Pedro on 25 July 1922 and reached Norfolk, Virginia on 14 September via Magdalena Bay, Corinto, and Coco Solo. She decommissioned there on 25 October. H-4 was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 26 February 1931 and sold for scrap on 14 September.