SC-1-class submarine chaser

{{Infobox ship image

|Ship image=USS SC-2.jpg

|Ship caption=SC-2

}}

{{Infobox ship class overview

| Builders =

| Operators =*United States Navy

| Built range = 1917–1919

| In commission range =

| Total ships building =

| Total ships planned = 448

| Total ships completed = 441

| Total ships cancelled = 7

| Total ships active =

| Total ships laid up =

| Total ships lost = 9

| Total ships retired =

| Total ships scrapped =

| Total ships preserved =

}}

{{Infobox ship characteristics

| Hide header =

| Header caption =

| Ship type = Submarine chaser

| Ship displacement = 85 tons full load, 77 tons normal load

| Ship length =*{{convert|110|ft|m|abbr=on

} oa

{{convert|105|ft|m|abbr=on}} pp

| Ship beam = {{convert|14|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}

| Ship draught =

| Ship draft = {{convert|5|ft|7|in|m|abbr=on}}

| Ship propulsion = Three {{convert|220|bhp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}} gasoline engines, 2400 gallons fuel

| Ship speed = {{convert|18|kn|km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}}

| Ship range = {{convert|1000|nmi|km|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|12|kn|km/h|abbr=on}}

| Ship complement = 27

| Ship EW =

| Ship armament =

1 × 3"/23 caliber gun gun mount
2 × Colt .30 caliber (7.62 mm) machine guns
1 × Y-gun depth charge projector

|Ship sensors=One Submarine Signal Company S.C. C Tube, M.B. Tube, or K Tube hydrophone

}}

|}

The SC-1 class was a large class of submarine chasers built during World War I for the United States Navy. They were ordered in very large numbers in order to combat attacks by German U-boats, with 442 boats built from 1917 to 1919.

Development

In 1916, the then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the US Navy to design a small anti-submarine vessel that could be built quickly in small civilian boatyards, as if war came, larger shipyards would be busy building larger warships.Treadwell, Theodore R. [http://www.splinterfleet.org/sfww1.php "Subchasers of World War I"]. Splinter Fleet. Retrieved 4 March 2011. Consideration was given to adopting an {{convert|80|ft|m|abbr=on}} wooden Motor Launch built in large numbers by ELCO for the British Royal Navy, but the General Board of the United States Navy thought that these boats were too small to be effective seaboats. The task of designing the new type was given to an experienced designer of small boats, Albert Loring Swasey.{{#tag:ref|Swasey also designed the similar {{sclass|SC-497|submarine chaser|2}}s of World War II.|group=N}} He drew up a design for a {{convert|100|ft|m|abbr=on}} wooden boat, emphasizing seaworthiness over speed. At first it was intended to use two {{convert|300|bhp|kW|lk=in}} engines, but a shortage of these engines resulted in the design being changed to use three {{convert|220|hp|kW|abbr=on}} gasoline engines.Gardiner and Gray 1985, pp. 132–133.

File:Cinderellas of the fleet (1920) (14595373477).jpg

Armament was initially planned to be two {{convert|3|in|mm|adj=on|1}} guns, but the aft gun was usually replaced by a depth charge thrower to attack submerged submarines, with two Colt machine guns completing the armament. Many boats were fitted with hydrophones for detecting underwater noises, with either a K-tube fish-type device of {{convert|30|nmi|adj=on|lk=in}} range or SC and MB tubes of {{convert|5|nmi|adj=on}} range.Moore 1990, p. 152.

An initial order of 345 SC boats placed in 1917 was planned to be delivered by the end of 1917, with further orders for the French Navy pushing the total ordered up to 448.

Operational history

Deliveries started in July 1917, with deliveries continuing into 1919, with 441 boats built, and the remaining seven boats canceled. One hundred were sold to France,Moore 1990, p. 197. and a further 121 US Navy SC boats were deployed to Europe to operate off Britain and France and in the Mediterranean, where they supported the Otranto Barrage with the remaining US Navy boats operating off the East Coast of the United States.

The US Navy lost six SC boats during World War I; {{USS|SC-60}} lost in collision with the tanker Fred M. Weller on 1 October 1918,[http://www.subchaser.org/sc60 "Hull Number: SC 60"]. The Subchaser Archives. Retrieved 4 March 2011.[https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/sc-1-sc-100v1.html "SC-1 through SC-100"]. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved 5 June 2015. {{USS|SC-117}} in a fire on 22 December 1917,[https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/sc-101-sc-200v1.html "SC-101 through SC-200"]. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved 5 June 2015. {{USS|SC-132}} was lost in collision on 5 June 1918, {{USS|SC-187}} in a collision on 4 August 1918, {{USS|SC-209}} by friendly fire from the cargo ship SS Felix Taussig on 27 August 1918[https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/sc-201-sc-300v1.html "SC-201 through SC-300"]. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved 5 June 2015.[http://www.subchaser.org/sc209 "Hull Number: SC 209"]. The Subchaser Archives. Retrieved 4 March 2011.[https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1934/december/mistaken-attacks-world-war Doughty, Leonard, Jr., Lieutenant Commander, "Mistaken Attacks in the World War," Proceedings, October 1934.] and {{USS|SC-219}} by fire on 19 February 1918.[http://www.subchaser.org/sc219 "Hull Number: SC 209"]. The Subchaser Archives. Retrieved 4 March 2011 France lost three SC-boats.

File:PC405, SC405. Submarine chaser. Starboard side, at Brest, France, 12-13-1918 - NARA - 530780.tif

Following the end of the war, four boats ({{USS|SC-274}}, {{USS|SC-302}}, {{USS|SC-311}} and {{USS|SC-312}}) were transferred to Cuba, while 14 boats were transferred to the United States Coast Guard in 1919–1920. Eight of the French SC boats remained in service at the outbreak of World War II.Gardiner and Chesneau 1980, p. 259.

In 1920 SC 292 sold commercial becoming Trawler "Chief Seattle", SC 293 becoming Trawler "George L. Harvey", and SC 300 becoming Trawler "Joseph Kildall'.{{cite web |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.103308686&view=1up&seq=404 |title=American Marine Engineer August-September, 1920 |publisher=National Marine Engineers Beneficial Association of the United States |via=Haithi Trust |accessdate=24 August 2020}}

By December 1941, only 11 boats remained in US Navy service, with two continuing in use until at least April 1945.Friedman 1987, p. 32.

Two boats were sold to the Bulgarian Navy and saw action in World War II, sinking one Soviet submarine.

Ships

Footnotes

=Notes=

=Citations=

Bibliography

Friedman, Norman. U.S. Small Combatants. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1987. {{ISBN|0-87021-713-5}}.
Gardiner, Robert and Randall Gray (eds). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press, 1985. {{ISBN|0-85177-245-5}}.
{{cite book|editor-last1=Gardiner|editor-first1=Robert|editor-last2=Chesneau|editor-first2=Roger|title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|year=1980|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-146-7}}
Halpern, Paul G. A Naval History of World War I. London: UCL Press, 1995. {{ISBN|1-85728-498-4}}.
Halpern, Paul G. The Naval War in the Mediterranean 1914–1918. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press, 1987. {{ISBN|0-87021-448-9}}.
Moore, John. Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. London: Studio, 1990. {{ISBN|1-85170-378-0}}.

External links

[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofamer06wash/page/711/mode/1up Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (print), v. VI, Appendix 1, "Submarine Chasers (SC)"] (General description p. 711-713, list following)
[http://www.subchaser.org/ Subchaser.org]

Category:SC-1-class submarine chasers

Category:World War I patrol vessels of the United States

Category:Ship classes of the French Navy