.gif)
USS H-2 (SS-29)
Encyclopedia
USS H-2 (SS-29) was a H-class
submarine
. She was originally named Nautilus, the third ship and first submarine of the United States Navy
to bear the name, which was derived from a Greek
word meaning "sailor" or "ship." The nautilus
is also a tropical mollusk having a many-chambered, spiral shell with a pearly interior.
Nautilus was laid down by the Union Iron Works
of San Francisco, California
. She was renamed H-2 on 17 November 1911, launched
on 4 June 1913 sponsored by Mrs. William Ranney Sands, and commissioned
on 1 December 1913, Lieutenant, junior grade
Howard H.J. Benson in command.
Attached to the Pacific Fleet
, H-2 operated along the West Coast — usually in company with — on various exercises and patrols out of San Pedro, California until October 1917, when she sailed for the East Coast. Transferred to the Atlantic Fleet
as of 9 November 1917, she cruised in the Caribbean Sea
for most of that winter, also conducting special submarine detection tests with aircraft and patrol vessels from Key West, Florida
. After having new engines installed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in the spring of 1918, she resumed patrols in the Caribbean until the end of the war, when she returned to the sub base at New London, Connecticut
. From there, she operated in Long Island Sound
, often with student officers from the submarine school on board.
Heading west again, H-2 sailed with H-1 on 6 January 1920, touching at several Caribbean ports before transiting the Panama Canal
on 20 February. When H-1 went aground off Santa Margarita Island on 12 March, H-2 stood by and sent rescue and search parties for survivors, helping to save all but four of her sister ship's crew. She then continued to San Pedro, California, arriving on 20 March.
Drills and exercises with the Pacific Fleet and Submarine Division 7 (SubDiv 7) out of San Pedro were interrupted by an extensive Mare Island Naval Shipyard
overhaul in the winter of 1921, after which H-2 returned to the same schedule. In company with SubDiv 7, she sailed from San Pedro on 25 July 1922, reaching Hampton Roads
on 14 September. H-2 decommissioned there on 23 October. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 18 December 1930, and she was sold for scrap in September 1931.
United States H class submarine
The United States H class submarines were Holland 602 type submarines used by the United States Navy.The first three submarines of the class were laid down in March-April 1911 as , and Garfish, and were renamed H-1, H-2 and H-3 while still under construction...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
. She was originally named Nautilus, the third ship and first submarine of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to bear the name, which was derived from a Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
word meaning "sailor" or "ship." The nautilus
Nautilus
Nautilus is the common name of marine creatures of cephalopod family Nautilidae, the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina. It comprises six living species in two genera, the type of which is the genus Nautilus...
is also a tropical mollusk having a many-chambered, spiral shell with a pearly interior.
Nautilus was laid down by the Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
of San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. She was renamed H-2 on 17 November 1911, launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 4 June 1913 sponsored by Mrs. William Ranney Sands, and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 1 December 1913, Lieutenant, junior grade
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
Howard H.J. Benson in command.
Service history
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
, H-2 operated along the West Coast — usually in company with — on various exercises and patrols out of San Pedro, California until October 1917, when she sailed for the East Coast. Transferred to the Atlantic Fleet
United States Fleet Forces Command
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
as of 9 November 1917, she cruised in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
for most of that winter, also conducting special submarine detection tests with aircraft and patrol vessels from Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
. After having new engines installed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the spring of 1918, she resumed patrols in the Caribbean until the end of the war, when she returned to the sub base at New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
. From there, she operated in Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
, often with student officers from the submarine school on board.
Heading west again, H-2 sailed with H-1 on 6 January 1920, touching at several Caribbean ports before transiting the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
on 20 February. When H-1 went aground off Santa Margarita Island on 12 March, H-2 stood by and sent rescue and search parties for survivors, helping to save all but four of her sister ship's crew. She then continued to San Pedro, California, arriving on 20 March.
Drills and exercises with the Pacific Fleet and Submarine Division 7 (SubDiv 7) out of San Pedro were interrupted by an extensive Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
overhaul in the winter of 1921, after which H-2 returned to the same schedule. In company with SubDiv 7, she sailed from San Pedro on 25 July 1922, reaching Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 14 September. H-2 decommissioned there on 23 October. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 18 December 1930, and she was sold for scrap in September 1931.