View source for USS S-17

{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
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{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= USS S-17.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''S-17'' underway
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1944}}
|Ship name= USS ''S-17''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder= [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] Company
|Ship laid down= 19 March 1918
|Ship launched= 22 May 1920
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 1 March 1921
|Ship decommissioned= 29 March 1935
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship recommissioned= 16 December 1940
|Ship decommissioned= 4 October 1944
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|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck= 13 November 1944
|Ship reinstated=
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|Ship fate= Sunk as target 5 April 1945
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{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class= [[United States S class submarine|S-class]] [[submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|876|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|1092|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length= {{convert|231|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|21|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|13|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=
|Ship speed=*{{convert|15|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|11|kn|mph km/h}} submerged
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|Ship complement=38 officers and men
|Ship sensors=
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|Ship armament=*1 × [[4"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|4|in|mm|abbr=on}}]]/50 [[deck gun]]
*4 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s
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'''USS ''S-17'' (SS-122)''' was a second-group (S-3 or "Government") [[United States S class submarine|''S''-class submarine]] of the [[United States Navy]].
==Construction and commissioning==
''S-17''′s [[keel]] was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] on 19 March 1918 by the [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] Company in [[Bridgeport, Connecticut]]. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 22 May 1920, sponsored by Mrs. Raymond G. Thomas, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 1 March 1921.
==Service history==
===1921–1935===
Departing from [[New London, Connecticut]], on 31 May 1921, ''S-17'' sailed via the [[Panama Canal]], [[California]], [[Hawaii]], and [[Guam]] to the [[Philippines]], arriving at [[Cavite]], [[Luzon]], on 1 December. In 1922, she sailed from [[Manila Bay]] on 11 October, visited [[Hong Kong]] from 14&ndash;28 October, and returned to Cavite on 1 November. Sailing from Manila on 15 May 1923, ''S-17'' visited [[Shanghai]], [[Yantai]], and [[Qinhuangdao]], before returning via [[Wusong]] and [[Amoy]] to Cavite on 11 September. In the summer of 1924, she visited Shanghai, [[Qingdao]], Yantai, and Qinhuangdao, before returning via Yantai and Amoy to [[Olongapo]], [[Luzon]], on 23 September. Departing Cavite on 29 October, she arrived at [[Mare Island]], California, on 31 December.
Remaining at Mare Island in 1925 and 1926, she operated along the California coast in 1927, mainly at [[Mare Island]], California, [[San Diego]], California, and [[San Pedro Submarine Base]], [[San Pedro, Los Angeles]]. From February 1928 into December 1934, ''S-17'' served in the Panama Canal area. Departing from [[Coco Solo]] on 10 December 1934, ''S-17'' was decommissioned on 29 March 1935 at [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]].
===1940–1944===
''S-17'' was recommissioned on 16 December 1940. After voyages to [[Bermuda]], ''S-17'' operated in the Panama Canal area from December 1941 to February 1942. On 28 February 1942, she was operating at [[periscope depth]] when a [[United States Marine Corps]] plane dropped a {{convert|100|lb|1|adj=on}} [[Aerial bomb|bomb]] targeting her [[periscope]].<ref name=hinmanp200>Hinman & Campbell, p. 200.</ref> Later in the day, the same or a different Marine Corps plane dropped a {{convert|100|lb|1|adj=on}} bomb that landed within {{convert|50|yd|0}} of her while she was on the surface. ''S-17'' suffered no damage or casualties in either incident.<ref name=hinmanp200/>
''S-17'' operated from [[Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands|Saint Thomas]] in the [[United States Virgin Islands]], in March 1942 and in the Panama Canal area again from April to August 1942. At 14:20 on 4 August 1942, a U.S. plane attacked her at {{coord|11|34|N|078|36|W}} with four {{convert|500|lb|0|adj=on}} [[depth charge]]s while she was operating on the surface in the [[Caribbean Sea]], inflicting damage that prevented her from diving. ''S-17''′s crew identified the attacking aircraft as a U.S. Army Air Forces [[North American B-25 Mitchell|B-25 Mitchell]] [[bomber]],<ref>Hinman & Campbell, pp. 200-201.</ref> and one source describes it as a U.S. Navy [[Lockheed Ventura|PV-1 Ventura]] [[patrol bomber]],<ref>[https://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5955.html uboat.net S-17 (SS-122) Accessed 6 May 2022]</ref><ref name=campbellpp69-71>Campbell, Douglas E., ''USS Dorado (SS-284): On Eternal Patrol'', 2011, {{ISBN|978-1-257-95155-0}}, pp. 69–71.</ref> but an official report on the incident identifies the plane as a U.S. Army Air Forces [[Douglas B-18 Bolo|B-18 Bolo]] bomber.<ref name=hinmanp200/> ''S-17'' arrived at Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone on 8 August 1942 for repairs.<ref name=campbellpp69-71/>
''S-17'' operated from New London from September 1942 to July 1944. Her cruises from New London often included operations in [[Casco Bay]], [[Maine]].
==Decommissioning and disposal==
Decommissioned on 4 October 1944, ''S-17'' was struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 13 November 1944. She was intentionally sunk on 5 April 1945.
== In literature ==
A fictional USS ''S-17'' appears in [[Edward L. Beach, Jr.|Edward L. Beach]]'s 1955 [[novel]] ''[[Run Silent, Run Deep]]''.
== References ==
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/s-17.html}}
{{reflist}}
{{United_States_S_class_submarine}}
{{February 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{August 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{April 1945 shipwrecks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:S-17}}
[[Category:United States S-class submarines]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bridgeport, Connecticut]]
[[Category:1920 ships]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1942]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in August 1942]]
[[Category:Friendly fire incidents of World War II]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1945]]
[[Category:Scuttled vessels]]