View source for USS S-49

{{short description|Submarine of the United States sunk in 1942}}
{{single source|date=May 2023}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USSS49SS160 (cropped).jpg
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1931}}
|Ship name= USS ''S-49''
|Ship builder= [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] Company, [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]],&nbsp;[[Connecticut]]
|Ship laid down= 22 October 1920
|Ship launched= 23 April 1921
|Ship sponsor= Mrs. Joseph E. Austin
|Ship commissioned= 6 June 1922
|Ship decommissioned= 2 August 1927
|Ship struck= 21 March 1931
|Ship fate= *Sold 25 May 1931
*Sank 16 December 1942
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Ship class= [[United States S class submarine|S-class]] [[submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|993|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|1230|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length= {{convert|240|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|21|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|13|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship speed=*{{convert|14.6|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|11|kn|mph km/h}} submerged
|Ship complement=38 officers and men
|Ship armament=*1 × [[4"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}}]]/50 [[deck gun]]
*5 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s
}}
|}
'''USS ''S-49'' (SS-160)''' was a fourth-group (''S-48'') [[United States S class submarine|''S''-class submarine]] of the [[United States Navy]].
==Construction and commissioning==
''S-49'''s [[keel]] was [[Keel-laying|laid down]] on 22 October 1920 by the [[Lake Torpedo Boat]] Company in [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]], [[Connecticut]].  She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 23 April 1921, sponsored by Mrs. Joseph E. Austin, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] at Bridgeport on 6 June 1922 with [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] [[Ingram C. Sowell]] in command.<ref name=DANFS>{{cite DANFS |title=S-49 |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/s-49.html}}</ref>
==Service history==
''S-49'' remained at Bridgeport through July 1922, but in August 1922 she moved down to the Submarine Base at [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], Connecticut, where she joined Submarine [[Division (naval)|Division]] Zero, composed of units engaged in submarine research and development.<ref name=DANFS/> Later reassigned to Submarine Division 4 and then to Submarine Division 2, she continued experimental work, including aerial visibility tests and [[torpedo]] development, and also participated in regularly scheduled exercises, primarily in the New London area, into 1926.  At the end of January 1926, she proceeded to [[Portsmouth Navy Yard]] at [[Kittery, Maine|Kittery]], [[Maine]], for a regular overhaul.<ref name=DANFS/>
On 2 April 1926, ''S-49'' returned to New London, but on 20 April 1926 her operating schedule was again interrupted.  At about 07:50 that morning, ''S-49''’s engines were started. Seven minutes later, just as a pilot cell cover was removed to test the [[specific gravity]] of the [[electrolyte]], the forward [[Battery (electricity)|battery]] exploded.  The [[hydrogen gas]] explosion destroyed the [[battery cell]]s in the forward half of the battery and forced up the battery deck.  Ten men were injured,  two others were gassed during rescue operations, and four of the twelve died of their injuries.  The battery compartment was sealed and kept shut until mid-afternoon on 20 April, when the outboard battery vent was opened.  During the night, the submarine took on a slight [[Angle of list|list]] to [[Port and starboard|port]] and ''S-49''′s crew used [[air pressure]] to keep ballast.  At about 05:15 on 21 April, a second explosion occurred in the [[battery room]] when wash from vessels departing for torpedo practice rocked ''S-49''.  The compartment was resealed for another few hours, after which the work of clearing the wreckage was begun.<ref name=DANFS/>
Following repairs, ''S-49'' resumed operations off the [[New England]] coast, and in January 1927 moved south with the submarine {{USS|S-50|SS-161|6}} for exercises and tests off [[Key West, Florida|Key West]], [[Florida]], the [[Dry Tortugas]], and in [[Tampa Bay]] on the coast of Florida.  On 12 March 1927 she returned to New London, from which she completed a run to [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire|Portsmouth]], [[New Hampshire]], and back before proceeding to [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], with ''S-50'', for inactivation.  Arriving on 31 March 1927, she was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 2 Augus1927 t and berthed with other reserve ships at [[League Island]] in Philadelphia until struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 21 March 1931 in accordance with the [[London Naval Treaty]].  ''S-49'' was sold to the [[Boston Iron and Metal]] Company of [[Baltimore]], [[Maryland]], on 25 May 1931.<ref name=DANFS/>
==Sinking==
The U.S. Navy apparently reacquired ''S-49'' about 1941 at Baltimore "as equipment" for use in experimental work at the Naval Mine Warfare Proving Ground, [[Solomons, Maryland|Solomons]], Maryland.<ref name=DANFS/> During this work, she sank on 16 December 1942 in {{convert|102|ft}} of water in the [[Patuxent River]] at {{coord|38|19|53.2|N|076|29|17.2|W|name=USS ''S-49''}} on a bearing of 318.5 degrees true, distant {{convert|525|yd}}, from the southern tip of [[Point Patience]], Maryland.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08160.htm Navsource.org] - Features several photos of ''S-49''.
{{United States S class submarine}}
{{1926 shipwrecks}}
{{December 1942 shipwrecks}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:S-49 (SS-160)}}
[[Category:1921 ships]]
[[Category:maritime incidents in 1926]]
[[Category:maritime incidents in December 1942]]
[[Category:ships built in Bridgeport, Connecticut]]
[[Category:shipwrecks in rivers]]
[[Category:shipwrecks of the Maryland coast]]
[[Category:United States S-class submarines|S-49]]
[[Category:United States submarine accidents]]