USS H-3

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USS Garfish/H-3 (SS-30), also known as "Submarine No. 30", was an H-class submarine of the United States Navy (USN). since October 2025Template:Dated maintenance category (articles), she has been the only ship of the USN to be named for the gar, a popular target for recreational anglers, though she was renamed H-3 prior to launching.

Design

The H-class submarines had an overall length of Template:Cvt, a beam of Template:Cvt, and a mean draft of Template:Cvt. They displaced Template:Cvt on the surface and Template:Cvt submerged. They had a diving depth of Template:Cvt. The boats had a crew of 2 officers and 23 enlisted men.Template:Sfn

For surface running, they were powered by two New London Ship & Engine Company diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by two Electro-Dynamic Company electric motors. They could reach Template:Cvt on the surface and Template:Cvt underwater.Template:Sfn On the surface, the boats had a range of Template:Cvt at Template:Cvt and Template:Cvt at Template:Cvt submerged.Template:Sfn

The boats were armed with four 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried four reloads, for a total of eight torpedoes.Template:Sfn

Construction

GarfishTemplate:'s keel was laid down on 3 April 1911, by The Moran Company, in Seattle, Washington. She was renamed H-3 on 17 November 1911, and launched on 3 July 1913, sponsored by Miss Helen MacEwan. H-3 was commissioned at Puget Sound Navy Yard, on 16 January 1914.Template:Sfn

Service history

After shakedown, H-3 was attached to the Pacific Fleet and began operations along the West Coast from lower California to Washington, exercising frequently with her sister ships and .Template:Sfn

While engaged in operations off the northern California coast near Eureka, with the protected cruiser and the ex-monitor, now submarine tender, ,H-3 ran aground in heavy fog while attempting to enter Humboldt Bay on the morning of 14 December 1916. The crew were rescued by Coast Guard Humboldt Bay Life-Saving Station; many were brought to shore by breeches buoy. Storm surf pushed H-3 high up on a sandy beach, surrounded by quicksand. At low tide, she was Template:Cvt from the water, but at high tide, the ocean reached almost Template:Cvt beyond her.Template:Sfn The submarine crew pitched camp on the Samoa, beach, near their stranded submarine, while the tug steamed from Mare Island Navy Yard to attempt salvage. Combined efforts of Iroquois and Cheyenne were unable to dislodge H-3, so both ships returned to Mare Island, while the Navy requested bids from commercial salvage firms. Only two bids were received. The largest marine salvage firm on the west coast offered to pull the submarine into deep water offshore for $150,000 and the Mercer-Fraser Company, of Eureka, offered to pull the submarine over the Samoa peninsula, into Humboldt Bay, for $18,000.Template:Sfn

File:USS H-3 1917 h35850.jpg

H-3 during salvage operations, 6 April 1917

Navy officials at Mare Island regarded the lumber company proposal as infeasible and felt the salvage firm bid was excessive. Milwaukee sailed from Mare Island, on 5 January 1917, to tow H-3 off the beach. Milwaukee grounded attempting salvage on 13 January 1917, and she subsequently broke in two during a storm in November 1918.Template:Sfn

H-3 was temporarily decommissioned on 4 February, while the lumber company salvage bid was accepted. H-3 was placed on giant log rollers and taken overland to be relaunched into Humboldt Bay on 20 April.Template:Sfn

She then returned to San Pedro, California, where she served as flagboat of Submarine Division 7 (SubDiv 7), participating in exercises and operations along the coast until 1922. H-3, with the entire division, sailed from San Pedro, on 25 July, and reached Hampton Roads, on 14 September.Template:Sfn

Fate

H-3 decommissioned at Hampton Roads on 23 October. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 December 1930, and scrapped on 14 September 1931.Template:Sfn

Bibliography

1. REDIRECT Template:Source-attribution

External links

• PigBoats.COM H-class page
• Photos and description of salvaging the sub from the U.S. Navy military archives
• Salvaging the Submarine H-3 International Marine Engineering, September 1917, technical article on bids and work.