View source for USS O-5

{{Short description|O-class submarine of the United States}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS O-5.jpg
|Ship caption= USS ''O-5'' off [[Provincetown]], Massachusetts, on 14 April 1918, during her [[sea trial|trial]]s
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1923}}
|Ship name= ''O-5''
|Ship ordered= 3 March 1916
|Ship builder= [[Fore River Shipbuilding Company]], [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], Massachusetts
|Ship original cost= $534,424.59 (hull and machinery){{sfn|Navy List|1921|p=768}}
|Ship laid down= 8 December 1916
|Ship launched= 11 November 1917
|Ship sponsor= Mrs. Nettie Cable
|Ship commissioned= 8 June 1918
|Ship decommissioned= 28 October 1923
|Ship struck= 28 April 1924
|Ship identification=* [[Hull classification symbol#Submarine type|Hull symbol]]: SS-66 (17 July 1920)
*[[Maritime call sign|Call sign]]: NAMZ
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Alpha}}{{ICS|Mike}}{{ICS|Zulu}}
|Ship fate=*Sunk in collision, 28 October 1923
*Raised and sold for scrap, 12 December 1924
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= {{sfn|Friedman|1995|p=307}}{{sfn|Priolo|O-5}}
|Ship class= [[United States O-class submarine|''O-1''-class]] [[submarine]]
|Ship type= 
|Ship displacement=
*{{cvt|520|LT|lk=in|0}} surfaced
*{{cvt|629|LT|0}} submerged
|Ship length= {{cvt|172|ft|4|in}}
|Ship beam= {{cvt|18|ft}}
|Ship draft= {{cvt|14|ft|5|in}}
|Ship power=* {{cvt|880|bhp|0|lk=in}} diesel
* {{cvt|740|hp|0}} electric
|Ship propulsion=
*2 × [[New London Ship and Engine Company|NELSECO]] 6-EB-14 [[diesel engine]]s
*2 × [[New York Navy Yard]] [[electric motor]]s
*2 × 60-[[electrochemical cell|cell]] [[storage battery|batteries]]
*2 × [[Propeller]]s
|Ship speed=
*{{convert|14|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|10.5|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=*{{convert|5500|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|11.5|kn|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|250|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|5|kn|abbr=on}} submerged 
|Ship test depth= {{cvt|200|ft}}
|Ship capacity= {{cvt|21897|USgal}} fuel
|Ship complement=* 2 officers
* 27 enlisted
|Ship armament=* 4 × [[American 18 inch torpedo|18 inch (450 mm)]] [[Bow (watercraft)|bow]] [[torpedo tube]]s (8 [[torpedo]]es)
*1 × [[3"/23 caliber gun|{{cvt|3|in}}/23 caliber]] retractable [[deck gun]]
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''O-5'' (SS-66)''', also known as "Submarine No. 66", was one of 16 [[United States O-class submarine|O-class]] [[submarine]]s of the [[United States Navy]] commissioned during [[World War I]].

''O-5'' was sunk by a collision near the [[Panama Canal]], on 28 October 1923, resulting in the loss of three lives. Lying in {{cvt|42|ft}} of water with two men still onboard, ''O-5'' was successful raised shortly after noon the following day, saving the two men. The submarine was decommissioned and subsequently sold for scrap.

==Design==
The ''O-1''-class submarines were designed to meet a Navy requirement for coastal defense boats.{{sfn|Friedman|1995|pp=86–87}} The submarines had a length of {{cvt|172|ft|4|in|1}} [[length overall|overall]], a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{cvt|18|ft|1|in|1}}, and a mean [[draft (ship)|draft]] of {{cvt|14|ft|5|in|1}}. They [[displacement (ship)|displaced]] {{cvt|520|LT|lk=in}} on the surface and {{cvt|629|LT}} submerged. The O-class submarines had a crew of 2 officers and 27 enlisted men. They had a diving depth of {{cvt|200|ft|1}}.{{sfn|Friedman|1995|p=307}}{{sfn|Gardiner|Gray|1985|p=129}}

For surface running, the boats were powered by two {{convert|440|bhp|lk=in|0|adj=on}} [[New London Ship and Engine Company|NELSECO]] 6-EB-14 [[diesel engine]]s, each driving one [[propeller shaft]]. When submerged each [[propeller]] was driven by a {{convert|370|hp|0|adj=on}} [[New York Navy Yard]] [[electric motor]].{{sfn|Priolo|O-5}} They could reach {{convert|14|kn|lk=in}} on the surface and {{cvt|10.5|kn}} underwater. On the surface, the O-class had a range of {{convert|5500|nmi|lk=in}} at {{cvt|11.5|kn}}.{{sfn|Gardiner|Gray|1985|p=129}}

The boats were armed with four [[American 18 inch torpedo|18-inch (450 mm)]]  [[torpedo tube]]s in the bow. They carried four reloads, for a total of eight [[torpedoe]]s. The O-class submarines were also armed with a single [[3"/23 caliber gun|{{cvt|3|in}}/23 caliber]] retractable [[deck gun]].{{sfn|Friedman|1995|p=307}}{{sfn|Gardiner|Gray|1985|p=129}}

==Construction==
''O-5''{{'}}s [[keel]] was [[laid down]] on 8 December 1916, by the [[Fore River Shipbuilding Company]], of [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], Massachusetts. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 11 November 1917,{{sfn|DANFS|O-5}} [[ship sponsor|sponsored]] by Mrs. Nettie Cable,{{sfn|Hall|1925|p=159}} and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 8 June 1918.{{sfn|DANFS|O-5}} 

==Service history==
During the final months of [[World War I]], ''O-5'' operated along the Atlantic coast and patrolled from [[Cape Cod]], in Massachusetts, to [[Key West]], in Florida.{{sfn|DANFS|O-5}} 

On 6 October 1918, ''O-5'' was at the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]], when [[Lieutenant (Junior Grade)]] William J. Sharkey, noticed that the submarine's batteries were giving off toxic gas.  Sharkey informed his commanding officer, [[Lieutenant Commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] George Tever, and the two went forward in the submarine to investigate. The batteries then exploded killing LTJG Sharkey, and fatally injuring LCDR Trevor. LTJG Sharkey was posthumously awarded the [[Navy Cross]].{{sfn|Stringer|1921|p=128}} 

''O-5'' departed [[Newport, Rhode Island|Newport]], Rhode Island, on 3 November 1918 with a 20-submarine contingent bound for [[Europe]]an waters; however, hostilities had ceased before the vessels reached the [[Azores]].{{sfn|DANFS|O-5}}

After the [[Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)|Armistice with Germany]], ''O-5'' operated from the [[Naval Submarine Base New London|Submarine School]], at [[New London, Connecticut|New London]], Connecticut, until 1923.{{sfn|DANFS|O-5}}

When the US Navy adopted its [[Hull classification symbol|hull classification]] system on 17 July 1920, she received the [[hull number]] '''SS-66'''.{{sfn|Priolo|O-5}}

===Sinking of ''O-5''===
On 28 October 1923, ''O-5'' was operating with other units of the [[US Atlantic Fleet]], under the command of Commander Submarine Force, [[Coco Solo]], Canal Zone. At approximately 06:30, ''O-5'', under the command of Lieutenant Harrison Avery, was underway across [[Bahía Limón]], toward the entrance to the [[Panama Canal]]. The steamship SS ''Abangarez'', owned by the [[United Fruit Company]], and captained by Master W.A. Card, was underway toward Dock No. 6, at [[Cristóbal, Colón|Cristobal]]. Through a series of maneuvering errors and miscommunication,  ''Abangarez'' collided with the ''O-5'', and struck the submarine on the starboard side of the control room, opening a hole some {{cvt|10|ft}} long and penetrating the number one main ballast tank. The submarine rolled sharply to port, then back to starboard, and sank bow first in {{cvt|42|ft}} of water.{{sfn|Christley|1999}}

Three men died{{efn|The crew who died were Motor Machinist’s Mate First Class Clyde E. Hughes, Mess Attendant First Class Fred C. Smith, and Fireman First Class Thomas T. Metzler. The bodies of Smith and Metzler were recovered from alongside the boat and interred at the Mount Hope Cemetery in the Canal Zone. The body of Hughes was never found.}} and 16 others escaped.{{sfn|Christley|1999}} Two crewmembers, [[Henry Breault]] and Lawrence Brown, were trapped in the forward torpedo room, which they sealed against the flooding of the submarine. Local engineers and divers were able to rig cranes and other equipment and lift ''O-5'' far enough off the bottom that the bow broke the surface, exposing a hatch which led to the compartment where the two men were trapped, allowing them to be freed.{{sfn|USNSS|1966}} Breault, who was in the process of evacuating the submarine when he realized that Brown was still onboard and returned to assist him, was awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions.

===Recovery of ''O-5''===
[[File:Ajax crane barge 1914.jpg|thumb|right|The crane barge ''[[Ajax (crane barge)|Ajax]]'' in 1914]]
[[File:USS O-5 28 Oct 1923.tif|thumb|right|''Ajax'' hauling up ''O-5'']]
[[File:Henry Breault2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Henry Breault]] receiving the [[Medal of Honor]] from President [[Calvin Coolidge]]]]

Salvage efforts began immediately, and divers were sent down from a [[salvage tug]] that arrived from Coco Solo. By 10:00, they were on the bottom examining the wreck. To search for trapped personnel, they hammered on the hull near the aft end of the ship and worked forward. Upon reaching the torpedo room, they heard answering hammer blows from inside the boat. In 1923, the only way the salvage crew could get the men out of the submarine was to lift it physically from the mud using cranes or pontoons. One of the largest [[crane barge]]s in the world, ''[[Ajax (crane barge)|Ajax]]'', built specifically for handling the gates of the canal locks, was in the Canal Zone. However, there had been a landslide at the famous [[Gaillard Cut]], and ''Ajax'' was on the other side of the slide, assisting in clearing the Canal. The excavation shifted into high gear and by 14:00, on the afternoon of the sinking, the crane barge ''Ajax'' squeezed through and was on its way to ''O-5''.{{sfn|Christley|1999}}

Divers worked to tunnel under ''O-5''{{'}}s bow so lifting cables could be attached. ''Ajax'' arrived about midnight, and by early morning, the cable tunnel had been dug, the cable run, and a lift was attempted. [[Sheppard J. Shreaves]], supervisor of the Panama Canal's salvage crew, and himself a qualified diver, had been working continuously throughout the night to dig the tunnel, snake the cable under the submarine, and hook it to ''Ajax''{{'}}s hoist. Now the lift began. As the crane took a strain, the lift cables broke. Shreaves and his crew worked another cable set under the bow and again ''Ajax'' pulled. Again, the cable broke. All through the day, the men worked. Shreaves had been in his diving suit nearly 24 hours. As noon, on October 29, approached, the crane was ready for another lift, this time with buoyancy being added by blowing water out of the flooded engine room. Just after noontime, the bow of ''O-5'' broke the surface. Men from the salvage force quickly opened the torpedo room hatch, and Breault and Brown emerged into the fresh air.{{sfn|Christley|1999}}

==Fate==
Struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 28 April 1924, she was raised and later sold as a [[hulk (ship)|hulk]] to R.K. Morris, in [[Balboa, Panama|Balboa]], Panama, on 12 December 1924.{{sfn|DANFS|O-5}} The sinking made ''O-5'' valueless for future naval service. She was stripped of valuable fittings and equipment when sold for $3,125. Her original cost had been $534,424.{{sfn|Grigore|1972|pp=54-60}}

==Aftermath==
Lieutenant Harrison Avery was held responsible for the collision on 26 November 1923, but a later Court of Naval Inquiry cleared ''O-5'' of blame for the collision. At the time of his death, in October 1934, Lieutenant Commander Avery commanded the patrol [[yacht]] {{USS|Isabel|PY-10|2}} of the [[Asiatic Fleet]].{{sfn|Grigore|1972|pp=54-60}}

United States vs. United Fruit Company (Submarine ''O-5'' – ''SS Abangarez'') continued in the courts. Federal Judge Wayne G. Borah, New Orleans, on 20 August 1932, ruled ''O-5'' was at fault in the collision.{{sfn|Grigore|1972|pp=54-60}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal
  |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mZEqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA762
  |title= Table 21 - Ships on Navy List June 30, 1919
  |journal= Congressional Serial Set
  |publisher= U.S. Government Printing Office
  |year= 1921
  |page= 768
  |ref= {{sfnRef|Navy List|1921}} 
  }}
* {{cite web
  |last= Gary
  |first= Priolo
  |title= O-5 (SS-66)
  |url= https://www.navsource.net/archives/08/08066.htm
  |website= Navsource.net
  |access-date= 30 October 2025
  |ref= {{sfnRef|Priolo|O-5}}
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last= Friedman
  |first= Norman
  |author-link= Norman Friedman
  |title= U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History
  |publisher= [[Naval Institute Press]]
  |location= [[Annapolis]], Maryland
  |year= 1995
  |isbn= 1-55750-263-3
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last1= Gardiner
  |first1= Robert
  |last2= Gray
  |first2= Randal
  |title= Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921
  |year= 1985
  |location= Annapolis, Maryland
  |publisher= Naval Institute Press
  |isbn=0-85177-245-5
  |name-list-style= amp
  }}
* {{cite DANFS
  |last= 
  |first= 
  |title= O-5
  |url= https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/o/o-5.html
  |date= 
  |access-date= 30 October 2025
  |ref= {{sfnRef|DANFS|O-5}}
  }}{{PD-notice}}
* {{cite book
  |last= Hall
  |first= Anne Martin
  |title= Ships of the United States navy and their sponsors, 1913-1923
  |url= https://archive.org/details/shipsofunitedsta0000unse/page/159
  |year= 1925
  |access-date= 30 October 2025
  }}
* {{cite book
  |last= Stringer
  |first= Harry R.
  |title= The Navy Book of Distinguished Service
  |url= https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Navy_Book_of_Distinguished_Service/qsoLAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=The+Navy+Book+of+Distinguished+Service&printsec=frontcover
  |publisher= Fassett Publishing Company
  |location= [[Washington, D.C.]]
  |year= 1921
  }}
* {{Cite web
  |last= Christley
  |first= Jim
  |title= Submarine Hero: TM2 Henry Breault
  |work= Undersea Warfare Spring 1999 Vol. 1, No. 3
  |publisher= Chief of Naval Operations Submarine Warfare Division
  |url= http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_3/sub_hero.htm
  |year= 1999
  |access-date= 26 July 2011
  |url-status= dead
  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110629063832/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/issue_3/sub_hero.htm
  |archive-date= 29 June 2011
  }}
* {{cite journal
  |last= Grigore
  |first= Julius Jr.
  |title= The O-5 is Down!
  |journal= Proceedings
  |volume= 98
  |issue= 2
  |publisher= [[United States Naval Institute]]
  |location= Annapolis, Maryland
  |date= February 1972
  |url= http://william_h_ormsbee.tripod.com/sub_o5_down_grigore_72_p01.htm 
  |access-date= 9 February 2012
  }}
* {{cite report
  |title= Submarine Casualties Booklet
  |publisher= U.S. Naval Submarine School
  |year= 1966
  |url= http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/8200
  |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090911042946/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/8200
  |url-status= usurped
  |archive-date= 11 September 2009
  |access-date= 8 September 2009
  |ref= {{sfnRef|USNSS|1966}}
  }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{commons category|USS O-5 (SS-66)}}
* {{navsource|08/08066|USS O-5 (SS-66)}}
*[http://www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-o-5-66.htm On Eternal Patrol: USS ''O-5'']

{{United States O class submarine}}
{{WWI US ships}}
{{1923 shipwrecks}}
{{coord missing|Caribbean Sea}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:O-05}}
[[Category:United States O-class submarines]]
[[Category:World War I submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:United States submarine accidents]]
[[Category:Lost submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1923]]
[[Category:Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1917 ships]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea]]
[[Category:Submarines sunk in collisions]]