USS H-4

USS H-4 (SS-147) was a H-class submarine originally built for the Imperial Russian Navy. Six of these were not delivered pending the outcome of the Russian Revolution of 1917 before being purchased by the United States Navy on 20 May 1918.

Description
The H-class submarines had a length of 150 ft overall, a beam of 15 ft and a mean draft of 12 ft. They displaced 358 LT on the surface and 467 LT submerged. The boats had a crew of 2 officers and 23 enlisted men. They had a diving depth of 200 ft.

For surface running, they were powered by two New London Ship & Engine Co. 475 bhp diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 170 hp Electro Dynamic Co. electric motor. They could reach 14 kn on the surface and 10.5 kn underwater. On the surface, the boats had a range of 2300 nmi at 11 kn and 100 nmi at 5 kn submerged.

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.

Construction and career
H-4 was launched on 9 October 1918, and commissioned on 24 October 1918. Stationed at San Pedro, California — first with Submarine Division 6 (SubDiv 6) and then SubDiv 7 — H-4 participated in various battle and training exercises along the West Coast with her sister H-boats. These exercises were interrupted by occasional patrol duty off Santa Catalina Island and periodic overhauls at Mare Island.

In company with the two sub divisions and tender USS Beaver (AS-5), H-4 sailed from San Pedro on 25 July 1922 and reached Norfolk, Virginia on 14 September via Magdalena Bay, Corinto, and Coco Solo. She decommissioned there on 25 October. H-4 was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 26 February 1931 and sold for scrap on 14 September.