USS H-8

USS H-8 (SS-151) 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-8 was launched on 14 November 1918, three days after the signing of the Armistice with Germany, and commissioned on 18 November 1918. From there she sailed to San Pedro, California, where she was attached first to Submarine Divisions 6 and 7 (SubDivs 6 and 7). Operating with her sister ships, H-8 engaged in extensive battle and training exercises out of San Pedro, varying this routine with patrols off Santa Catalina Island. In company with SubDivs 6 and 7, and tender USS Beaver (AS-5), H-8 departed San Pedro on 25 July 1922 and arrived in Norfolk, Virginia on 14 September. She decommissioned there on 17 November. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 26 February 1931. She was sold for scrapping on 28 November 1933.