USS O-14
USS O-14 , also known as "Submarine No. 75", was one of 16 [United States United States O-class submarine|O-class submarine|O-class] submarines of the United States Navy commissioned during World War I.
Design
The later O-boats, O-11 through O-16, were designed by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, to different specifications from the earlier boats designed by Electric Boat. They did not perform as well, and are sometimes considered a separate class. The submarines had a length of overall, a beam of, and a mean draft of. They displaced on the surface and submerged. The O-class submarines had a crew of 2 officers and 27 enlisted men. They had a diving depth of.For surface running, the boats were powered by two Busch-Sulzer diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a Diehl Manufacture Company electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the O class had a range of at.
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. The O-class submarines were also armed with a single /23 caliber retractable deck gun.
Construction
O-14s keel was laid down on 6 July 1916, at the Craig Shipbuilding Company, in Long Beach, California, by the California Shipbuilding Company. She was launched on 6 May 1918, sponsored by Miss Eleanor N. Hatch, and completed at the Mare Island Navy Yard. O-14 was commissioned on 1 October 1918.Service history
One of many N and O-class submarines building just prior to the US entry into World War I, O-14 commissioned too late for World War I combat service, but reported to Cape May, New Jersey, in 1919. In September, she was placed in commission, in reserve, at Cape May. In October, she proceeded to Philadelphia Navy Yard, for fitting out.When the US Navy adopted its hull classification system on 17 July 1920, she received the hull number SS-75.
In 1922, O-14 was based at Coco Solo, in the Panama Canal Zone; on 26 January, she sailed to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on a trial run. At Guantanamo Bay, in February, she operated in formation in and around the Virgin Islands, in March, before returning to Coco Solo. In May, O-14, with sister boats and, resumed diving operations, which continued into 1923, as SubDiv 10 conducted diving tactical operations. In November, O-14 proceeded to Philadelphia.