The USS K-4 (SS-35), originally designated as "Submarine No. 35," was a K-class submarine built for the United States Navy. Laid down on January 27, 1912, by the Moran Company in Seattle, Washington, she was launched on March 19, 1914, and commissioned on October 24, 1914. Initially named Walrus, she was renamed K-4 prior to her construction. She holds the distinction of being the first US Navy vessel named for the walrus, an Arctic marine mammal. The K-4 measured approximately 153 feet 7 inches (46.8 meters) in length, with a beam of 16 feet 8 inches (5.1 meters) and a mean draft of 13 feet 1 inch (4.0 meters). Her displacement was 451 long tons (458 tonnes) on the surface and 527 long tons (535 tonnes) submerged. She was capable of diving to depths of 200 feet (61 meters). Her crew comprised 2 officers and 26 enlisted men, reflecting the typical size for submarines of her class. Powered for surface operations by two 475-horsepower NELSECO diesel engines, each driving a propeller shaft, she could reach speeds of 14 knots (16 mph) on the surface. When submerged, her twin electric motors provided a maximum speed of 10.5 knots (12.1 mph). Her operational range was 3,150 nautical miles at 11 knots on the surface, with a submerged endurance of 120 nautical miles at 5 knots. Armed with four 18-inch torpedo tubes in the bow and carrying four reloads, she could deploy a total of eight torpedoes. K-4 primarily operated along the California coast and in the Hawaiian Islands, conducting exercises and experiments to advance submarine warfare techniques from her commissioning until 1917. During World War I, she was transferred to Key West, Florida, where she patrolled the Florida peninsula and trained personnel post-war. Her service concluded with her arrival at Hampton Roads, Virginia, in March 1923, after which she was decommissioned in May 1923. The vessel was sold for scrap on June 3, 1931, marking the end of her nearly two-decade service. Her operational history exemplifies early US naval submarine development and wartime adaptation.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.