The USS Skate (SS-23), originally known as "Submarine No. 22," was an F-class submarine commissioned into the United States Navy in 1913. She measured 142 feet 7 inches (43.5 meters) in length, with a beam of 15 feet 5 inches (4.7 meters) and a mean draft of 12 feet 2 inches (3.7 meters). Displacing 330 long tons on the surface and 400 long tons submerged, the vessel had a maximum diving depth of 200 feet (61 meters). Her crew consisted of one officer and 21 enlisted men. Powered by two 390-brake-horsepower NELSECO diesel engines for surface propulsion and electric motors of 310 horsepower for submerged operation, F-4 could reach speeds of up to 14 knots on the surface and 11.25 knots underwater. Her operational range was 2,500 nautical miles at 11 knots on the surface, with a submerged range of 100 nautical miles at 5 knots. Armed with four 18-inch torpedo tubes located at the bow, she carried no reload torpedoes. Constructed by The Moran Company in Seattle, Washington, her keel was laid on August 21, 1909. She was launched on January 6, 1912, and renamed F-4 in November 1911 before commissioning on May 3, 1913. During her service, F-4 operated in the Pacific Ocean, initially with the First Submarine Group, Pacific Torpedo Flotilla, conducting development and training exercises along the West Coast in 1913 and 1914. In August 1914, she was transferred to Hawaii, becoming one of the first submarines based at Pearl Harbor, although initial operations were conducted from rented piers due to incomplete facilities. F-4's service was tragically cut short during training off Honolulu on March 25, 1915, when she sank after an accident, resting at a depth of 51 fathoms (306 feet). Despite extensive efforts, she was later determined to have suffered hull failure due to probable corrosion and flooding caused by battery acid leakage and fouled valves. The submarine was salvaged after five and a half months, becoming the first US Navy submarine to be recovered from such depths. Post-salvage investigations concluded that hull failure was likely due to battery compartment flooding and hull weakening. The wreck was subsequently moved to Pearl Harbor and buried in the loch bottom to clear construction areas. It remains at a depth of approximately 93 meters (306 feet) in Pearl Harbor, serving as a historical reminder of early submarine operations and the perils faced by the US Navy’s pioneering underwater fleet.

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