USS S-20 (SS 125) was EB 73 C design

She was built by Fore River Shipbuilding;
Her keel was laid 15 August, 1918;
She was launched 9 June, 1920;
Her Sponsor was Miss A. C. Zell;
She was commissioned 22 November, 1922;
Her first Skipper was LT John Brownell;

History

December, 1941 assigned to SubRon ONE based at New London, for experimental duties. LT. Samuel D. Dealey assumed command in the spring of 1942.
16 July, 1946 was decommissioned at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and struck from the Navy List. She was sold for scrap on 22 Jan, 1946 to North American Smelting in Philadelphia. USS S-20 undertook no war patrols during World War II. Her most famous Skipper, Sam Dealey, became Skipper of USS HARDER and that story will be told in a later issue.

USS S-21 (SS 126) was EB 73 C design

She was built by Fore River Shipbuilding;
Her keel was laid 19 December, 1920;
She was launched 20 August, 1919;
Her Sponsor was Mrs. Thomas Baxter;
She was commissioned 14 September, 1923;
Her first Skipper was LCDR Palmer H. Dunbar, Jr.;

History:

9 December, 1941, USS S-21 got underway from New London for the Panama Canal Zone where she conducted defensive patrols in the Pacific Approaches.
24 January, 1942 she was the only boat of a four boat group, which consisted of S-21, S-26, S-29 and S-44 proceeding from Balboa to patrol station to receive a visual message from their escort patrol vessel PC-460 that the escort was leaving formation. This was just prior to PC-460 ramming and sinking S-26.
June 1942 she returned to New London for her preparations for transfer to Great Britain. 14 September, 1942 she was decommissioned and loaned to the Royal Navy where she became HMS P.553.
In early 1945, USS S-21 was returned to the United States and struck from the Navy List.
23 March, 1945 USS S-21 was sunk as a target off Portland, Maine at 43.37N x 69.59W.

WP#	DATE	Fm AREA	To AREA	DURATION
1	unknown	PA Canal Zone	PA	17 days
2	unknown	PA Canal Zone	PA	14 days
3	unknown	PA Canal Zone	PA	19 days

The only wartime combat Skipper was J. A. Bole, Jr.

Specifications of the EB 73C Design used to built SS 123 through SS 128

Dimensions: 219' 3" x 20' 8" x 15' 11"
Displacement: 854/1,062 tons
Power: diesel/electric
(diesel): 1,200 hp (Diesel engines by New London Ship and Engine)
(electric): 1,500 hp (120 cells) (Electric motors by Ridgeway Dynamo & Electric)
Speed (diesel: 14.5 knots
(electric): 11 knots
Fuel: 41,921 gallons
Tubes (fwd): four 21 inch (carried 12 torpedoes)
Guns: single 4"50 caliber
AA Guns: none
Crew - Officers: 4
Crew - Enlisted: 34
Depth of Dive: 200 feet