Mystery ship : the long, strange odyssey of Submarine S-49 / Stephen R. Wilk.
| Author/creator | Wilk, Stephen R. author |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2026] |
| Description | xii, 268 pages illustrations 26 cm |
| Subjects |
| Physical medium | illustrations. |
| Contents | Submarines -- Construction and launch -- The S-49 at sea -- The explosion and its aftermath -- Two politicians from Revere -- Point of Pines -- Chicago 1933 : The Century of Progress Exposition -- Cruising the Great Lakes -- Metamorphosis -- International incident -- A federal case -- Patuxent River. |
| Abstract | "Submarine S-49 had three different lives. One of the last submarines built by the Simon Lake company, it served as a United States Navy ship for five years, testing innovative devices, and was the first Navy vessel fitted with true piezoelectric SONAR. Consigned to the scrapyard in 1931 by the London Naval Treaty, it was rescued from destruction by two politicians from Revere, Massachusetts. It was the first Navy ship to be privately owned. They towed it back to Massachusetts, fixed it up, and exhibited it to the public. Two years later they towed it up the St. Lawrence River to Chicago, where it was exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair. After showing it around the Great Lakes, they re-engined the submarine and took it out into the Atlantic, taking it to cities along the eastern coast until WWII broke out. They tried to give it back to the Navy as a training vessel, but it had been too heavily altered, and it was once more consigned to the scrapyard. But, once again at the last minute, Navy Research rescued it, had it fitted up so that it could dive again, and used it in SONAR fuze testing, until one day it would no longer rise to the surface. It sits at the bottom of the Patuxent River in Maryland to this day. This work tells about the exploits of the S-49 and those who commanded her, telling of the advances she made, about the battery explosion on board, how she avoided being junked, how she was marketed, and how her civilian owners finagled her out of the destruction mandated by the London treaty"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Abstract | " One of the last submarines built by the Simon Lake company and the first Navy vessel fitted with true piezoelectric SONAR, submarine S-49 served as a United States Navy ship for five years, testing innovative devices. Two politicians from Revere, Massachusetts, rescued her from the scrapyard, and she was exhibited at the Chicago World's Fair and in cities on the Eastern Seaboard until World War II. Navy Research fitted up the sub so that she could dive again and used her for SONAR fuze testing until one day she could no longer rise to the surface. The sub sits at the bottom of the Patuxent River in Maryland to this day. This work relates the history of the S-49, including tales of her deeds, her battery explosion, her commanders, her wily civilian rescuers, and her life as an exhibition subject"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| LCCN | 2026003111 |
| ISBN | 9781476698359 paperback |
| ISBN | 147669835X |
| ISBN | ebook |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | New Books | V858 .W54 2026 | ✔ Available | Want This? |