USS O - 9 ( SS - 70 ) USS " O - 9 " ( SS - 70 ) was an " O " - class submarine of the United States Navy . Her keel was laid down on 15 February 1917 at Fore River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy , Massachusetts . She was launched on 27 January 1918 sponsored by Mrs . Frederick J . Sherman , and commissioned on 27 July 1918 with Lieutenant Oliver M . Read , Jr . in command . Service history . During the final months of World War I , " O - 9 " operated on coastal patrol and protected the Atlantic coast from U - boat s . She departed Newport , Rhode Island , on 2 November 1918 for Britain , in order to conduct her first war patrol . However , the end of the war came before " O - 9 " reached Europe . After the war , " O - 9 " continued in Naval service and trained submarine crews at the Submarine School at New London , Connecticut . Proceeding to Coco Solo , Panama Canal Zone , in 1924 , the boat was reclassified to a second line submarine during her year there . Returning to operate at New London , " O - 9 " reverted to a first line submarine on 6 June 1928 . Sailing up to Portsmouth , New Hampshire in January 1930 , the submarine returned to New London in March ; the following February , she sailed to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , to decommission there on 25 June 1931 . Remaining on the Naval Vessel Register , " O - 9 " was recalled to training service as American involvement in World War II became more inevitable . The 12 s were already nearing completion and 73 boats had been already been ordered when " O - 9 " was recommissioned at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , on 14 April 1941 and went to New London on 31 May . In all , eight of the original ten O - boats were recommissioned to serve as training submarines in the Second World War . ( The had been sunk after a collision in 1923 and the " O - 1 " had been scrapped in 1938 . ) " O - 9 " , in particular , required extensive work , and still suffered mechanical problems even after being returned to service . On the morning of 20 June 1941 , " O - 9 " and two of her sisters , and , left as a group from the submarine base in New London , Connecticut , for the submarine test depth diving area east of the Isles of Shoals . Upon reaching their designated training area , some off Portsmouth , New Hampshire , " O - 6 " made the first dive , followed by " O - 10 " . Finally , at 08 : 37 , " O - 9 " began her dive . At 10 : 32 , " O - 9 " had not returned to the surface . Rescue ships swung into action immediately . Sister ships " O - 6 " and " O - 10 " , submarine , submarine rescue ship , and other ships searched for " O - 9 " . That evening , pieces of debris with markings from " O - 9 " were recovered . In water deep , she was thought to be crushed , since her hull was only designed to withstand depths of . Divers went down from 13 : 00 on 21 June until 11 : 43 on 22 June . Divers could stay only a short time at the depth but nonetheless set endurance and depth records for salvage operations until those operations were cancelled , as they were considered too risky . Rescue operations were discontinued on 22 June . The boat and her 33 officers and men were declared lost as of 20 June . On 22 June , Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox conducted memorial services for the 33 officers and men lost on the boat . Wreck . On 20 September 1997 , " O - 9 " was finally located . Salem , New Hampshire - based Klein Sonar Company provided a vessel and sonar equipment which were used to discover " O - 9 " s final resting place . Her hull has been crushed from just abaft the conning tower all the way to the stern , though the forward hull appeared intact . There are no plans to salvage " O - 9 " . Her exact location is secret and the area has been designated an official Naval burial ground . " O - 9 " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 23 October 1941 .