USS R - 1 ( SS - 78 ) USS " R - 1 " ( SS - 78 ) was the lead ship of the " R " - class coastal and harbor defense submarines of the United States Navy . Her keel was laid down on 16 October 1917 by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy , Massachusetts . She was launched on 24 August 1918 sponsored by Mrs . George W . Dashiell , and commissioned on 16 December 1918 at Boston , Massachusetts , with Commander Conant Taylor in command . Service history . 1918 – 1931 . After shakedown in New England waters , " R - 1 " was assigned to Submarine Division 9 of the Atlantic Fleet and based at New London , Connecticut . She got underway on 4 December 1919 for Norfolk , Virginia , and winter exercises with her division in the Gulf of Mexico , and returned to New London on 18 May 1920 for four months of summer operations with and before sailing on 13 September for Norfolk and overhaul . Given hull classification symbol SS - 78 in July 1920 , " R - 1 " was ordered to the Pacific Ocean on 11 April 1921 , transited the Panama Canal in late May , and arrived on 30 June at her new base , San Pedro , California . She took part in fleet exercises off Central America from 5 February through 6 April 1923 , returned to San Pedro on 10 April , and on 16 July was transferred , along with Division 9 , to Pearl Harbor where for the next eight years she trained crews and developed submarine tactics . Departing San Diego on 5 January 1931 " R - 1 " sailed for Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , " via " the Panama Canal , arrived on 9 February and was decommissioned there on 1 May . 1940 – 1946 . She was recommissioned in ordinary on 23 September 1940 at Groton , Connecticut , overhauled and commissioned in full on 16 October . " R - 1 " got underway with Submarine Squadron 3 , Division 42 on 10 December for the Panama Canal Zone . Stationed at Coco Solo for a year , she was reassigned to Division 31 in June 1941 , ordered to New London in October for a refit , and transferred to Squadron 7 . At New London on 7 December 1941 , " R - 1 " remained in the southern New England area for the first days of American participation in World War II . On 9 and 10 December she patrolled the sealanes leading to New England and on 11 December arrived at Bermuda , whence , with other SubRon 7 boats , she joined the hunt for U - boat s preying on maritime traffic along the North American coast . Although limited in cruising range , the R - boats operating out of Ordnance Island , Bermuda continued their patrols through the " Kriegsmarine " submarine offensive of early 1942 . In February , the submarines established a patrol line between Bermuda and Nantucket Island . On that patrol line , some northeast of Bermuda , " R - 1 " ( under command of Lieutenant James D . Grant ) sighted , attacked , and fired on the surfaced U - boat on 16 April . " R - 1 " continued patrols out of Bermuda until returning to New London on 20 July for upkeep and coastal patrols . At the end of September , she resumed operations out of Bermuda . Through November 1944 she rotated between Bermuda and New London and , at the latter , in December underwent an extensive conversion to enable her to participate in the development of ASW equipment and tactics . Emerging from the yard on 26 February 1945 , she steamed to New York City on 28 February ; then headed south to Florida for three weeks of operations off Port Everglades , Florida . In April , she returned to New London , then on to Casco Bay , Maine , for further ASW tests . Returning to the Thames River base on 29 June , she headed south again on 7 July and at mid - month reported for duty with the Fleet Sonar School at Key West , Florida , where she served for the remainder of her career . " R - 1 " decommissioned at Key West on 20 September 1945 and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 10 November . Still at Key West awaiting disposal on 21 February 1946 , the overage submarine sank in of water . Raised three days later , she was sold for scrap on 13 March 1946 to Macey O . Smith of Miami , Florida .