forerivershipyard

The Isaac Peral was a 200' long submarine built at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, MA for the Spanish Navy. Launching took place on 22 July 1916. This photo appeared in the December 1916 issue of Pacific Marine Review At the time it was described as the largest submarine afloat, though "afloat" doesn't seem the appropriate term for a submarine.

Also ran in The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) September 24, 1916, SECTION FIVE, p. 2 with the caption: "The Fore River Shipbuilding Corporation has just completed for the Spanish government the submarine Isaac Peral, built after plans of the Electric Boat Company. It is now undergoing trials at Provincetown, and sailors from the Spanish navy are being trained to handle it. " oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn83045782/1916-09-24/ed-1/se...

Seuss and Art Siegel: Thanks for providing us more details about the Isaac Peral. We'll include some of your information next time we update the description.

Maybe I was too hasty questioning the term "afloat." The Spanish are currently building the first of a new class of non-nuclear submarines. The first boat (submarines are boats, not ships) will be called the Isaac Peral. Unfortunately, due to some design errors it is too heavy and, once launched, will not float. Oops.

Tras la sanción por parte de las Cortes de la llamada "Ley Miranda"( llamada así por la persona que elaboró la ley, el almirante y Ministro de Marina Augusto Miranda y Godoy), de 1915, por la que se aprobaba la compra, entre otros materiales, 28 submarinos, con los que se creaba el Arma Submarina Española, aunque finalmente solo fueron adquiridos 16 de las clases A, B y C, aparte del "Isaac Peral). El A-0 fue adquirido a la empresa norteamericana Electric Boat Company que lo construyó en 1916 en los astilleros Fore River Shipyard de Quincy (Massachusetts). Su construcción era muy similar al submarino norteamericano de la Clase M USS M-1(SS-47), que fue un ejemplar único de ésta clase. El "Isaac Peral" fue entregado a la Armada el 31 de enero de 1917, convirtiéndose oficialmente en el primer submarino que tuvo España en servicio. El mando le fue entregado al capitán de corbeta Fernando de Carranza y Reguera Ese mismo año se añadieron otros tres submarinos adquiridos en Italia a FIAT San Giorgio, de la Clase F, que en España serían la Clase A. En la primavera de 1922, durante la Guerra de Marruecos, participó junto al submarino B-1 y el acorazado "España" en la evacuación, bajo fuego intenso, de los heridos y no combatientes de los peñones de Alhucemas y Vélez de La Gomera. En junio volvió el "Isaac Peral", junto con los submarinos B-1 y A-3 para abastecer el peñón de Vélez de la Gomera. aircraftdrawingsspain.blogspot.com/2020/05/submarino-de-l...

Eleanor Siebert helped to launch the USS Nevada in 1914; she was the niece of Governor Tasker Oddie of Nevada (so that's him next to her). The man on the left is Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus_Daniels en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tasker_Oddie

LOC: Your caption misspells Eleanor's first name.

Is Secretary Daniels flipping a secret signal?

pennyrichardsca: Thanks so much for filling in the names, and the likely occasion for the photo. We will fill in the names and correct the spelling, Wystan, the next time we update the record.

Aha! See this page on Battleship Moreno. Clearly this is one of the Rivadavia class battleships, of which only two were built, the Moreno, or the Rivadavia, I presume. Quoting, briefly, from that site: Laid down on July 9, 1910, launched on June 28, 1911 and commissioned in December 1914, Moreno carried a main armament of twelve 12 inch main guns mounted two per turret. Two superfiring turrets were on the centerline both fore and aft and there was one wing turret per side that could fire both fore and aft and to both sides. An article in the New York Times about Moreno is here. Wikipedia article about Rivadavia class--uses this photo, so it appears this is no big news!

It appears that one was launched from Quincy, MA, per NYTimes: "QUINCY, Mass., Aug. 26. -- The biggest battleship in the world was launched at the Fore River Shipbuilding Yards here to-day. The vessel in question is the Rivadavia, and when she is finished about a year hence she will steam south to become the principal unit in the fighting fleet of the Argentine Republic. " (8/27/1911)

amazing! :) -- Seen on your photo stream. (?)

Above photo shows the Rivadavia moored at Quincy shipyard for some finishing touches, over a year after launch in August, 1911. The photo is dated Dec. 2, 1912. The ship was commissioned by the Argentine Navy in 1914, and sold for scrap in 1956: www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/argentina/pages/r... A 1911 Bain/LOC photo of the Rivadavia shows it at sea after launch, but before completion: Another photo of the Rivadavia moored at Quincy for finishing touches -- photo is dated Dec. 2, 1912: Two photos of the Rivadavia being refurbished in dry dock at Charlestown, Mass., in 1913:

The Rivadavia features here as well