USS F-4 Raised from the Depths: How the U.S. Navy Salvaged Its First Lost Submarine on August 29, 1915

On August 29, 1915, the U.S. Navy accomplished something no one had ever done before: it raised a lost submarine from the ocean floor. The USS F-4, a pioneer of America’s early undersea fleet, had sunk off Honolulu months earlier, entombing her crew in the dark. Salvaging her seemed impossible. The boat lay more than 300 feet down, crushed by pressure and mud, beyond the limits of human endurance at the time. Yet through grit, ingenuity, and some downright stubborn determination, naval engineers and divers pulled off a miracle. Special pontoons were built, cables secured by divers who risked their lives in dangerous depths, and after months of effort, the submarine finally broke the surface on that summer day. It was a moment that changed naval history, proving that even the ocean’s grip could be defied. Tonight, we’ll tell the story of the rise of F-4.