USS F-4

	USS F-4, ex-Skate, c. 1913-1915
History
United States
Name	Skate
Namesake	The skate
Builder	The Moran Company, Seattle, Washington
Laid down	21 August 1909
Launched	6 January 1912
Sponsored by	Mrs. Manson Franklin Backus
Commissioned	3 May 1913
Renamed	F-4 (Submarine No.23), 17 November 1911
Stricken	31 August 1915
Identification	Hull symbol: SS-23 (17 July 1920); Call sign: NSO; ;
Fate	Foundered, 25 March 1915
Notes	Raised, 29 August 1915, but not placed back in service
General characteristics
Class & type	F-class submarine
Displacement	330 long tons (335 t) surfaced; 400 long tons (406 t) submerged;
Length	142 ft 6 in (43.43 m)
Beam	15 ft 5 in (4.70 m)
Draft	12 ft 2 in (3.71 m)
Installed power	780 hp (582 kW) diesel; 620 hp (462 kW) electric;
Propulsion	2 × NELSECO diesel engines; 2 × Electro Dynamic electric motors; 2 × 60-cell batteries; 2 × Propellers;
Speed	13.5 kn (25.0 km/h; 15.5 mph) surfaced; 11.5 kn (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) submerged;
Range	2,300 nmi (4,300 km; 2,600 mi) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) surfaced; 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged;
Test depth	200 ft (61 m)
Capacity	11,500 US gal (44,000 L; 9,600 imp gal) fuel
Complement	1 officers; 21 enlisted;
Armament	4 × 18 inch (450 mm) bow torpedo tubes (4 torpedoes)

USS Skate/F-4 (SS-23), also known as "Submarine No. 22", was an F-class submarine in the United States Navy (USN). She was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the skate, though she was renamed F-4 prior to launching. Commissioned in 1913, she operated in the Pacific Ocean, until she sank accidentally in 1915, the first commissioned submarine of the US Navy to be lost at sea.