USS R-12
Submarine · United States · Lost 1943 · The Gulf of Mexico
A World War I-era submarine that sank in about fifteen seconds during a training exercise off Key West, taking 42 men down with her.
The Vessel and Her Loss
USS R-12 was an aging coastal submarine conducting torpedo practice approaches off Key West when she suddenly flooded and sank in roughly fifteen seconds. Only the five men on the bridge, including the commanding officer, survived; 42 others, including two Brazilian naval observers, were lost. The wreck was located in 2010 in 600 feet of water.
Vessel
- 1919
- SS-89
- Fore River Shipbuilding Company
- Quincy, Massachusetts
- Steel
- 186 ft
- 18 ft
- 574
- Diesel-electric, twin screw
- United States Navy
Loss
- June 12, 1943
- Mechanical failure
- South of Key West, Florida
- Gulf of Mexico approaches, Straits of Florida
- Key West, Florida
- Not established
- 47
- 42
- Edward Ellis Shelby
The Wreck Today
- 600 ft
- Located intact on the seabed by an expedition team decades later.
- Not established
- 2010
- Sunken Military Craft Act; U.S. Navy war grave
Position
- 24.408° N 81.642° W
- Surveyed position
- Key West, Florida
Evidence
Overall confidence: Documented (88/100)
Naval History and Heritage Command
Loss narrative, casualties.
National Submarine Memorial - West
Court of inquiry findings, discovery record.
