THE SUBCHASER ARCHIVES – SHIP NOTES
UNITED STATES SUBMARINE CHASERS
SC 164

Notes on SC 164, Todd Woofenden, The Subchaser Archives, www.subchaser.org rev. 02-13-05

Built: Howard E. Wheeler, Brookline, NY (SC 164 to SC 168)

Service Log:

06-28-18: Departed New London, Connecticut, convoyed by USS Bridgeport (ID 3009)

07-02-18: Arrived Bermuda

07-07-18: Departed Bermuda, convoyed by USS Buffalo (AD 8)

07-20-18: Arrived Azores

07-27-18: Departed Azores, convoyed by USS Buffalo (AD 8)

08-05-18: Arrived Brest

08-10-18: Departed Brest, convoyed by _______

08-11-18: Arrived Base 27, Plymouth

08-20-18: Departed Plymouth

08-21-18: Arrived Queenstown, Ireland (Base 6)

02-1919: Arrived at Inverness, Scotland (Base 18)*

10-1919: To Devonport, England*

11-25-19: Moored at 35th St., Brooklyn, New York*

*I don’t have the exact dates for SC 164’s movements in this period.

Organization at Base 6 (Queenstown):

Unit: SC 271, SC 164 and SC 356

Thirty chasers were stationed at Base 6, all arriving on August 21, 1918. While stationed at Base 6, SC 164 was a wing boat in Unit 17, Squadron 6, Subchaser Detachment 3, at Queenstown, Ireland. The unit was engaged in anti-submarine warfare.

Organization at Base 18 (Inverness), Division One*:

SC 95: Lt. (j/g/) George J. Leovy, USNRF; SC 45: Ensign Mortimer B. Carraher, USN; SC 44: Ensign Benjamin F. Sammons, USNRF; SC 164: Lt. (j.g.) William T. McCargo, USN; SC 178: Ensign Walter E. Zielinski, USNRF

*Note: This organization list for Division One is from a Minesweeping Detachment Staff List, undated. SC 95 joined the mine sweeping operations after service in northern Russia, which extended into the early part of July. An earlier list, from May, 1919, list SC 164 as division flagship, and includes SC 40, SC 44, SC 45 and SC 178. Presumably SC 95 took on the flagship position after service in northern Russia. While stationed at Base 18, SC 164 was engaged in service in the clearing of the North Sea mine barrage. The role of the chasers was to follow the sweepers and shoot any stray mines, sinking them. This was extremely dangerous work, as sometimes the mines exploded instead of sinking. Clephane notes that SC 164 was damaged by an exploding mine on June 10, 1919 (Clephane, page 120).By October, 1919, mine sweeping operations were completed, and the chasers sailed for Devonport, England, for repairs in dry-dock in preparation for the trip home. By late November 1919, the chasers had returned to New York.

Resources/References:

  • Skeleton Log and unit organization: Clephane, Lewis P., History of the Submarine Chasers in the World War. Navy Department Office of Naval Records and Library Historical Section, Washington Government Printing Office, 1920.
  • Base 18 Unit organization and Unit commanders: Minesweeping Detachment Staff List,G.S. Dole Collection.
  • May, 1919 Minesweeping Detachment Instructions, G.S. Dole Collection.