Facts and Specifications

WWI SC-1 ClassWWII SC-497 Class
Length Overall110′ 0″111′ 6-¾”
Extreme Beam14′ 8.75″17′ 11.5″
Displacement (Tons)8598
Engines3 standard 220 hp Gasoline, 3 screwsTwo GM straight 8 Diesel (8-268-A) 1440 hp, or Two GM 16 cyl. 184-A “pancake” engines
Speed18 knots15.6 knots or 21 knots
Maximum Draft, full load5′ 8″6′ 6″
Armament1 3″/23 cannon 2 30 cal. Machine guns 1 DCP “Y” gun and depth charges1 Single 40 mm Bofors or 1 3″/50 cannon (forward) 3 Single 20 mm Oerlikon (midships) 1 Twin 50 cal. machine gun (optional) (aft) 2 K-guns 14 depth charges 300 lb each with 6 single release chocks 2 sets Mark 20 mousetrap rails, each mounted with 4 7.2″ projectiles
Complement2 officers, 25 enlisted3 officers, 24 enlisted
Endurance1,000 nautical miles @ 12 knots1,500 nautical miles @ 12 knots

Facts:

  • A total of 440 subchasers were built for World War I.
  • A total of 438 subchasers were built for World War II.
  • Prior to the Pearl Harbor attack 84 SC hulls had already been laid down.
  • None of the current encyclopedias today have articles about subchasers.
  • No SCs were numbered from 800 to 899.
  • Twenty WWII subchasers (SC-449 class) built by Luders Marine Construction Co. of Stamford, CT were 110′ 10″ long rather than 111′ 6-¾”.
  • Elizabeth City Shipyards, Elizabeth City, NC built more SCs than any other boatyard, a total of 28. The same builder set a record for the fastest time from keel-laying to launching when it built SC 740 in 30 days.
  • Seventy SCs were converted to SC-C (Landing control vessels) but not one of the 19 SCs used at the Normandy landing was an SC-C.