F-3 completed her trials in the
Puget Sound area before reporting for duty at
San Francisco, California, on 15 October 1912, when she joined the First Submarine Group, Pacific Torpedo Flotilla. The Flotilla operated along the coast of California, conducting constant exercises and experiments to develop the techniques of submarine warfare, and from August 1914 to November 1915, carried out similar operations in the
Hawaiian Islands, the boats towed to their new operating area by
armored cruisers.
F-3 was placed
in ordinary at
Mare Island Navy Yard, in
Vallejo, California, on 15 March 1916, returning to full commission on 13 June 1917. After training her new crew,
F-3 was assigned to the Coast Torpedo Force,
Pacific Fleet, based at
San Pedro, California's
San Pedro Submarine Base. She engaged in daily operations, surfaced and submerged, training students of the submarine school. During maneuvers on 17 December 1917, she and collided, the latter sinking almost immediately.
F-3, along with other submarines with whom she was operating, rescued only three men out of the 22 on board
F-1.
F-3 suffered a cracked bow cap and after repairs at Mare Island Navy Yard, was assigned operations in cooperation with a civilian motion picture company in experiments with
underwater photography. ==Fate==