Technical Sheet
Submarines in the United States Navy
The submarine has a long history in the United States. There were various projects in the 1800s, such as: The Alligator, a US Navy submarine (never commissioned) that was being towed to South Carolina to be used in the taking of Charleston; she was lost due to bad weather April 2, 1863 off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina; and the CSS H. L. Hunley which was a submarine of the Confederate States of America shipped by rail to South Carolina on August 12, 1863 to defend Charleston. The CSS Hunley played a small part in the American Civil War, but a large role in naval warfare worldwide by demonstrating both the advantages and the dangers of undersea warfare. On February 17, 1864, Hunley attacked and sank the USS Housatonic in Charleston harbor becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy ship, but soon after, Hunley also sank drowning all eight crewmen. Real progress began in earnest in the late 19th century with the building of the USS Holland (SS-1). The Holland (named after John Philip Holland) was developed at Lewis Nixon's Crescent Shipyard located in Elizabeth, New Jersey. This pioneering craft was in service for 10 years and was a developmental and trials vessel for many systems on other early submarines.
The submarine really came of age in World War I. The USN did not have a large part in this war, with its action mainly being confined to escorting convoys later in the war and sending a division of battleships to reinforce the British Grand Fleet. However, there were those in the USN submarine service who saw what the Germans had done with their U-boats and took careful note.
USS Holland (SS-1)
USS Holland (SS-1) was the United States Navy's first commissioned submarine, named for her Irish-American inventor, John Philip Holland, although not the first submarine of the US Navy, which was the 1862 Alligator. The boat was originally laid down as Holland VI, and launched on 17 May 1897.
Design and construction
The work was done at (Ret.) Navy Lieutenant Lewis Nixon's Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth, New Jersey for John Holland's company, then known as the Holland Torpedo Boat Company. The craft was built under the supervision of John Holland who designed the vessel and its details. The keel to this craft was laid at this time with both men present at the scene located at Nixon's Crescent Shipyard. The two men worked together using many of John Holland's proven concepts and patents to make the submarine a reality, both men complementing each others contributions to the development of the modern submarine.
Holland included many features that submarines of the early 20th century would exhibit, albeit in later, more advanced forms. It had both an internal combustion engine for running on the surface, and an electric motor for submerged operation. She had a reloadable torpedo tube and a deck gun, in its case a pneumatic dynamite gun. There was a conning tower from which the boat and its weapons could be directed. Finally, she had all the necessary ballast and trim tanks to make precise changes in depth and attitude underwater.
Service
Holland VI eventually proved its validity and worthiness as a warship and was ultimately purchased by the American Government for the sum of $150,000.00 on 11 April 1900. It was considered to be the first truly successful craft of its type. The United States Government soon ordered more submarines from Holland's company, which were to be known as Plunger-class. These became America's first fleet of underwater naval vessels.
Holland — along with six other Holland-type submarines — was based in New Suffolk, New York on the North Fork of Long Island from 1899–1905, prompting the hamlet to claim to be the "First Submarine Base" in the United States.
The success of the submarine was instrumental in the founding of the Electric Boat Company - now known as the General Dynamics Electric Boat, a division of General Dynamics Corporation. The company can trace its origins to this point with these events, beginning with the formation of John Philip Holland's original company and the revolutionary submarines that were developed at this shipyard.
Holland VI was modified since its christening, and was renamed USS Holland (SS-1) when it was commissioned by the U.S. Navy on 12 October 1900, at Newport, Rhode Island, with Lieutenant Harry H. Caldwell in command.
Holland was the first commissioned submarine in the U.S. Navy and is the first of the unbroken line of submarines in the Navy. It was the third submarine to be owned by the Navy however. (The first such submarine was the Propeller (aka Alligator) while the second was the Intelligent Whale).
On 16 October 1900, in order to be kept serviceable throughout the winter, Holland left Newport under tow of tug Leyden for Annapolis, Maryland, where she was used to train midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy, as well as officers and enlisted men ordered there to receive training vital in preparing for the operation of other submarines being built for the Fleet.
Holland proved valuable for experimental purposes in collecting data for submarines under construction or contemplation. Her 166 mi (267 km) surface run, from Annapolis to Norfolk, Virginia from 8–10 January 1901, provided useful data on her performance underway over an extended period.
Except for the period from 15 June-1 October, which was passed training cadets at the Naval Torpedo Station, Newport, Rhode Island, Holland remained at Annapolis as a training submarine until 17 July 1905.
Holland finished her career at Norfolk, Virginia. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 21 November 1910. This revolutionary submarine was sold as scrap to Henry A. Hitner & Sons, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 18 June 1913 for $100. Her purchaser was required to put up $5,000 bond as assurance that the submarine would be broken up and not used as a ship.
Name: USS Holland
Namesake: John Philip Holland
Builder: Crescent Shipyard, Elizabeth, New Jersey
Laid down: November 1896
Launched: 17 May 1897
Commissioned: 12 October 1900
Decommissioned: 7 July 1905
Struck: 21 November 1910
Fate: Sold 18 June 1913; on display in a park in Paterson, New Jersey until sold for scrap, 1932
Displacement: 64 long tons (65 t) surfaced
74 long tons (75 t) submerged
Length: 53 ft 10 in (16.41 m) o/a
Beam: 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) extreme
Draft: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
Installed power: 45 bhp (34 kW) (gasoline engine)
75 bhp (56 kW) (electric motor)
Propulsion: 1 × Otto gasoline engine
1 × E.D. electric motor
66-cell Exide battery
1 × screw
Speed: 8 kn (9.2 mph; 15 km/h) surfaced
5 kn (5.8 mph; 9.3 km/h) submerged
Complement: 6
Armament: 1 × 18 in (460 mm) torpedo tube
1 × 8.4 in (210 mm) dynamite gun
Simon Lake
Simon Lake (September 4, 1866 - June 23, 1945) was a Quaker American mechanical engineer and naval architect who obtained over two hundred patents for advances in naval design and competed with John Philip Holland to build the first submarines for the United States Navy.
Born in Pleasantville, New Jersey, Lake joined his father's foundry business after attending public schools in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Lake had a strong interest in undersea travel.
He built his first submarine, Argonaut Junior, in 1894 in response to an 1893 request from the Navy for a submarine torpedo boat. Neither Argonaut nor Lake's following submarine, Protector, built in 1901, were accepted by the Navy. Protector was the first submarine to have diving planes mounted forward of the conning tower and a flat keel. Four diving planes allowed Protector to maintain depth without changing ballast levels. Protector also had a lock-out chamber for divers to leave the submarine. Lake, lacking Holland's financial backing, was unable to continue building submarines in the United States. He sold Protector to Imperial Russia in 1904 and spent the next seven years in Europe designing submarines for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the Kaiserliche Marine, and Imperial Russian Navy (Osetr class submarines and Kaiman class submarines).
He lived in Milford, Connecticut from 1907 until his death in 1945. A grammar school named in his honor closed in June 2010. In 1912, he founded the Lake Torpedo Boat Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut, which built 24 submarines for the United States Navy during and after World War I. Lake's first submarine for the U.S. Navy, USS G-1 (SS-19½), set a depth record of 256 feet (78m) in November 1912.
In 1922 the United States and other countries signed treaties limiting the size of their navies. This led to financial difficulties which forced the Lake Torpedo Boat to close in the mid-1920s. Following company closure, Lake continued designing maritime salvage systems including obtaining permission to partially salvage the Lusitania of the south Irish coast and then later a failed attempt to salvage gold from HMS Hussar, a British frigate that sank in 1780 in New York's East River with his submarine, the Explorer. He advised the United States Navy on submarine technology and maritime salvage during World War II. By his death, Lake had witnessed the submarine's arrival as a front-line weapon in the US Navy.
The US Navy built a class of vessels for use as submarine tenders named in his honor the Simon Lake class; USS Simon Lake (AS-33) was in service between 1964 and 1999.
In 1989 Simon Lake was inducted into the Toms River Schools Hall of Fame.
HMS C3
HMS C3 was a British C class submarine built by Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 25 November 1905 and was commissioned on 23 February 1906.
C3 was used packed full of explosives for destroying a viaduct connecting the mole to the shore during the Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April 1918. Her Captain, Richard Douglas Sandford, received the Victoria Cross for the action.
USS C-1 (SS-9) was the lead ship of her class of submarine of the United States Navy.
C-1 was laid down by Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, under a subcontract from Electric Boat Company, as Octopus. Octopus was launched on 4 October 1906 sponsored by Miss F. Webster, and commissioned on 30 June 1908, Lieutenant C. E. Courtney in command. She was renamed C-1 on 17 November 1911.
Service history
Assigned to Submarine Flotilla 2 (SubFlot 2), Octopus operated out of Newport, Rhode Island and New York City until 9 October 1908. Tests and experiments, of both submarine design and the tactical use of her type, continued from Norfolk, Virginia and Newport until she was placed in reserve at Charleston, South Carolina on 14 February 1910.
Recommissioned on 15 April, the submarine conducted experiments and served as training vessel at Newport until 10 May 1913. C-1 was reassigned to Submarine Group 1, Torpedo Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet, and from 29 May-7 December operated out of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. She served in Panamanian waters in training, and later, on patrol during World War I until 4 August 1919, when she was decommissioned at Coco Solo in the Panama Canal Zone. Here, she was sold on 13 April 1920.
USS B-1 (SS-10)
USS B-1 (SS-10) was a B-class submarine of the United States Navy. Her keel was laid down by Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, under a subcontract from Electric Boat Company of New Suffolk, Long Island, as Viper, making her the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the viper.
Viper was launched on 30 March 1907 sponsored by Mrs. Lawrence York Spear, and commissioned on 18 October 1907 with Lieutenant D. C. Gingham in command. She reported to the Second Submarine Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet.
Service history
Viper cruised along the Atlantic coast on training and experimental exercises until going into reserve at Charleston Navy Yard on 30 November 1909. Recommissioned on 15 April 1910, she served with the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet until assigned to the Reserve Torpedo Group at Charleston Navy Yard on 9 May 1911. On 17 November, her name was changed to B-1.
In April 1914, B-1 was towed to Norfolk, Virginia, and later loaded aboard the collier Hector for transport to the Philippine Islands. Arriving at Olongapo, Luzon on 24 March 1915, B-1 was launched from the deck of Hector on 15 April and recommissioned two days later.
B-1 was assigned to the First Submarine Division, Torpedo Flotilla, Asiatic Fleet on 19 May 1915 and later served with the Second Submarine Division in Manila Bay. On 1 December 1921, B-1 was decommissioned at Cavite, Philippine Islands, and subsequently used as a target.
USS B-2 (SS-11)
USS B-2 (SS-11) was a B-class submarine of the United States Navy. Her keel was laid down by Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, under subcontract from Electric Boat Company of New Suffolk, L. I., as Cuttlefish, making her the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the cuttlefish, a 10-armed marine mollusk similar to the squid. Cuttlefish was launched on 1 September 1906 sponsored by Ms. Eleanor Gow, daughter of Commander J. L. Gow, and commissioned on 18 October 1907 with Lieutenant E. J. Marquart in command. She reported to the Second Submarine Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet.
Cuttlefish operated along the Atlantic coast, running experiments, testing machinery and equipment, and conducting extensive training exercises until going into reserve at Charleston Navy Yard on 30 November 1909. Recommissioned on 15 April 1910, she served with the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet until joining the Reserve Torpedo Group at Charleston Navy Yard on 9 May 1911. The boat was re-named B-2 on 17 November. B-2 remained in reserve until placed out of commission on 4 December 1912. On 6 December, she was towed to Norfolk, Virginia, and loaded onto Ajax for transfer to the Asiatic Station. Sailing via the Suez Canal, Ajax arrived at Cavite, Philippine Islands on 30 April 1913, and B-2 was launched on 12 May. She was recommissioned on 2 August and assigned to the Torpedo Flotilla, Asiatic Fleet. She remained on duty in the Philippines until decommissioned at Cavite on 12 December 1919. B-2 was subsequently used as a target.
USS B-3 (SS-12)
USS B-3 (SS-12) was a B-class submarine of the United States Navy. Her keel was laid down by Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, under a subcontract from Electric Boat Company of then New Suffolk L. I., as Tarantula, making her the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the tarantula. She was launched on 30 March 1907 sponsored by Mrs. George S. Radford, wife of Naval Constructor Radford, and commissioned on 3 December 1907 with Lieutenant J. F. Daniels in command.
Service history
She reported to the Atlantic Fleet, and Tarantula operated along the Atlantic coast with the First and Second Submarine Flotillas on training and experimental exercises until going into reserve at Charleston Navy Yard on 6 November 1909. She was recommissioned on 15 April 1910 and served with the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet until assigned to the Reserve Torpedo Group, Charleston Navy Yard on 9 May 1911 and placed out of commission on 4 December 1912. On 17 November, Tarantula was renamed B-3.
On 6 December 1912, B-3 was towed to Norfolk, Virginia, and loaded onto the collier Ajax for transfer to the Asiatic Station. Arriving at Cavite, Philippine Islands on 30 April 1913, B-3 was launched from Ajax on 12 May. She was recommissioned on 2 September and remained in the Philippines where she served with Submarine Division 4, Torpedo Flotilla, Asiatic Fleet.
Decommissioned at Cavite on 25 July 1921, B-3 was subsequently used as a target.
