US SUBMARINES 1900-35 ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR JIMCHRISTLEYretiredfromtheUSNavyin 1982asaseniorchiefpetty officerhaving served on seven submarinesranging from dieselto nuclearfast attacksto ballisticmissile boats.AstudentofUS submarinetechnical history, hehaswritten numerousarticlesand abookonthesubjectinadditionto NEW VANGUARD • 175 providingtechnical illustrationstoseveral notablebooksonsubmarinedesign and history.JimisaresidentofLisbon,Connecticut. US SUBMARINES PETER BULLgraduatedfrom artcollege in 1979and hasworked asa 1900-35 freelance illustratorforover25years.Hehascreated bothtraditionaland digitalartforpublishersworldwide,andalsorunsthePeterBullArtStudio, based in EastSussex, UK,which hefounded in 1975. JIM CHRISTLEY ILLUSTRATED BY PETER BULL CONTENTS 'stpublishedinGreatBritainin2011byOspreyPublishing, dlandHouse,WestWay,Botley,Oxford,OX2OPH,UK -0223rdSt,Suite219,LongIslandCity,NY11101,USA mail:[email protected] INTRODUCTION 4 2011OspreyPublishingLtd THE GENESIS OF THE US NAVALSUBMARINE FORCE 4 Irightsreserved.Apartfromanyfairdealingforthepurposeofprivate Jdy,research,criticismorreview,aspermittedundertheCopyright, !signsandPatentsAct,19BB,nopartofthispublicationmaybe THE NAVY'S FIRST MODERN SUBMARINES 6 produced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyform byanymeans,electronic,electrical,chemical,mechanical,optical, lotocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutthepriorwrittenpermission DEVELOPMENT 12 thecopyrightowner.EnquiriesshouldbeaddressedtothePublishers. THE TECHNOLOGY 23 CIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary Basic design BN:97B1849081856 Basic form bookISBN:9781849081863 Engines 'gelayoutbyMelissaOrromSwan,Oxford Batteries dexbyMikeParkin 'pesetinSabonandMyriadPro Armament riginatedbyPDQDigitalMediaSolutions,Suffolk,UK Radio 'intedinChinathroughWorldprintLtd Sonar I 12 13 14 15 1098765432 1 THE NAMING OF SUBMARINES 38 spreyPublishingissupportingtheWoodlandTrusttheUK'sleading oodlandconservationcharitybyfundingthededicationoftrees. OPERATIONS 38 ww.ospreypublishing.com Disaster 1:The USS F-4 Disaster 2:The USS F-7 The L-Class and operations during World War I INDEX 48 3 The"SubmarinePropeller"alsoknownasthe"Alligator" ft SternasmodifiedattheWashington Domehatchasinstalled NavyYardin1862byMartinThomas bySamuelEakininMay 1862 • I • I • o. 0 • S SUBMARINES 1900-35 35 40 45 50 ScaleFeet DrawingbyJ.ChristleyasinterpretedfromtheDeVilleroidesigndrawingsbyJ.Christley,D.MerrimanandT.Smalley INTRODUCTION Thesmall submarinewasdulyinspected.Theresultofthisinspectionwas Thelittlesubmarineknownas that the Navy contracted a slightly larger version as a possible weapon with theAlligatorwasbuiltbythe This book is an introduction to the early years of the US Naval Submarine whichto attackthe ironclad CSS Virginia, then being builtbytheConfederacy UnionNavyinlate1861and Force, covering mainly the period 1900 to 1935. Even though there is little in the recently captured Gosport navy yard near Norfolk, Virginia. acceptedforserviceinJune, ,862.Itwasdeployedinthe mentionofothercountries,inventorsand navies hereitshould be understood The building of the submarine was fraught with trouble and controversy. JamesRiverattheendofthe thattheUSdid notinventand developasubmarineforce inavacuumand that However, on May 1, 1862, the "Submarine Propeller," as it was called, was USCivilWar'sSevenDays there were not only earlier, but also parallel, programs all over the world. launched byacranewhichloweredthe boatintotheDelawareRiver. Samuel Campaign.Itwaslostoffthe The submarine as a naval weapon faced a problem early on in its Eakin was appointed to superintend the boat and finish the details. Finally, NorthCarolinacoastinApril ,863whilebeingtowedsouth development, which was that of propulsion. Early attempts at submarines it was ready; William Hirst, a Philadelphia lawyer and go-between for de tobeusedtoattackCharleston, used humanpower,compressedair,steamand otherpropulsionmethods, with Villeroi,gotinstructionsfrom CommodoreJosephSmith, ChiefoftheBureau SouthCarolina.Nocrewmen some limited success. The inventive insightofJohn Phillip Holland led to the ofYardsand Docks,toformally turn the boatovertothe Commandantofthe wereaboard.(Author's combination ofan internal combustion engine to provide surface power; an Philadelphia Navy Yard, a task he completed on June 13, 1862, the true collection) electricmotor withpowersupplied byastorage batterytosupplypropulsion birthdate ofthe US Naval Submarine Force. energywhensubmerged;and theuse ofthemotorasageneratorto chargethe This submarine,paintedgreen on the outside and with its bulbous dome batterywhen the engine could be run on the surface. and paddles, resembled an alligator and was so nicknamed. The sobriquet This combination ofelements, properly arranged, made a workable, fully stuck and the boat was referred to in official correspondence as the USS submerging vessel that, when equipped with a torpedo tube launching an Alligator. The boat was deployed to the James River during the latter part automobile torpedo, was an invisible threat to any unsuspecting capital ship. ofthe American CivilWar's "SevenDays Campaign" in 1862, butcould not Holland'ssubmarinewaspurchased bytheUSNavyin1900.By1930,amere 30 years later, the concept ofsubmarine warfare had been tested in war and had progressed sofar thatsubmarinescould range overall theworld's oceans and their role was written into the battleplans ofall the world's navies. THE GENESIS OF THE US NAVAL SUBMARINE FORCE The AmericanCivilWarwas underway byMay 1861,whenthePhiladelphia police, acting on nervous reports of strange goings-on at the waterfront, arrested the French diver and inventor Brutus de Villeroi, and some of his workmen. They also impounded a curious device. It was an iron tube some 33ftlong and about5ftin diameter. DeVilleroi had developed, based on his experiments in France, a submarine which he had hoped to use as a salvage platform. Without doubt the police, not being sure of the patriotic intent TheUSSHollandindrydock of the inventor, had no clear understanding of what this submarine object afterbeingcommissioned. Thetypeseenhereisvery was, buttheyknewitneeded to beput under the controlofthe United States muchliketheSkipjack-Class Navy. Captain Samuel F. DuPont, commandant of the Philadelphia Navy fast-attacknuclearsubmarine Yard, wasinformed about the device. Heappointed threeofficers to examine ofthe1960s.Themanstanding it, interview the inventor and report their findings to him and the Navy justforwardoftheflagstaff providesasenseofscale.(Navy Department. HistoryCenter) 5 AD-Classengineroomlooking be used due to the shallowness of the river. It was sent to the Washington aft.Onecanimaginewhatthe Navy Yard for testing and, finally, was put under tow early in 1863 and environmentwaslikeforthe takendown the Atlanticcoastwith theaimofaiding theUnionNavy'seffort enginemenandelectricians, to force entry into Charleston harbor, South Carolina. The little submarine withthenoise,heatand movingparts.Themain was lost in a storm off Cape Hatteras in April, 1863. Early the following propulsionmotorsarejust year, the Confederate Navy's H. L. Hunley became the first submarine to visibleinthelowercenter. sink an enemy ship in combat. (RicHedman,Pigboats.com) TheUSNavyboughtanothersubmarine,similarinnature totheAlligator, in 1864. It was called the Intelligent Whale and served as a test platform for some years, then was forgotten. This submarine, however, still exists - it is on display at the National Guard Museum of New Jersey, and is the oldest existingnaval submarine in the world. THE NAVY'S FIRST MODERN SUBMARINES :lassboatunder The Navy accepted and commissioned the USS Holland in Octoberof1900. truction.Thebuilding It was the first of the unbroken line of commissioned submarines in the lodwasnotmuch 'entfromthatusedin US Navy. John Holland had already built a follow-on design, the Fulton, ingsurfaceships.Frames which heshowed to navalofficials. The Navy wanted more boats and putin setupandhullplates an orderfor sevento be builtalong the lines ofthe Fulton. Thefirst was laid ~dinplace.Thesaddle down in New Jersey the following month. By the spring of 1901, all seven Atopthecenterofthepressurehull,alargecylindricalcastingwasinserted. edballasttanks- were well in hand in two shipyards. On the westcoastwere the A-3 and the Merely 3ft in diameter, the cylinder was closed at the top by a hatch which 1tedbytheboat's Jfacturer,EB- areseen A-5 attheUnion IronWorksin SanFrancisco. InElizabethport, NewJersey, was 2ft in diameter. This was the conning tower and, with its small circular withtheflatfloorbeing the A-l, A-2, A-4, A-6 and A-7were being built in the Crescent Shipyard. windows, served as the only view of the outside world for the commander ,aseforthebatterycells. Theconstructiontechnique used was differentfrom anythingweseetoday when the boatwas submerged. •uldberememberedthat asweldingwas non-existent. Everythinghad to beeithercastintothe desired The engine was gasoline-fueled and had four cylinders. However, that is )uttheweldingcommon nstructiontodayallthe shapeorfabricated from rolled steel,whichwas then eitherboltedorriveted where the resemblance to the modern automobile engine ends. The cylinders seenherehadtobe together. Frames ofrolled T-stock orZ-stock were erected about 18inapart. wereabout7inindiameterand hadastrokeofnearlyafoot. Theenginecould ThebatterywellinanA-Class rcasttoshape,rolled These frames had pre-drilled, JAin holes around their periphery. Rolled and be turned over by hand, by the electric motor, or air-started. It was started submarine.Thisviewshows 1ammeredtoshapeand theopen-toppedsetofbattery hammered,1/2inoil-temperedplates,somenearly 70ftlongand 8ftwide with on one cylinder and only as it was turning overwould the others be cut in by ,d,orriveted,together. cellswiththeirplates 1edman,Pigboats.com) tapered ends, were laid against the frames and holes were marked. adjustingthefuel andspark.Ithad to betweakedconstantlyand, as itonlyran suspendedintherubber-lined inonedirection,goingasternontheenginewas outofthe question.Therewas steelcells.Theentire also only a limited speed adjustment. Halfspeed ofabout four knots and full arrangementwascoveredby planksrestingonthedecklip speed of about 81/2 knots were the choices. The engine would develop 180hp seenintheupperportionof when running properly. The piping system was difficult to maintain as it had thepicture.(USNavySFLM) flanged fittings bolted up, was pipe thread with only lead paste to form a gasket, and had no swage fittings or compression joints. Lubricating oilwas splashed into the bearings in the semi-open crankcase and the oil cups were gravity-fed and had to be reused by filling the oil cups from a can. Workingaround theenginewithallitsopen moving cams, crankshafts and rods made ita dangerous time to bea machinist. Beinggasoline-fueled, there were issues with leaks and fumes. The fumes could build up and causetwoproblems.Thefirst was the obvious fire hazard and any fire would be sudden and disastrous. The secondproblemwas theeffectofthefumes on the brain. They tended to accumulate '. 7 USSHollandwasthefirstUSsubmarinethatsuccessfullycombinedalltheelementsthatwerenecessaryforasubmarine Key weaponsystem.Surfacedoperationusedaninternalcombustionengineandsubmergedoperationanelectricmotodor mainpropulsion.Theenginedroveagenerator(whichwasthemotor)tochargealeadacidbatteryforsubmerged 1. Airflaskfordynamitegun 10. Mainpropellershaft operation.AnunderwatertorpedotubeusingaWhiteheadtypetorpedoformedthemainweapon(thedynamitegunwas 2. Dynamitegun 11. Propeller notrepeatedinotherdesigns).Oneelementgenerallyoverlookedinthisdesignwasthatitwasrepeatable,andcouldthus 3. 18"torpedotube 12. Lowerrudder beofferedforsaleinquantity. 4. Airflaskfortorpedofiring 13. Sternplanes 5. Reloadtorpedo 14. Upperrudder 6. Batterywellunderdeck 15. Automaticsteeringmechanism 7. Ballasttankaroundandunder 16. Internalribs baterywell 17. Lifeline 8. Ottogasolineengine 18. hatchandconningtower 9. Dynamo(generator) 19. Commandersplatform 17 16 5 4 tricaldistributionand Thetroops.Aclassicviewof being discharged at a high trolpanelonUSS5-50. submarinersduringWorld ~theopen-poleknife rate), the battery generated WarI.Theyareatopthe chesandthehigh hydrogen gas. This gas is fairwateroftheE-2.Theman ,eragebreakersonthe highly flammable at a four inthecenterissittingonthe ~rleft.Theonlything batteryventilationintake. percentconcentration inair Jingthecrewawayfrom Behindthemenarethetwo 250-voltDClivefront and explosive at a seven periscopes.Belowtheright elsweretherailingsseen percent concentration. If kneeofthecentermanisthe Igthefront.Theround the batterywere improperly radioantennatapthatis ISonthepanelintheupper charged or improperly connectedtotheantenna tarefuses.(USNavySFLM) aboveandtotheradio ventilated a concentration transmitterinsidetheboat. of hydrogen could build (NavyHistoryCenter) quickly and lead to an explosion. Another gas generated bythe batterywas hydrogen sulfide.Therotten-eggsmell of this gas permeated everything onboard. Then there was additional issue ofchlorine.Asstatedearliel; the batterywas in thecenter of the boat, covered by low in the ship and caused displacement of the oxygen and slow asphyxia. a deck of planks, rubber sheet and canvas. Directly above the deck were the The crew affected would have a feeling ofeuphoria and impaired judgment. conning tower and the main hatch into the boat. The top of the hatch was Death by suffocation would follow even ifno fire broke out. Sftabove the waterline with the original design and 8ftwith the laterconning Aftoftheengineonthe main shaftwasahand-operated bandclutch. Next tower design. Any seawater coming down the hatch fell directly onto the in line was the 70hp open-yokeDCmotor. Powered from the battery,itdrove battery deck. Ifany leaked into the cells, the sulfuric acid combined with the the propeller shaft. It was reversible and had some speed control so it was sodium chloride in the seawater and liberated a pea-green, heavier-than-air, used for maneuvering near the dock. The shaft also drove, through a set of oxygen-displacing, toxic gas - chlorine. If cells became salted, they were friction clutches, the aircompressorand ballastpump. Fullspeed submerged charged and discharged while ventilating the boat to get rid of the chlorine, was seven knots. then newacid was added as necessary. Nestled inside the wings ofthe main ballasttanks was the battery. It was The battery was connected to a master switchboard. This was a single a lead acid battery, with lead plates and sulfuric acid as the electrolyte. It 3ft-by-4ft slab of 2in-thick marble, supported by steel angle and channel, was the samegeneral type used today. However, there were somesignificant which was mounted vertically on the starboard side ofthe boat (or portside differences. Today's battery is enclosed in a hard rubber and plastic cell jar on some boats). On this slab were fastened all the switches and rheostats that holds the electrolyte and plates. These battery cells were steel boxes for connecting the battery, dynamo, lights and motors. There were no other lined with a layer of rubber and a layer of lead and wedged in place with switchboards ordistribution boxes.Thatwas it.Itwas all openswitches and waxed maplewedges.The boxeswere open-topped and the plates were hung open wiring. Battery voltage varied from 70 to 160 volts DC. The inside of from the top ofthe cell jar by extenders. The positiveplates were connected the boat was either hotand damp orcold and damp. Grounds (earths) were together with a soldered bus bar oflead-coated copper. The negative plates common. It was a dangerous time to be an electrician. were hungand connected in a similarmanner. Thecellswere then connected Upfrontwasasingle18in-diametertorpedotube. The boatcouldcarryone in with bus bars. Thecells were wedgedinplace in thesteel boxand the box torpedointhetubeand two in the boatoneachsideofthemiddlespace (where was bounded by the ballast tanks and the fore and aft half-bulkheads. the battery well was). The torpedo man who took care of the torpedoes was The top of the battery well was covered by shellacked oak planks. The arealcraftsman.The "fish" was powered byhigh-pressureair whichpowered planks, when in place, were covered by a rubber sheet with a shellacked afour-cylinder airmotor.Itwasastraightrunner,withonlyarudimentary(and canvas walking cover on top. If any maintenance or monitoring of the not very reliable) depth control. Each fish had to have its gyro set up in the batterygravity or temperature had to be done, the planks were temporarily shop and tweaked prior to loading. The "dynamite gun" seen in the Holland taken up. was omitted in the A-Class design. The cells could be cut out of the circuit and repaired by replacing acid The crew consisted of one officer, normally an ensign, and six enlisted and plates. The space above the cells was ventilated by air leaking down men. There would be two chief petty officers; one was the chief electrician around the planks which was then drawn off to be exhausted over the side and the otherthechiefmachinist. Acoupleofmachinists, anotherelectrician by the battery blowers. When being charged (and to a lesser extent while and a torpedo man would round out the crew. 11 DEVELOPMENT TheU55Plunger(55-2)isseton blocksonawharf,about1904. The Navy was in a quandary about how to buy submarines. Electric Boat Thedemarcationoflight Company (EB) hadgoodcapital (albeit buttressed bysellingpatentrights and underbodycoloranddarker gray/blackuppersshowsthe aninterestinthecompanytoVickers) and wascapableofbuildingsubmarines loadwaterline.Onthelower of good quality in multiples of the same design. Simon Lake (of the Lake hullistheportsideanti-rolling TorpedoBoatCompany) used amorecomplexfundamental designwhichwas keel.Thenationalensign more difficultto build. Hekeptchangingthe design detailsand thus his boats visibleisactuallyflyingon theshipontheothersideof were noteasilyreproducibleinquantityand byyardsotherthan his own (EB thewharf.(U5Navy) had itsdesigns builtbysubcontractoryards on boththeeastand westcoasts). It seemed the easy choice would be to simply buy EB submarines. However, thatwould leadtoEBhavingacontrollingmonopolywhich theNavywished to avoid. Early on, the Navy bought EB's standard designs in quantity. Of Lake's boatstheNavy boughtonlythree, the G-1, G-2 and G-3. Inlateracquisitions some class purchaseswere split betweenthe two builders. Thus the L, 0 and R classes comprised boats designed by both EB and Lake. The USS Holland was the first of what was to be a continuous line of submarines in the US Navy. Its hull form was a teardrop shape which was widely recognized as the form that would give minimum resistance when traveling submerged. Purchased in 1900, the boat was tested extensively. The first multiple-boat purchase was of the A-Class. Four of the boats were built The USS Adder and its sisters were built and from their commissioning at Elizabethport, New Jersey, at the Crescent Shipyard and two, the A-3 and until 1908 taught the Navy much about the submarine and its capabilities. theA-5,were builtattheUnionIronWorksinSanFrancisco,California.AsEB Formed into an operational flotilla inNewport, Rhode Island, in April 1904, owned no building yards at this time the company contracted construction to theAdder,Moccasin and PorpoiseoperatedoutofNewportand Suffolk,New variousyards,thenmainlytotheForeRiverShipyardinQuincy,Massachusetts. York (LongIsland).The Grampus and thePike operated outofSanFrancisco Grampus(right)and The A-Class was built from EB plans. The plans wereJohn Holland's seventh and San Pedro, California. Then in 1908 most were put out of commission. PikeatMareIsland, 'ornia.Judgingbythe set, the sixth beingthose for the Holland. Thefirst ofthe class is normally the There were two new submarine classes in the water and the Adders were :ineconditionofthe boats one with the lowest class number and the first to be laid down. This was not outdated, but not so outdated that some couldn't defend Manila Bay in the thetwoofficersindress the case with the A-Class. The A-1 was the USS Plunger and differed slightly Philippines.Admiral GeorgeDeweyhad said thatiftheSpanishhad possessed ,uniform,something from its sisters. The first boat laid down was the A-2, the USS Adder. Thus one submarine in the bay in 1898, he would not have attacked. ortantishappening.This ,havebeentakenon the class became known as the "Adders." There was a class prototype built The Adders were stripped down and loaded aboard colliers to make the Imissioningday,May28, the Fulton. It was tested by EB and when the Navy didn't buy it, EB sold it to trip (true "boats"). The Porpoise and the Shark werefirst. They wentaboard 3.Thebowofthereceiving Russia to compete with Simon Lake who had already sent his submarine, theUSS Caesar (AC-16). LoadinginNewport, the Caesarmadethe trip across U55Independencecanbe Protector, over and was looking for contracts for more. Lake got a contract the Atlantic, through the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal and across Iintherightbackground. Navy) and builtfive boats atNewportNews Shipbuildingfor the tsar. theIndian OceantoManila.AltogetherthejourneytookfromApriltoAugust 1908. Once the ship made port in Cavite, it offloaded the boats by pushing them overside on skids. Thus the Porpoise and the Shark were the first US Navy submarines through the Suez Canal and the first to be launched twice. (the Holland was launched twice, butonly once as a naval ship). The following year, the Caesar made another trip carrying the Adderand the Moccasin. In late 1912, the USS Ajax (AC-15) carried two ofthe B-Class boats (the B-2 and B-3) to Manila. In 1915, the USS Hector (AC-7) took the twowest-coast boats, the Grampusand thePike, and theB-1 to Manila.Thus bytheend of1915,the Manila Bayflotilla consisted ofsixA-Class boatsand threeB-Class boats.Manila was thefirst advanced base.These boatsescorted ships into and out of Manila during World War I and performed the tasks of a "fleet in being" - that is, one whose presence deters an opponent even ifitmakes no patrols and sinks none ofitsfoes. After the war, the boats were worn outand used up. By 1918 the S-boats were being built. As large a leap was made in those early 18 years as was made in the period from 1945 to 1963 when the diesel boats were being replaced by nuclear submarines. The Adders were put out ofcommission for the last time and, in 1922, the Navy 13 reeB-Classsubmarines 'stedpossiblyinCavitenear '- milainthePhilippines.The wofholesalongtheupper geofthesuperstructure rwardareforventingair Itofthesuperstructurefree ,odingspace.Thetwo 'riscopesareshownoneach ,at,onegoingtothecontrol Jm,theothertothesmall nningtower.(Libraryof 'ngressviaNavSource) designated themfor use as targets. Theyweretowed to apositionjustoutside The year 1911 was early in submarine design and the use to which TheUSS0-2underwayastern Manila Bay and sunk over a period oftime by destroyer gunfire. As near as submarines were to be put was very much in debate. The mainstays of the possiblyinNewport,Rhode we can find outat present, they are still there. Submarine Force were the four F-Class, four H-Class and six K-Class boats. Island,in1914.Notethesize differencebetweenthisboat The A-boats were the first in many ways and they showed the way the It was recognized by the General Board (the Navy body that oversaw andtheBandC.Allthree SubmarineForcewould be. EnsignCharlesLockwood was mostdisappointed acquisition ofnew ships) that new boats, more modern ones, could be built hatchestotheinteriorare to be assigned to the USS Monterey for duty in submarines. He was told by and were needed. In May the board requested five new boats, to be built to open.Thedavitjustforwardof someoftheofficersalreadythere thatthesubmarine "wouldgetinyour blood the general design specifications ofthe existing K-Class, and one submarine theconningtowerfairingisfor torpedoreload.(USNavy) and soon either you wouldn't be around or you wouldn't trade the boat for tender. However, the Secretary ofthe Navy, Josephus Daniels, disagreed and duty onanythingelse." Hediscovered withinsixmonths thattheywereright. did not request any from Congress. Congress, however, being lobbied hard The man who would become Commander Submarine Force Pacific during by Isaac Rice ofEB and Simon Lake, ordered eight new boats and a tender. the last three years ofWorld War II was never the same again. The boatspurchasedwereto beK-Class and builtto the EBdesign. Submarine The A-Class boats were followed by the B, C and D classes in quick officers requested more modern boats and that Simon Lake designs be used success throughthe years 1904to 1908.The E-Classwas a slightlymodified also. Thus, the nextclass design was split. EB designed an upgraded K-Class D-Class with two dieselenginesofVickers design installed. The two boatsof and designated it design number EB37G. It was to have the increased hull this class were the first US submarines to transit the Atlantic unaided and and bulkhead strength the Submarine Force wanted and other changes. The operated in an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) mode duringWorld War 1. initial design called for 3in/25cal Mk IX deck guns, but these were not Simon Lake's USS G-l was laid downin 1909withmany uniqueelements installed initiallyonthefirst four oftheclass.TheL-l, L-2, L-3 and L-4 were initsdesign. BecauseLake'sconceptwasto buildsubmarinesthatwerecapable ofmultipletasks heincluded itemssuch aswheels toroll across thesea bottom inlittoralareas; adiver'slockoutchambersothatdivers could beemployedto cutsubmarinecables,disableminesandattachlimpetmines tosurfacevessels and drydock caissons; and trainable deck torpedo tubes. Unfortunately, there were manydelays and the boatwas notcompleted until 1912. The Navy was very much concerned about Lake's inability to supply the Oneoftheboatsdesigned numbers of submarines needed, meaning that EB would become the sole andbuiltbySimonLakein hisBridgeport,Connecticut, source supplier. To increase the pool of submarine builders available the shipyard,theUSSG-2lies Cramp Shipyard of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was awarded a contract outboardtheUSSG-4,a to build a submarine designed by the Italian maker Laurenti. This boat, the Laurentidesignbuiltby USS G-4, was delivered very late and was nearly obsolete when accepted. CrampinPhiladelphia.The The design was complex and difficult to build. It didn't lend itself to mass boatdesignsweregenerally unsuccessfulforvarious production and had many difficulties in living up to its specifications. The reasonsandwerenotrepeated. experimentwas not repeated. (USNavy) 15 55K-5underway.Nearthe owarethehydrophonesof leV-Tubepassivesonar herewerethree,butonlytwo 'eclearlyvisiblehere).Justaft lestanchionisthet-shaped -Tubelisteninghydrophone. 0 JARA) ~ m0 c0o 0 " g o~~ lO 0 (/) 0 <t 0 '" 0 N ~ 0 built at the EB facility in Fore River, Massachusetts. They resembled EB's standard expansion onthe initialHolland design. The boats were 167ftlong and had a beam of 171hft. They could make 14 knots on the surface using ~ theirtwoNELSECO enginesand amaximumof10Y2knotssubmerged atthe one-hour rate. They had four bow torpedo tubes ofthe small 18indiameter. N The boats were divided into five watertight compartments, and had hull strength to maintain a test depth of 200ft. The compartments were the forward torpedo room, forward battery, control, after battery, and the engineering space. EB had dispensed with the standard rotating bow cap closures on the torpedo tubes in favor of the muzzle door-and-shutter arrangementpioneered byLake.The boats weredesigned to becoastal vessels and to be used for defense against fleets which might threaten US cities and harbors. Thus, habitability items were not of major concern. There was no air-conditioning and insufficient ventilation. It was assumed that all transits would be on the surfacewith at leastthe conningtower hatch open. Lake was proceeding with the design work for his version ofthe L-Class but work stopped when he had to declare bankruptcy in 1913. He reorganized hiscompanyandcommencedworkonthe L-5athisshipyardin Bridgeport, Connecticut. The L-6 and the L-7 were started under contract [J SubmarinesfromtheearliesttimetoWorldWarIgrewrapidlyinsize.Theright-handcolumnshows thefirstfourLakedesigns.Eachoftheboatswasdifferentindesignwhichwasadisadvantage leadingtothedemiseoftheLakecompanyasasubmarinesupplier.Ontheleft,theElectricBoat designswhichbuilt,eachinturn,ontheoriginalJohnHollandsubmarine.ByWorldWarI,US submarineswereabletotransittheAtlanticOcean.Thecolorschemeschangedthroughoutthe periodandthroughouttheboats'lifetimes.However,thoseshownherewerethemostcommon. 1•Alligator,1862 8.F-Class,1914 2.IntelligentWhale,1864 9.H-Class,1913 3.USSHolland,1900 10.USSG-l,1912 4.A-Class,1901 11.USSG-2,1915 5.B-C1ass,1901 12.USSG-3,1915 "., 6.C-Class,1905 13.USSG-4,1914 7.D-Class,1908 6