E-class

Design, Construction, and Naming Notes

The E-class boats were built to an Electric Boat Company design at the Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, MA. They were the first submarines in the USN to be powered by diesel engines. These two boats were originally named Skipjack and Sturgeon. On November 17, 1911, after launching but prior to being commissioned, the Navy changed its naming convention for submarines and these boats received their E-class names. Both boats were redesignated from their original general submarine designations to the new SS series on July 17, 1920.