C-class: Difference between revisions
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=== <big>Design, Construction, and Naming Notes</big> === | === <big>Design, Construction, and Naming Notes</big> === | ||
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#00008B">The five C-class harbor defense submarines were built to an Electric Boat Company design at the Fore River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy, MA. They were the first two propeller boats built for the U.S. Navy, starting a design trend that would last until 1953. They were also the first Electric Boat submarines designed entirely without the assistance of the company's founder, John P. Holland. The boats were all commissioned into the Navy with their "fish" names, but on November 17, 1911 the Navy changed its naming convention for submarines and these boats were renamed with the C-class names. Octopus (C-1) was built in 1906/1907 for a set of competitive trials with the Simon Lake submarine Lake (see this page). The Octopus was judged superior in every category and was selected for series production. Four more boats were later built by Fore River. This early trial accounts for the out of sequence hull number for Octopus. | <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#00008B">The five C-class harbor defense submarines were built to an Electric Boat Company design (EB-17) at the Fore River Shipbuilding Company of Quincy, MA. They were the first two propeller boats built for the U.S. Navy, starting a design trend that would last until 1953. They were also the first Electric Boat submarines designed entirely without the assistance of the company's founder, John P. Holland. The boats were all commissioned into the Navy with their "fish" names, but on November 17, 1911 the Navy changed its naming convention for submarines and these boats were renamed with the C-class names. Octopus (C-1) was built in 1906/1907 for a set of competitive trials with the Simon Lake submarine Lake [https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=Simon_Lake_non-Navy_Submarines#Simon_Lake_XV/Lake/Defender '''(see this page)''']. The Octopus was judged superior in every category and was selected for series production. Four more boats were later built by Fore River. This early trial accounts for the out of sequence hull number for Octopus. | ||
In an interesting historical footnote... the USN C-class submarines never fired a shot in anger. However, Electric Boat did sell two of their EB-17 design boats to Austria in 1906. These boats were virtual duplicates of the C-class. Famous torpedo inventor Robert Whitehead and his Whitehead & Co. obtained a license from EB to build the boats in Fiume. The boats were partially assembled in the U.S. (presumably at the Fore River Shipbuilding Company), then shipped in broken down form to Fiume where the Whitehead company finished the assembly and fitting out. They were commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy in 1910 as SM U-5 and U-6. Both boats saw combat in WWI, with U-5 in particular sinking or capturing four ships, including the French cruiser Leon Gambetta. Most of the U-5's successes came while she was under the command of none other than Linienschiffsleutnant Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp, the patriarch of the Von Trapp Family Singers of ''The Sound of Music'' fame. Von Trapp's first wife, the mother of many of his children, was Agathe Whitehead, the granddaughter of Robert Whitehead, whose company built the U-5. Agathe also had the honor of christening the U-5 on the day of her launching.</span> | In early 1918 the perceived need for submarines to support the war effort pushed the Navy to consider re-engining the C-class boats with diesels. Given these boat's limited capabilities, the department waffled on the issue for several weeks, but eventually approved the effort. Electric Boat's engine subsidiary NELSECO was already at capacity so the Lyons-Atlas Engine Company of Indianapolis was sub-contracted to build an eight cylinder, 240 bhp engine for the effort. These model 120-V4FS engines were built and shipped down to Coco Solo, Panama were the C-boats were stationed in defense of the Canal. Logistical and technical difficulties arose and the effort dragged on. At least C-1 and C-4 were stripped of their Craig gasoline engines and prepared for installation of the new diesels, but the end of the war in November 1918 completely deflated the need and the expense could no longer be justified. By the summer of 1919 the effort was abandoned completely. Sources conflict as to whether any of the C-class ever went to sea with diesels, but at least the effort was real. | ||
An interesting historical footnote... the USN C-class submarines never fired a shot in anger. However, Electric Boat did sell two of their EB-17 design boats to Austria in 1906. These boats were virtual duplicates of the C-class. Famous torpedo inventor Robert Whitehead and his Whitehead & Co. obtained a license from EB to build the boats in Fiume. The boats were partially assembled in the U.S. (presumably at the Fore River Shipbuilding Company), then shipped in broken down form to Fiume where the Whitehead company finished the assembly and fitting out. They were commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy in 1910 as SM U-5 and U-6. Both boats saw combat in WWI, with U-5 in particular sinking or capturing four ships, including the French cruiser Leon Gambetta. Most of the U-5's successes came while she was under the command of none other than Linienschiffsleutnant Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp, the patriarch of the Von Trapp Family Singers of ''The Sound of Music'' fame. Von Trapp's first wife, the mother of many of his children, was Agathe Whitehead, the granddaughter of Robert Whitehead, whose company built the U-5. Agathe also had the honor of christening the U-5 on the day of her launching.</span> | |||
[[File:Red bar sub new.jpg]] | [[File:Red bar sub new.jpg]] | ||
Latest revision as of 03:37, 12 November 2024
Design, Construction, and Naming Notes
In early 1918 the perceived need for submarines to support the war effort pushed the Navy to consider re-engining the C-class boats with diesels. Given these boat's limited capabilities, the department waffled on the issue for several weeks, but eventually approved the effort. Electric Boat's engine subsidiary NELSECO was already at capacity so the Lyons-Atlas Engine Company of Indianapolis was sub-contracted to build an eight cylinder, 240 bhp engine for the effort. These model 120-V4FS engines were built and shipped down to Coco Solo, Panama were the C-boats were stationed in defense of the Canal. Logistical and technical difficulties arose and the effort dragged on. At least C-1 and C-4 were stripped of their Craig gasoline engines and prepared for installation of the new diesels, but the end of the war in November 1918 completely deflated the need and the expense could no longer be justified. By the summer of 1919 the effort was abandoned completely. Sources conflict as to whether any of the C-class ever went to sea with diesels, but at least the effort was real.
An interesting historical footnote... the USN C-class submarines never fired a shot in anger. However, Electric Boat did sell two of their EB-17 design boats to Austria in 1906. These boats were virtual duplicates of the C-class. Famous torpedo inventor Robert Whitehead and his Whitehead & Co. obtained a license from EB to build the boats in Fiume. The boats were partially assembled in the U.S. (presumably at the Fore River Shipbuilding Company), then shipped in broken down form to Fiume where the Whitehead company finished the assembly and fitting out. They were commissioned into the Austro-Hungarian Navy in 1910 as SM U-5 and U-6. Both boats saw combat in WWI, with U-5 in particular sinking or capturing four ships, including the French cruiser Leon Gambetta. Most of the U-5's successes came while she was under the command of none other than Linienschiffsleutnant Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp, the patriarch of the Von Trapp Family Singers of The Sound of Music fame. Von Trapp's first wife, the mother of many of his children, was Agathe Whitehead, the granddaughter of Robert Whitehead, whose company built the U-5. Agathe also had the honor of christening the U-5 on the day of her launching.
Octopus/C-1 (Submarine No. 9)
Stingray/C-2 (Submarine No. 13)
Tarpon/C-3 (Submarine No. 14)
Bonita/C-4 (Submarine No. 15)
The C-class submarines had a reported top speed of 11 knots on the surface and nine knots submerged. They were powered by twin gasoline engines on the surface.
C-4 had a later modification to her bow that made her unique among the C-class. She had a secondary anchor installed in a special housing behind the rectangular door seen here near the tip of the bow. This necessitated the raising of the bow. The remainder of the boats retained the downward angled bow and the mushroom anchor that was deployed from the bottom of the boat and operated from the torpedo room.
Snapper/C-5 (Submarine No. 16)
General C-class photos
The Submarines are left to right the C-4, C-5, C-2, C-3 and C-1. The Sub Div designators are on their conning towers as a "1" over another number, (this indicating their physical position in a division at-sea steaming formation). The C-1 is 1 over 3; the C-3 is 1 over 5; the C-2 is 1 over 1 (flagship); C-5 is 1 over 4, and the C-4 is 1 over 2.
Seen on the conning tower of the C-5 (second from left) in the white broad brimmed hat is probably the civilian pilot, whose responsibility it was to guide the submarines through the canal. The is still done to this day.
See more General C-class photos.
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