S-class

Design and Construction Notes

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The S-class submarines were built to five distinctly different designs at four different shipyards. The two designs were from the Electric Boat Company (EB) of New York City (later Groton, CT.) and the Lake Torpedo Boat Company (LTB) of Bridgeport, CT. While very similar in military and operational capability, the two designs were vastly different in installed equipment, interior arrangement, and external appearance.

The L-1 through L-4, and L-9 through L-11 were of the EB design and were built at an EB subcontractor, the Fore River Shipbuilding Co. of Quincy, MA. L-5 through L-8 were of the LTB design, with L-5 built at the Lake yard in Bridgeport, CT., the L-6 and L-7 built at Craig Shipbuilding in Long Beach, CA., and the L-8 built under license at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, ME.

S-1 and S-18 through S-29 (EB design built at Bethlehem Quincy)

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Photo from the Library of Congress Collection.

L-1 riding at anchor while on sea trials, March or April 1916, probably off Provincetown, Mass. A low-lying shore line with houses can be seen in the background, reminiscent of Cape Cod. The L-class were the first US submarines designed to carry a deck gun of any sort, in this case a 3"/23 caliber Mk 9 gun. But it wasn't until the L-9 that guns were installed during construction. The L-1 through L-8 were retrofitted later with the gun. As you can see the L-1 has no gun in this early photo.

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S-2 (Lake design built at Lake Torpedo Boat Company)

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Photo from the Library of Congress Collection.

L-1 riding at anchor while on sea trials, March or April 1916, probably off Provincetown, Mass. A low-lying shore line with houses can be seen in the background, reminiscent of Cape Cod. The L-class were the first US submarines designed to carry a deck gun of any sort, in this case a 3"/23 caliber Mk 9 gun. But it wasn't until the L-9 that guns were installed during construction. The L-1 through L-8 were retrofitted later with the gun. As you can see the L-1 has no gun in this early photo.

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S-3 through S-9 (Government design built at Portsmouth Navy Yard)

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Photo from the Library of Congress Collection.

L-1 riding at anchor while on sea trials, March or April 1916, probably off Provincetown, Mass. A low-lying shore line with houses can be seen in the background, reminiscent of Cape Cod. The L-class were the first US submarines designed to carry a deck gun of any sort, in this case a 3"/23 caliber Mk 9 gun. But it wasn't until the L-9 that guns were installed during construction. The L-1 through L-8 were retrofitted later with the gun. As you can see the L-1 has no gun in this early photo.

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