S-class

Design and Construction Notes

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The S-class submarines were built to five distinctly different designs with several variations at four different shipyards. The designs were from the Electric Boat Company (EB) of New York City (later Groton, CT.), the Lake Torpedo Boat Company (LTB) of Bridgeport, CT., and the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, ME. While similar in military and operational capability, the various designs were vastly different in installed equipment, interior arrangement, and external appearance. For further information, see the Visual Guide articles here.

The class is broken down by groups below.

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

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S-1 entering a New England port, late summer 1920. This boat was the first of the EB design to be laid down and commissioned. For the first few years of her life she battled severe engine problems that limited her service until the issues were corrected. She was commissioned with a 3"/23 caliber Mk 9 gun on the forward deck that retracted vertically into a watertight housing that penetrated down into the pressure hull in the forward battery compartment. The gun lacked power and had the unfortunate tendency to retract itself when fired, presenting a great danger to the men operating it. S-1 was the only S-class boat to receive this gun, and it was later replaced with the larger and much more powerful 4"/50 caliber gun (coincidentally also designated Mk 9).

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

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Photo NH 41993 courtesy of the Naval History & Heritage Command.

S-2 while on sea trials in 1919, prior to commissioning. S-2's bow planes retracted into the superstructure horizontally, the EB design had the bow planes retracting at an angle. Trials showed that she had the tendency to burrow into the waves due to a lack of buoyancy forward. S-2's bow would be soon modified with an additional bow buoyancy tank, giving her a distinctive humped appearance. Her chariot style bridge fairwater has not yet been added. S-2 does not have a deck gun installed in this photo. She would later have a 4"/50 caliber Mk 9 gun installed forward, requiring the installation of a large deck sponson around the gun.

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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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S-10 through S-13 (Modified 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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S-14 through S-17 (Government design built by 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-30 through S-41 (EB design built at Bethlehem San Francisco)

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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-42 through S-47 (Modified 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-48 through S-51 (Modified Government design built by 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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