S-class
Design and Construction Notes
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)
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)
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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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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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)
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)
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)
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)
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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