Plunger-class submarine
| USS Plunger (SS-2) |
| Class overview |
| Builders: |
|
| Operators: |
 United States Navy |
| Preceded by: |
USS Holland (SS-1) |
| Succeeded by: |
B-class submarine |
| Completed: |
7 |
| Retired: |
7 |
| Preserved: |
0 |
| General characteristics |
| Type: |
Training ship |
| Displacement: |
107 tons |
| Length: |
63 ft 10 in (19.46 m) |
| Beam: |
11 ft 11 in (3.63 m) |
| Draft: |
10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) |
| Propulsion: |
|
| Speed: |
- 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (surfaced)
- 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) (submerged)
|
| Test depth: |
19 m (62 ft) |
| Complement: |
7 |
| Armament: |
One 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tube (5 torpedoes) |
The Plunger class was an early class of United States Navy submarines, used primarily as training vessels for the newly formed "silent service" to familiarize navy personnel with the performance and operations of such craft. They were known as the "A-class" after being renamed to A-type designations (A-1 through A-7) on 17 November 1911. All except Plunger ended up being stationed in the Philippines, an American possession, prior to the outbreak of World War I. They were shipped there on colliers (coal-carrying ships). In some instances, this class of submarines is referred to as the Adder-class submarine, as USS Adder was the first boat of the class to be completed.[1]
History
The Plunger-class submarines were built at the beginning of the twentieth century largely as experimental vessels. The prototype, named Fulton, was later sold to Russia, and renamed Som. The Plunger class was built at two different locations on both coasts of the United States. The five East Coast boats were based at New Suffolk, New York along with USS Holland (SS-1) until 1905, allowing New Suffolk to claim itself as the first submarine base in the United States.[2] They were given alphanumeric hull classification symbols (SS-2, SS-3, etc.) on 17 July 1920, after all but Grampus (SS-4) and Pike (SS-6) had been decommissioned. All of the Plunger-class ships were decommissioned by 1921 and used as targets. They were stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 16 January 1922 and sold for scrap.[3]
Boats
Plunger, Adder, Moccasin, Porpoise, and Shark.
A 1912 view of the breech of the sole
torpedo tube of USS
Moccasin /
A-4. Two
torpedoes are on wooden skids in the foreground. The skids slid across the deck for loading.
See also
References
- Gardiner, Robert, Conway's all the world's fighting ships 1906-1921 Conway Maritime Press, 1985. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
- Friedman, Norman "US Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis:1995, ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
- Silverstone, Paul H., U.S. Warships of World War I (Ian Allan, 1970), ISBN 0-71100-095-6.
- Navsource.org early submarines page
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
External links
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