 USS B-3, underway near the New York Navy Yard, 1909. | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | |
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | Plunger class |
| Succeeded by | C class |
| Built | 1906–1907 |
| In commission | 1907–1921 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Retired | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 82 ft 6 in (25.15 m) |
| Beam | 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) |
| Draft | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 540 nautical miles (1,000 km; 620 mi) (surfaced), 12 nautical miles (22 km; 14 mi) (submerged) |
| Test depth | 150 ft (46 m) |
| Complement | 10 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | 2 × 18 inch (450 mm) bow torpedo tubes (4torpedoes) |
The B-class submarines were three United States Navy submarines built by the Fore River Shipbuilding CompanyinQuincy, Massachusetts, under a subcontract from the Electric Boat Company.[1] They were eventually stationed in the Philippines, an American possession, beginning in 1912–15. They were shipped there on colliers (coal-carrying ships). All three were stricken and expended as targets 1919–22.[2]
These were the last submarines designed directly by John Holland. In a series of business organizational moves, Holland had essentially been forced out of Electric Boat by Isaac Rice and Elihu Frost and he resigned from the company on March 28, 1904.[3] They were also the last submarines in the USN with a single, axial mounted propeller until the experimental submarine USS Albacore (AGSS-569) of 1953.[4]
These vessels introduced some features intended to increase underwater speed, including a small sail and a rotating cap over the torpedo tube muzzles. The streamlined, rotating torpedo tube muzzle cap eliminated the drag that muzzle holes would otherwise cause. In the stowed position, the submarine appears to have no torpedo tubes, as the holes in the cap are covered by the bow stem. With the exception of the L-class and the one-off M-1, this feature remained standard for submarines designed by the Electric Boat Company through the O-class, after which it was replaced with individual muzzle doors faired with shutters that remain standard through the modern day.[5]
For extended surface runs, the small sail was augmented with a temporary piping-and-canvas structure (see photo). Tactical doctrine for harbor defense submarines dictated that quick "crash dives" would not be necessary, thus the considerable time it took to dismantle this structure and stow it below was not considered a liability.[6] Experience in World War I showed that this was inadequate in the North Atlantic weather, and earlier submarines serving overseas in that war (E, K, and L-classes) had their bridge structures augmented with a "chariot" shield on the front of the bridge. Starting in 1918-1919, with lessons learned from overseas experience U.S. submarines had bridges more suited to surfaced operations in rough weather.
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United States naval ship classes of World War I
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| Dreadnought battleships |
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| Pre-dreadnought battleships |
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| Battlecruisers |
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| Armored cruisers |
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| Protected cruisers |
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| Scout cruisers |
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| Unprotected cruisers |
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| Destroyers |
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| Submarines |
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| Auxiliaries |
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