USS ''N-3'' (SS-55) was a N-class coastal defense

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. Her keel was laid down on 31 July 1915 by the

Seattle Construction and Drydock The Seattle Construction and Drydock Company was a shipbuilding company based in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. Between 1911 and 1918, it produced a substantial number of ships for both commercial and military uses. History Formally ...

Company. She was launched on 21 February 1917 sponsored by Miss Bertha Coontz, daughter of the commandant of Puget Sound Navy Yard, Captain

Robert Coontz Robert Edward Coontz (June 11, 1864 – January 26, 1935) was an admiral in the United States Navy, who sailed with the Great White Fleet and served as the second Chief of Naval Operations. Early life Robert Coontz, son of Benton Coontz, w ...

, and commissioned on 26 September 1917 with Lieutenant

William R. Munroe William Robert Munroe (April 8, 1886 – March 1, 1966) was a decorated officer in the United States Navy with the rank of Vice Admiral. He trained as submarine commander and at the beginning of World War II, he served as Commander, Battleship D ...

in command. ''N-3'' was the last submarine constructed in Seattle.

Service history

Following sea trials in

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

, ''N-3'', with sister ships and , departed the Navy Yard on 21 November 1917. The three submarines arrived at

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

, on 7 February 1918. From here, ''N-3'' patrolled along the

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

coast and off

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. On 23 July, a British steamer mistook ''N-3'' as a German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

and fired on her at a range of only . Although hit by a six-inch shell, the submarine suffered only slight damage and after repairs at sea, was able to proceed to

New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...

under her own power. Following permanent repairs, ''N-3'' returned to the Submarine School, New London for patrol and training duty through 1920. Departing New London on 1 June 1921, ''N-3'' sailed for

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

. One of the first submarines to navigate the

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connecting ...

and the

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, she put in at

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Quebec, and Port Dalhousie before arriving

, on 25 June. She remained there for 11 days, open to the public for inspection. Departing on 6 July, she returned to New London, arriving on 20 July, and from there cruised along the East Coast from Halifax to

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, conducting training cruises. Departing New London, she sailed for the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where she decommissioned on 30 April 1926. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 18 December 1930 and was scrapped in mid-1931.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:N-03 (SS-55) United States N-class submarines World War I submarines of the United States Ships built in Seattle 1917 ships International maritime incidents Friendly fire incidents of World War I Maritime incidents in 1918