USS ''N-5'' (SS-57) was a N-class coastal defense submarine 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 10 April 1915 by

Lake Torpedo Boat The Lake Torpedo Boat Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was an early builder of submarines for the United States Navy in the early 20th century. History Founded by Simon Lake in 1912, the company was located at the east end of Seaview Avenue ...

Company in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

. The N-boats built by Lake had slightly different specifications from the ones built by

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 ...

and are sometimes considered a separate class. ''N-5'' was launched on 22 March 1917 sponsored by Mrs. George Bevans, and commissioned at

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 ...

on 13 June 1918.

Service history

Sailing from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on 20 June to

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 ...

, for fitting out and thence proceeding to

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

, to load torpedoes, ''N-5'' began patrols off

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 ...

and in

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

on watch against attacks on coastal shipping by 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 ...

s. In August and September she deployed under tow by a decoy ship, the sailing vessel .USS ''Charles Whittemore'' at HazeGray.org
/ref> On 7 September, after parting tow from her escort in a heavy sea, she was mistaken by an armed transport for a U-boat and was fired upon. All 15 shells fell short and ''N-5'' was able to proceed on to New London. She continued her patrols until 24 October when she put into

for repairs, and remained there following the

Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

until sailing 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 ...

, on 21 February 1919. Overhauled, the submarine departed Philadelphia on 27 March, arriving New London on 10 April. Remaining in ordinary at the Submarine Base until 10 March 1920, the submarine then operated off the East Coast in training until placed in reserve at New London on 7 June. On 1 October, ''N-5'' sailed to

Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

for extensive overhaul lasting until 7 April 1921 when she returned to New London, once again being placed in ordinary. There she remained for the next year, while her main engines were removed for transfer to a newer L-class submarine. Then, towed by tug she moved to

, arriving on 14 April 1922. ''N-5'' decommissioned on 19 April 1922 and was sold to Joseph G. Hitner of Philadelphia for scrap on 25 September 1922.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:N-05 (SS-57) United States N-class submarines World War I submarines of the United States Ships built in Bridgeport, Connecticut 1917 ships