USS ''Plunger'' (SS-2) was one of the earliest
submarines 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 ...
. She was the
lead boat
The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels.
Large ships are very complex and may ...
of
her class and was later renamed ''A-1'' when she was designated an A-type submarine. She is not to be confused with the experimental submarine
''Plunger'' which was evaluated by the U.S. Navy from 1898 to 1900, but not accepted or commissioned.
Early service
''Plunger'' was originally laid down on 21 May 1901 at
Elizabethport, New Jersey, at
Lewis Nixon's
Crescent Shipyard
Crescent Shipyard, located on Newark Bay in Elizabeth, New Jersey, built a number of ships for the United States Navy and allied nations as well during their production run, which lasted about ten years while under the Crescent name and banner. ...
.
Arthur Leopold Busch
Arthur Leopold Busch or Du Busc (5 March 1866 – 9 March 1956) was a British-born American naval architect responsible for the development of the United States Navy's first submarines.
Biography
Early life
Busch was born in Middlesbrough, No ...
supervised the construction of the A-Class submarines built there. The prototype Fulton experimental craft was laid down at
Isaac Rice
Isaac Leopold Rice (February 22, 1850 – November 2, 1915) was a German-born Jewish American businessman, investor, musicologist, author, and chess patron. 's
Electric Boat Company
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by ...
prior to these first A-class submarines.
She was
launched on 1 February 1902, and
commissioned at the
Holland Torpedo Boat Company yard at
Holland Torpedo Boat Station
Holland Torpedo Boat Station is where the first United States Navy submarines were stationed for trials and training of submarine crews from 1899 to 1905. Holland Torpedo Boat Station was located in the community of Hamlet in New Suffolk, New ...
,
New Suffolk, New York
New Suffolk is a census-designated place (CDP) that roughly corresponds to the hamlet by the same name in the Town of Southold in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The CDP's population was 349 at the 2010 census.
History
The submarine ...
on 19 September 1903.
Assigned to the
Naval Torpedo Station
The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons ...
at
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, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...
for experimental
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...
work, ''Plunger'' operated locally from that facility for the next two years, a period of time broken only by an overhaul at the Holland yard at New Suffolk from March to November 1904. Besides testing machinery, armament and tactics, the submarine torpedo boat also served as a training ship for the crews of new submersibles emerging from the builder's yards.
In August 1905, ''Plunger'' underwent two weeks of upkeep before leaving the yard on 22 August. She was towed by the
tug to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
, where ''Plunger'' conducted trials near the home of President
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
. Upon the submarine's arrival that afternoon, she moored alongside the tug and prepared for a visit from
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Roosevelt.
President Roosevelt's visit
The following morning, ''Plunger'' charged her batteries and made a series of five short dives before returning alongside ''Apache'' to recharge. Later that afternoon, Roosevelt boarded the ''Plunger'' and stayed aboard for almost two hours while she made another series of dives before returning to moor alongside the tug. Roosevelt spent almost another hour on board the submarine before he left.
Roosevelt's novel voyage prompted significant interest. On 6 September, Roosevelt wrote from
Oyster Bay to
Hermann Speck von Sternburg: "I myself am both amused and interested as to what you say about the interest excited about my trip in the ''Plunger''. I went down in it chiefly because I did not like to have the officers and enlisted men think I wanted them to try things I was reluctant to try myself. I believe a good deal can be done with these submarines, although there is always the danger of people getting carried away with the idea and thinking that they can be of more use than they possibly could be." To another correspondent he declared that never in his life had he experienced "such a diverting day ... nor so much enjoyment in so few hours."
Later service
Decommissioned on 3 November 1905, ''Plunger'' remained inactive until she was recommissioned on 23 February 1907. On 3 May 1909,
Ensign
An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...
Chester Nimitz
Chester William Nimitz (; February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in C ...
, the future
fleet admiral who would say he considered the submarines of the time "a cross between a
Jules Verne fantasy and a
humpbacked whale", assumed command of ''Plunger''. That September, the submarine torpedo boat visited
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
to take part in the
Hudson-
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
celebrations. Nimitz commanded ''Plunger'' until he assumed command of
USS ''Snapper'' (later renamed C-5), when that submarine was commissioned on February 2, 1910.
Reassigned to the
Charleston Navy Yard
Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston.
H ...
, ''Plunger'' reached that port on 24 October and moored alongside the
gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.
History Pre-ste ...
, the tender for the
Atlantic Submarine Flotilla. Shortly thereafter, ''Castine''s medical officer, Assistant Surgeon Micajah Boland, inspected ''Plunger'' and two other submarine torpedo boats. His report graphically described living conditions on these boats. He found "their sanitary condition to be far from satisfactory, notwithstanding the fact that they had been at sea only about forty-five hours."
''Plunger'' was renamed ''A-1'' on 17 November 1911. She was stricken from the
Naval Vessel Register
The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
on 24 February 1913.
By 1916, ''A-1'' had been authorized for use as an "experimental target, designated 'Target E'". Approximately 22 March 1918 she sank at
New Suffolk, Massachusetts. Raised and sent to the Salvage Diving School 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 decade ...
.
She was ultimately hoisted on board the hulk of the former
monitor
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, West ...
and authorized for sale in 1921, on an "as is, where is" basis. She was sold for scrapping on 26 January 1922.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
history.navy.mil: USS ''Plunger''Lewis Nixon's Shipyard is acknowledged as place where first submarines were developed. Arthur Busch's role is mentioned and acknowledged as builder of Holland's submarines for Electric Boat Company.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plunger
Plunger-class submarines
Ships built in Elizabeth, New Jersey
1902 ships