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USS ''Holland'' (SS-1) was the United States Navy's first modern commissioned submarine, although not the first military submarine of the United States, which was the 1775 submersible ''Turtle''. The boat was originally laid down as ''Holland VI'' at the
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 ...
of Elizabeth, New Jersey for
John Philip Holland John Philip Holland ( ga, Seán Pilib Ó hUallacháin/Ó Maolchalann) (24 February 184112 August 1914) was an Irish engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the US Navy, and the first Royal Navy submarine, ''H ...
's Holland Torpedo Boat Company, and launched on 17 May 1897. She was acquired by the USN on 11 April 1900 and commissioned on 12 October 1900,
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
H. H. Caldwell commanding.Friedman, p. 286


Design and construction

''Holland'' was built at former Navy Lieutenant Lewis Nixon's Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth, New Jersey for John Holland's Holland Torpedo Boat Company, which became the
Electric Boat An electric boat is a motorboat, powered watercraft driven by electric motors, which are powered by either on-board battery packs, solar panels or electric generator, generators. While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by di ...
company in 1899. The vessel was built under the supervision of
John Philip Holland John Philip Holland ( ga, Seán Pilib Ó hUallacháin/Ó Maolchalann) (24 February 184112 August 1914) was an Irish engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the US Navy, and the first Royal Navy submarine, ''H ...
, who designed the vessel and her details. ''Holland''s
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
was laid at Nixon's Crescent Shipyard with both men present. The two men worked together using many of John Holland's proven concepts and patents to make the submarine a reality, each man complementing the other's contributions to the development of the modern submarine. John Holland was the inventor for US Patent 702,729 for the design of a submarine boat. Testing and training first took place at the
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 ...
from 1899 to 1900. Important contributions were also made by Arthur L. Busch (or Du Busc), Crescent's superintendent. ''Holland VI'' included many features that submarines of the early 20th century would exhibit, albeit in later, more advanced forms. There was a
conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer in charge can conn the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and grou ...
from which the boat and her weapons could be directed. Also, she had all the necessary
ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship ...
and trim tanks to make precise changes in depth and attitude underwater. Her crew was six men and maximum diving depth was .Friedman, p. 306 For armament, she had a reloadable 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tube with three
Whitehead Mark 2 torpedo The Whitehead Mark 2 torpedo was a Whitehead torpedo adopted by the United States Navy for use in an anti-surface ship role after the E. W. Bliss Company of Brooklyn, New York secured manufacturing rights in 1892. It was identical to the Whitehe ...
es and an pneumatic
dynamite gun A dynamite gun is any of a class of artillery pieces that use compressed air to propel an explosive projectile (such as one containing dynamite). Dynamite guns were in use for a brief period from the 1880s to the beginning of the twentieth century. ...
in the bow (the dynamite gun's projectiles were called "aerial torpedoes").Bauer and Roberts, p. 253 A second dynamite gun in the stern was removed in 1900 to make room for an improved engine exhaust, prior to delivery to the Navy.Friedman, p. 25 She had both an internal combustion engine (specifically, a 4-stroke Otto gasoline engine of ) for running on the surface and charging batteries, and an Electro Dynamic electric motor of for submerged operation, with one shaft.Gardiner and Gray, pp. 126-127 A 66-
cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...
Exide Exide was originally a brand name for batteries produced by The Electric Storage Battery Company and later became Exide Corporation doing business as Exide Technologies, an American multinational lead-acid batteries manufacturing company. It ...
battery powered the electric motor when submerged. This allowed speeds of surfaced and submerged. Surfaced range was at , while submerged range was at . There is significant variation in references as to the vessel's horsepower and speed, for example the ''Register of Ships of the U. S. Navy'' gives horsepower figures of surfaced and submerged, with surfaced and submerged.


Service

''Holland VI'' eventually proved her validity and worthiness as a warship and was ultimately purchased by the U.S. government for the sum of $150,000 on 11 April 1900. She was considered to be the first truly successful craft of her type. The United States Government soon ordered more submarines from Holland's company, which were to be known as the . These became America's first fleet of underwater naval vessels. ''Holland VI'' was modified after her christening, and was renamed United States Submarine Torpedo Boat ''Holland'' (Submarine-1) when she was commissioned by the US Navy on 12 October 1900, at Newport, Rhode Island, with Lieutenant Harry H. Caldwell in command. During her commissioned life in the USN, the ''Holland'' did not carry the hull designation SS-1. The designation system currently in use was placed into Naval Regulations on 17 July 1920. Thus, the ''Holland'' would have never been assigned SS-1. She would have been designated Submarine-1 or simply S-1 under the system in place between 1895 and 1920. Most historians, including official Navy sources, have retroactively applied both the prefix USS and the designation SS-1 to avoid confusion. ''Holland'' was the first commissioned submarine in the US NavyMorris and is the first of the unbroken line of submarines in the Navy. She was the fourth submarine to be owned by the Navy, however. The first submarine was ''Propeller'' (also known as ''
Alligator An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additional ...
''), the second was '' Intelligent Whale'' and the third was ''
Plunger A plunger, force cup, plumber's friend or plumber's helper is a tool used to clear blockages in drains and pipes. It consists of a rubber suction cup attached to a stick (''shaft'') usually made of wood or plastic. A different bellows-like desi ...
'', an experimental submarine, built in 1895, which is not to be confused with USS ''Plunger'' (SS-2). On 16 October 1900, in order to be kept serviceable throughout the winter, ''Holland'' left Newport under tow of the tug ''Leyden'' for
Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...
, where she was used to train midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy, as well as officers and enlisted men ordered there to receive training vital in preparing for the operation of other submarines being built for the Fleet. ''Holland'' proved valuable for experimental purposes in collecting data for submarines under construction or contemplation. Her surface run, from
Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...
to Norfolk, Virginia from 8–10 January 1901, provided useful data on her performance underway over an extended period. ''Holland'' (briefly in 1899, on trials) and five Holland-type submarines were based in
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 the North Fork of Long Island from 1899 to 1905, prompting the hamlet to claim to be the first submarine base in the United States. Except for the period from 15 June to 1 October 1901, which was passed training cadets at 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 ...
, Newport, Rhode Island, ''Holland'' remained at
Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...
as a training submarine until 17 July 1905 when she was decommissioned. ''Holland'' finished her career in reserve at Norfolk, Virginia. Her name was struck 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 21 November 1910. This revolutionary submarine was sold as scrap to Henry A. Hitner & Sons of Philadelphia on 18 June 1913 for $100. Her purchaser was required to put up $5,000 bond as assurance that the submarine would be broken up and not used as a ship. About 1915, the hulk of the ''Holland'', stripped of her external fittings, was sold to Peter J. Gibbons. As of October 1916 she was on display in Philadelphia. In May 1917 she was moved to the Bronx, New York as a featured attraction at the
Bronx International Exposition of Science, Arts and Industries The Bronx International Exposition of Science, Arts and Industries was a world's fair held in the Bronx, New York City, United States, in 1918. Meant to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Bronx's settlement, it failed to become popular, a ...
.New York Tribune. 25 May 1917. ''Holland'' was on display for several years in Paterson, New Jersey until she was finally scrapped in 1932.


See also

*
History of submarines The history of the submarine spans the entire history of human endeavour as mankind has since early civilisation sought to explore and travel under the sea. Humanity has employed a variety of methods to travel underwater for exploration, recrea ...
* *
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
* Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy *


References

*


Bibliography

* * * * *


Further reading

* Listed under the heading of General Dynamics/Electric Boat Corporation. * * * * * The US Navy's official submarine force newsletter. Article is about Arthur Busch/Du Busc and his key role in building America's (and Japan's) first submarines, circa 1896–1905. US Navy
Submarine Force Library and Museum The United States Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum is located on the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut. It is the only submarine museum managed exclusively by the Naval History & Heritage Command division of the Navy, and this makes it a ...
* *Documents and letters written by
John Philip Holland John Philip Holland ( ga, Seán Pilib Ó hUallacháin/Ó Maolchalann) (24 February 184112 August 1914) was an Irish engineer who developed the first submarine to be formally commissioned by the US Navy, and the first Royal Navy submarine, ''H ...
, Lewis Nixon and Elihu B. Frost, etc. archived and housed at the US Navy
Submarine Force Library and Museum The United States Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum is located on the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut. It is the only submarine museum managed exclusively by the Naval History & Heritage Command division of the Navy, and this makes it a ...
in New London, Connecticut


External links

* * * This site also contains information on Elihu B. Frost, Arthur L. Busch,
Frank Cable Frank Taylor Cable (19 June 1863 – 21 May 1945) was an early pioneer in submarine development and piloted the first United States Navy submarine, during its pre-commissioning trials. Early life and education Cable was born in New Milford, Con ...
,
Lawrence York Spear Lawrence York Spear (23 October 1870 – 9 September 1950) was an American naval officer and businessman who spent the majority of his career working for the Electric Boat Company. Biography Born in Warren, Ohio, Spear graduated from the United ...
,
Isaac Rice Isaac Leopold Rice (February 22, 1850 – November 2, 1915) was a German-born Jewish American businessman, investor, musicologist, author, and chess patron.
etc. * * * This site attempts to further explain the events that took place while John P. Holland's company was being formed.
DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com Dynamite Guns pageyoutube.com USS Holland youtube.com Submarine #1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland (Ss-1) Submarines of the United States Navy Ships built in Elizabeth, New Jersey 1897 ships John Philip Holland