Lake torpedo boat

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USS R-21 on shipyard pier, July 15, 1918
Launch of USS S-2 (1919)

The Lake Torpedo Boat Company was one of the first submarine - shipyards in the United States . It was re-established in 1912 by shipbuilding pioneer Simon Lake and existed in Bridgeport , Connecticut until 1924 .

history

Simon Lake had developed a series of three Argonaut boats for underwater exploration from 1894 to 1900 . With the Protector , a submarine was created in 1902 that could both fire torpedoes and drop divers. Since the United States Navy showed no interest, the boat was dismantled and reassembled in Russia as "Осётр" (Osjotr) . In addition to the Osjotr class with a total of six boats, Lake also designed the Kaiman class (Кайман) for the Russian Navy.

As a result, Lake worked for the Germania shipyard in Kiel , where he also designed the first submarines for the Austro-Hungarian Navy . In 1909, Lake in Newport News had the Seal submarine built for the US Navy at his own risk . Since no hull number was therefore available, it was put into service as G-1 with the intermediate number “SS-19½”. At the same time, developments in competition with Electric Boat were required by the Navy . As a result, Lake received his first two orders, which he placed in Bridgeport on Kiel. Because of a distress of his company G-2 and G-3 were equipped at the New York Naval Shipyard .

During World War I , Lake Torpedo Boat manufactured L, N, O, and R class submarines . Six other Lake designs were built at other shipyards. Then the USS S-2 (SS-106) was created as a prototype for a "Lake class". However, four S- class boats were built in Bridgeport based on two designs by Portsmouth Naval Shipyards . After that, Lake Torpedo Boat received no more orders from the US Navy. The shipyard facilities were too small for big guys anyway. The company closed in 1924.

Lake and Danenhower Inc.

A successor company of the partners Simon Lake and Sloan Danenhower converted the Lake submarine USS O-12 into the expedition submarine Nautilus for a crossing under the North Pole . Although the Wilkins-Ellsworth Trans-Arctic Submarine Expedition failed in 1931 , the feasibility of such an enterprise could be shown. In 1936, Simon Lake built the Explorer as the last research submarine .

Simon Lakes Submarine Designs

Civil types

  • Argonaut Junior , 1894
  • Argonaut 1 , 1898
  • Argonaut 2 , 1900
  • Explorer , 1936 - Research Submarine

Military use

  • Osjotr- class (Осётр) of the Russian Navy
    • Protector , launched 1902 - Осётр (in service 1905–1913)
    • Кефаль and Сиг ( Kefal , Sig ; in service 1905–1913)
    • Бычок, Палтус, Плотва ( Bytschok , Paltus , Plotwa ; in service 1906–1913)
  • Cayman class (Кайман) of the Russian Navy
    • Кайман, Аллигатор, Крокодил, Дракон ( caiman , alligator , crocodile , dracon ; commissioned in 1911 , scuttled on February 25, 1918)

Lake Torpedo Boat submarines

Submarines built in Bridgeport

number class Launch Commissioning Decommissioning comment
USS G-2 (SS-27) G-2 January 10, 1912 December 1, 1913 April 2, 1919 ex tuna ; sunk as a target ship
USS G-3 (SS-31) G-3 December 27, 1913 March 22, 1915 May 5, 1921 ex Turbot ; Wrecked in 1922
USS L-5 SS-44 L-5 class May 1, 1916 February 17, 1918 December 5, 1922 Wrecked in 1925
USS N-4 SS-56 N-4 class November 27, 1916 June 15, 1918 April 22, 1922 Wrecked in 1922
USS N-5 SS-57 N-4 class March 22, 1917 June 13, 1918 April 19, 1922 Wrecked in 1922
USS N-6 SS-58 N-4 class April 21, 1917 July 9, 1918 February 16, 1922 Wrecked in 1922
USS N-7 SS-59 N-4 class May 19, 1917 June 15, 1918 February 7, 1922 Wrecked in 1922
USS O-11 SS-72 O-11 class October 29, 1917 October 19, 1918 June 21, 1924 Broken down in 1930
USS O-12 SS-73 O-11 class September 29, 1917 October 18, 1918 June 17, 1924 Civil arctic expedition ship; Sunk in 1931
USS O-13 SS-74 O-11 class December 27, 1917 November 27, 1918 June 11, 1924 Broken down in 1930
USS R-21 SS-98 R-21 class July 10, 1918 June 17, 1919 June 21, 1924 Broken down in 1930
USS R-22 SS-99 R-21 class September 23, 1918 August 1, 1919 April 29, 1925 Broken down in 1930
USS R-23 SS-100 R-21 class November 5, 1918 October 23, 1919 April 25, 1925 Broken down in 1930
USS R-24 SS-101 R-21 class August 21, 1918 June 27, 1919 June 11, 1925 Broken down in 1930
USS R-25 SS-102 R-21 class May 15, 1919 October 23, 1919 June 21, 1924 Broken down in 1930
USS R-26 SS-103 R-21 class June 18, 1919 October 23, 1919 June 12, 1925 Broken down in 1930
USS R-27 SS-104 R-21 class September 23, 1918 September 3, 1919 April 24, 1925 Broken down in 1930
USS S-2 (SS-106) ( S-2 ) February 15, 1919 May 25, 1920 November 25, 1929 Prototype for a Lake class , sold for scrapping in 1931
USS S-14 (SS-119) S-3 class October 22, 1919 February 11, 1921 May 18, 1945 War service, sold for scrapping in 1945
USS S-15 (SS-120) S-3 class March 8, 1920 January 15, 1921 June 11, 1946 War service, sold for scrapping in 1946.
USS S-16 (SS-121) S-3 class March 19, 1918 17th December 1920 October 4, 1944 War mission, sunk as a training target in 1945
USS S-17 (SS-122) S-3 class May 22, 1920 March 1, 1921 October 4, 1944 War mission, sunk as a training target in 1945.
USS S-48 (SS-159) S-48 class February 26, 1921 October 14, 1922 August 29, 1945 During the war as a training boat, sold for scrapping in 1946
USS S-49 (SS-160) S-48 class April 23, 1921 June 6, 1922 August 2, 1927 Tourist attraction since 1931, sunk when reactivated in 1942
USS S-50 (SS-161) S-48 class June 18, 1921 May 20, 1922 August 20, 1927 Reserve until 1931, then scrapped
USS S-51 (SS-162) S-48 class August 20, 1921 June 24, 1922 September 25, 1925 Sank off Rhode Island on September 25, 1925 after colliding with the City of Rome merchant ship . There were 3 survivors and 33 dead.

More designs of the Lake Torpedo Boat

The following boats were built according to Lake design at other shipyards:

  • USS G-1 (SS-19½) (ex Seal ; 1920: SS-20), built at Newport News Shipbuilding
  • USS L-6 (SS-45) built at Craig Shipbuilding in Long Beach, California
  • USS L-7 (SS-46) built at Craig Shipbuilding
  • USS L-8 (SS-48) built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard
  • USS O-14 (SS-75), built at California Shipbuilding, formerly Craig Shipbuilding
  • USS O-15 (SS-76) built at California Shipbuilding
  • USS O-16 (SS-77) built at California Shipbuilding