USS Holland (SS-1)

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USS Holland (SS-1) underway
General Flag: Stars and Stripes, 48 ​​stars
Captain: Harry H. Caldwell
Engineers: John Philip Holland
Arthur Leopold Busch
Builder: Crescent Shipyard
career
Ordered: Unknown
Keel laying: November 1896
Launch: May 17, 1897
Commissioning: October 12, 1900
Decommissioning: July 7, 1905
Fate: Sold on June 18, 1913,
1932 scrapped
Technical specifications
Displacement: 65 t surfaced
75 t submerged
Length: 16.4 m
Width: 3.1 m
Draft: 2.6 m
Drive: 34 kW petrol engine
56 kW electric motor
66 cell battery
1 screw
Speed: 8 knots (15 km / h) above water
5 knots (9.3 km / h) under water
Crew: 6 crew members
Armament:

1 × 18-inch (457 mm)
torpedo tube
1 × 8.4-inch (213 mm)
deck gun

The USS Holland (SS-1) was the first submarine to be officially commissioned by the United States . The Holland made a major breakthrough in the construction of submarines. For the first time, the propulsion system, main and auxiliary tanks and a modern weapon system could be integrated into the hull. The boat was at the launching on 17 May 1897 in honor of the Irish-American investor John Philip Holland in the name Holland VI baptized. The number VI was created by previous five prototypes. After the purchase and commissioning by the US Navy, the ship was renamed USS Holland (SS-1) .

history

The Holland was built in the Crescent Shipyard in Elizabeth, New Jersey for John Holland's Torpedo Boat Company .

The pressure hull was developed by John Holland. The plans were implemented under the supervision of Holland in coordination with the chief architect of the Crescent shipyard, Arthur Leopold Busch .

As a young emigrant from the United Kingdom , Busch played an essential role in the development of Holland .

USS Holland in dry dock

Construction and keel laying (1896–1898)

The keel was laid in November 1896 in the Crescent shipyard. Holland and Busch were present. In their work, the two engineers made use of proven concepts and patents from John Holland. By working together, both complemented each other optimally, which made the development of the submarine possible.

First test runs (1898–1899)

There were modifications in 1898–1899.

Years of Service (1900–1910)

Scientific American image of the Holland around 1898

The Holland VI proved its worth as a warship, as a result of which the boat was bought by the US government on April 11, 1900 for the sum of 150,000 US dollars. It was the first successful submarine of its type. The success of the Holland VI resulted in several follow-up orders for John Holland's Torpedo Boat Company . The boats that were grouped in the plunger class were created from these orders .

The US Navy put the boat into service on October 12, 1900 in Newport, Rhode Island under the name USS Holland . The boat was modified before it was commissioned and Lieutenant Harry H. Caldwell was appointed its captain. The boat was the first submarine that was put into service for the United States Navy . After the USS Alligator and the Intelligent Whale , the USS Holland was the third submarine owned by the US Navy.

While serving with the US Navy, the boat spent much of its active career training cadets at the United States Naval Academy . The original logbooks held in the National Archives of the United States make this clear. Despite the training of the cadets, the boat also spent two summers at the Torpedo Station in Newport, Rhode Island. The first crew members were trained by the Electric Boat Company in the summer of 1900. In the summer of 1901, the first training runs and torpedo tests were carried out with the newly trained crew.

From To Location
January 1, 1900 June 13, 1900 Navy Yard, Washington DC
June 25, 1900 October 16, 1900 Torpedo Station , Newport Rhode Island
October 22, 1900 January 8, 1901 United States Naval Academy , Annapolis MD
January 10, 1901 January 22, 1901 Norfolk Naval Shipyard , Norfolk VA
January 23, 1901 June 10, 1901 United States Naval Academy, Annapolis MD
June 15, 1901 October 2, 1901 Torpedo Station, Newport Rhode Island
October 3, 1901 October 24, 1901 Brooklyn Navy Yard , New York
November 5, 1901 July 14, 1902 United States Naval Academy, Annapolis MD
July 18, 1902 July 31, 1902 Navy Yard, New York
August 1, 1902 April 3, 1903 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard , League Island PA
April 3, 1903 4th August 1903 United States Naval Academy, Annapolis MD
4th August 1903 August 8, 1903 Baltimore Shipbuilding & Drydock Co , Baltimore
August 8, 1903 September 6, 1904 United States Naval Academy, Annapolis MD
September 6, 1904 September 10, 1904 Baltimore Shipbuilding & Drydock Co, Baltimore
September 10, 1904 July 18, 1905 United States Naval Academy, Annapolis MD
July 20, 1905 January 1, 1915 Navy Yard, Norfolk VA

Source: Deck Log of the USS Holland located in the United States National Archives , Washington, DC.

Out of service (1905–1930)

On July 20, 1905, the boat entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for overhaul. The condition of the batteries was so bad that the engineers recommended removing them to service the batteries. The cells were removed in August 1905, but never reinstalled. On June 24, 1907, work on the Holland was canceled. Official records end on June 30, 1907.

The USS Holland was decommissioned in the Norfolk Navy Yard on November 21, 1910. The boat was transferred to the United States Naval Academy after decommissioning.

The Department of the Navy sold the Holland on June 18, 1913 to Henry A. Hitner's Sons Company , based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The sale of the boat was $ 1,066.50. On November 12, 1913, the boat was towed from Annapolis, Maryland to the Ships Graveyard on Petty Island. Partly buried in sand and half filled with water from the Delaware River , the boat was dumped carelessly. The engines were removed and only the pressure hull remained. On June 22, 1915, the Holland was pulled out of the sand and moved to a junkyard near Port Richmond. In early 1916, Henry A. Hitner's Sons Company moved the boat to the Commercial Museum in Philadelphia. There it became part of the Today and Tomorrow exhibition . Walter A. Hall, one of the crew members at the time, learned about the whereabouts of the Holland . On August 5, 1916, Hall wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times, hoping to find someone to save the Holland from being scrapped. Dr. Peter J. Gibbson and his son Austin F. Gibbson bought the boat from A. Hitners Sons. The Holland changed hands on August 11, 1916 for $ 500. Dr. Gibbson announced a few days after the purchase that the Holland would be donated to the Museum of Peaceful Arts . As a condition for the donation, the boat was first exhibited at the Bronx International Exhibition for one year . On October 12, 1916, the Holland was parade from the Commercial Museum property on Washington Avenue, 34 Street, Market Street and Broad Street. The boat was accompanied by the mayor of Philadelphia, the commander of the Philadelphia Navy Yard and 350 Navy employees.

The Holland reached New York on May 25, 1917 . During the First World War it was exhibited in the Bronx borough at the New York International Exposition . The exhibition was only opened in July 1918 due to the First World War.

Since the New York International Exposition was not particularly successful, it was continued as Starlight Park in 1924 . Ultimately, the Starlight Park was also closed in 1930. The Holland was still on the site until at least 1932.

In later years the boat was bought by Louis Gerson's Harlem Metal Corporation for $ 100 and scrapped.

technology

Cross-sectional sketch of the Holland

For the conditions of the early 20th century, the boat had many features that were unique until then. A dual drive system was used for the first time. Separate auxiliary and main ballast tanks were installed in the pressure hull. A modern weapon system was also integrated. The hydrodynamic properties were improved by modifying the shape of the pressure hull .

Drive system

The boat had two different propulsion systems. The 34 kW petrol engine was used for driving on the surface of the water, while the 36 kW electric motor was only used for diving trips. Ballast tanks and trim tanks were installed in the hull , through which one could control the diving depth. Maintaining the diving depth was made easier by these tanks.

Armament

In the predecessors of the USS Holland, the installation of weapon systems was dispensed with. John Holland was aware that without proof of the usability of modern weapons systems he would not receive any further orders from the US Navy. He therefore bought a torpedo with a launch tube from the E. W. Bliss company , which he installed in the Holland VI . After successful launch tests in April 1898, the Holland Torpedo Boat Company was instructed by the US Navy to test two more torpedo launch systems in the Holland VI . To reduce the risk of accidents, the torpedoes were equipped with the wrong warheads. The crew was trained in handling torpedoes. The loading of the torpedo shafts had to be carried out sitting due to the small size of the boat. In the middle of the hull was the control station, from which the boat and the weapon systems were controlled.

The reloadable torpedo bays and the pneumatic deck gun attached to the hull made the submarine interesting for the US Navy and an economic success for Holland.

Pressure hull

The hull of the boat consisted of 24 steel plates, which were divided into eight sections.

The pressure hull was optimized by John Holland for underwater travel. The Holland's length-to-diameter ratio was almost perfect. The boat was propelled by a single propeller.

literature

  • Alan H. Burgoyne: Submarine Navigation: Past and Present. EP Dutton & Co., New York 1903.
  • Frank T. Cable: The Birth and Development of the American Submarine. Harper & Brothers, New York 1924.
  • RK Morris: John P. Holland-Inventor of the Modern Submarine. US Naval Institute, Annapolis 1966; second edition, University of SC Press 1998.

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Article on John Holland and other submarine pioneers . www.navy.mil. Archived from the original on June 12, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2009.
  2. ^ A b c d Friedman Norman: US Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History . United States Naval Institute , Annapolis, Maryland 1995, ISBN 1-55750-263-3 .
  3. ^ Mary Bellis - The USS Holland. Archived from the original on November 28, 2008 ; accessed on April 9, 2020 .
  4. a b c d e f g h i j k l m K. Jack Bauer, Stephen S. Roberts: Register of Ships of the US Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants . Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut 1991, ISBN 0-313-26202-0 , pp. 253 .
  5. ^ English article on Morris and Holland . Robert A. Hamilton, The Day Publishing Co. 1999. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  6. ^ Richard Knowles Morris: John P. Holland, 1841-1914: Inventor of the Modern Submarine . University of South Carolina Press, 1998 (Retrieved February 12, 2008).
  7. a b The years of Holland in the US Navy (1900–1910). Gary McCue, accessed October 5, 2009 .
  8. ^ Crew members of the Holland: Deck Log of the USS Holland . National Archives of the United States , Washington, DC (1900-1905).
  9. a b The decommissioning of the Holland up to scrapping (1905–1930). Gary McCue, accessed October 7, 2009 .
  10. Newspaper article about the whereabouts of the Holland. Unknown newspaper, November 12, 1913, accessed October 7, 2009 .
  11. Newspaper article about the whereabouts of the “Ship's Cemetery”. Unknown newspaper, March 13, 1915, accessed October 7, 2009 .
  12. ^ The letter from Walter A. Hall to the editor of the New York Times. New York Times, August 5, 1916; accessed October 10, 2009 .
  13. Newspaper article about the sale to the Gibbson family. Unknown newspaper, August 10, 1916, accessed October 10, 2009 .
  14. Newspaper article about the donation to the Museum of Peaceful Arts. The New York Herald, August 21, 1916, accessed October 10, 2009 .
  15. ^ Newspaper article about the exhibition at the Bronx International Exhibition. August 16, 1916, accessed October 10, 2009 .
  16. Newspaper article about the parade. October 1, 1916, accessed October 11, 2009 .