Editing USS Holland (SS-1)

{{short description|Submarine of the United States}}
{{other ships|USS Holland}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USs Holland SS-1 80-G-703837.jpg|300px|USS Holland (SS-1) underway]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Holland'' (SS-1) underway
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=
|Builders=
|Operators= {{naval|United States|1912}}
|Class before=none
|Class after={{sclass|Plunger|submarine|4}}
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=
|In service range=
|In commission range=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country={{nowrap|United States}}
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1910}}
|Ship name=*''Holland VI'' (1897–1900)
*USS ''Holland'' (1900–)
|Ship namesake=[[John Philip Holland]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=*[[Crescent Shipyard]]
*[[Elizabeth, New Jersey]]
|Ship laid down=November 1896
|Ship launched=17 May 1897
|Ship acquired=11 April 1900
|Ship commissioned=12 October 1900
|Ship decommissioned=17 July 1905
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=21 November 1910
|Ship fate=Sold 18 June 1913; on display in a park in [[Paterson, New Jersey]] until sold for scrap, 1932
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Midget submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|64|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|74|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length={{convert|53|ft|10|in|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|LOA]]
|Ship beam={{convert|10|ft|4|in|abbr=on}} extreme
|Ship draft={{convert|8|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=*{{convert|45|bhp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}} surfaced 
*{{convert|75|bhp|kW|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship propulsion=*1 × [[gasoline engine]],
*1 × [[electric motor]], 
*66-[[Electrochemical cell|cell]] [[Electric battery|battery]],
*1 shaft
|Ship speed=*{{convert|6|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|5.5|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=*{{convert|200|nmi|lk=on|abbr=on}} at {{convert|6|kn|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|30|nmi|lk=on|abbr=on}} at {{convert|5.5|kn|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth={{convert|75|ft}}
|Ship complement=6
|Ship armament=*1 × [[American 18-inch torpedo|18 inch (450 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]] (3 [[torpedo]]es)
*1 × {{convert|8.425|in|mm|adj=on}} [[dynamite gun]]
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Holland'' (SS-1)''' was the [[United States Navy]]'s first [[submarine]], although not its first underwater [[watercraft]], which was the 1775 [[Turtle (submersible)|submersible ''Turtle'']]. The boat was originally laid down as '''''Holland VI''''' at the [[Crescent Shipyard]] of [[Elizabeth, New Jersey]] for [[John Philip Holland]]'s [[Holland Torpedo Boat Company]], and [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 17 May 1897. She was acquired by the USN on 11 April 1900 and commissioned on 12 October 1900, [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] [[H. H. Caldwell]] commanding.<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates">Friedman, p. 286</ref><ref name=DANFS1>{{cite DANFS |url= http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/holland-i.html |title= Holland I (SS-1) |date= 20 July 2015 |access-date= 17 May 2016 }}</ref>

==Design and construction==
[[File:SS-1 Holland diagram.png|left|thumb|Rough sketch of ''Holland''.]]

''Holland'' was built at former Navy Lieutenant [[Lewis Nixon (naval architect)|Lewis Nixon's]] Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth, New Jersey for John Holland's Holland Torpedo Boat Company, which became the [[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat]] company in 1899.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/crescent.htm
|title=Crescent Shipyard
|publisher=GlobalSecurity.org
|access-date=2012-09-21
}}</ref> The vessel was built under the supervision of [[John Philip Holland]], who designed the vessel and her details. ''Holland''{{'}}s [[keel]] 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]] from 1899 to 1900.<ref>{{cite web|title=Patent US702729A (Submarine boat.)|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US702729A/|last=Holland|first=John Philip|author-link=John Philip Holland|date=5 October 1900|accessdate=2018-10-16}}</ref> Important contributions were also made by [[Arthur Leopold Busch|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]] from which the boat and her weapons could be directed. Also, she had all the necessary [[ballast tank|ballast]] and trim tanks to make precise changes in depth and attitude underwater. Her crew was six men and maximum diving depth was {{convert|75|ft}}.<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs">Friedman, p. 306</ref>

For armament, she had a reloadable 18-inch (450&nbsp;mm) [[torpedo tube]] with three [[Whitehead Mark 2 torpedo]]es and an {{convert|8.425|in|mm|adj=on}} pneumatic [[dynamite gun]] in the bow (the dynamite gun's projectiles were called "aerial torpedoes").<ref name="Register">Bauer and Roberts, p. 253</ref> 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.<ref name="Friedman, p. 25">Friedman, p. 25</ref>

She had both an [[internal combustion engine]] (specifically, a 4-stroke [[Otto engine|Otto gasoline engine]] of {{convert|45|bhp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}}) for running on the surface and charging batteries, and an [[Electro-Dynamic Company|Electro Dynamic]] [[electric motor]] of {{convert|50|shp|kW|abbr=on}} for submerged operation, with one shaft.<ref name=Conways1>Gardiner and Gray, pp. 126-127</ref> A 66-[[Electrochemical cell|cell]] [[Exide]] [[Electric battery|battery]] powered the electric motor when submerged.<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> This allowed speeds of {{convert|6|kn|lk=in}} surfaced and {{convert|5.5|kn}} submerged. Surfaced range was {{convert|200|nmi|lk=on|abbr=on}} at {{convert|6|kn|abbr=on}}, while submerged range was {{convert|30|nmi|lk=on|abbr=on}} at {{convert|5.5|kn|abbr=on}}.<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-specs"/> 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 {{convert|45|bhp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}} surfaced and {{convert|75|shp|kW|abbr=on}} submerged, with {{convert|8|kn}} surfaced and {{convert|5|kn}} submerged.<ref name="Register"/>

==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.{{by whom |date=September 2012}} The United States Government soon ordered more submarines from Holland's company, which were to be known as the {{sclass|Plunger|submarine|4}}. These became America's first fleet of underwater naval vessels.
[[File:USS Holland (SS-1) - Scientific American 1898.jpg|left|thumb|USS ''Holland'' (SS-1) from ''[[Scientific American]]'' 1898. The muzzle door of the bow [[dynamite gun]] is open.]]

''Holland VI'' was modified after her [[Ship naming and launching|christening]], and was renamed United States Submarine Torpedo Boat ''Holland'' (Submarine-1) when she was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] by the US Navy on 12 October 1900, at [[Newport, Rhode Island]], with Lieutenant [[H. H. Caldwell|Harry H. Caldwell]] in command.<ref name=DANFS1/>

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.<ref>{{cite web|title=USN Ship Designations|url=http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/index_ships_list.php|first1=Guy|last1=Derdahl|first2=Tony|last2=DiGiulian|accessdate=4 January 2022|website=NavWeaps}}</ref> 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,<ref name=DANFS1 /> have retroactively applied both the prefix USS and the designation SS-1 to avoid confusion.

''Holland'' was the first commissioned submarine in the US Navy<ref name="Morris">Morris</ref> 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 ''[[USS Alligator (1862)|Alligator]]''), the second was ''[[Intelligent Whale]]'' and the third was ''[[Plunger (1897)|Plunger]]'', an experimental submarine, built in 1895, which is not to be confused with [[USS Plunger (SS-2)|USS ''Plunger'' (SS-2)]].
[[File:Holland (SSl). Starboard bow, on ways, 1900 - NARA - 512954.tif|thumb|right|''Holland'' under construction, 1900]]

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]],<ref name="Morris" /> where she was used to train [[Midshipman|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.<ref name=DANFS1/>

''Holland'' proved valuable for experimental purposes in collecting data for submarines under construction or contemplation. Her {{convert|166|mi|abbr=on}} surface run, from [[Annapolis, Maryland|Annapolis]] to [[Norfolk, Virginia]] from 8–10 January 1901, provided useful data on her performance underway over an extended period.<ref name=DANFS1/>

''Holland'' (briefly in 1899, on trials)<ref name="Friedman, p. 25"/> and five {{sclass|Plunger|submarine|4}} Holland-type submarines were based in [[New Suffolk, New York]] 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cutchoguenewsuffolk.org/history.htm |publisher=cutchoguenewsuffolk.org |title=History of Cutchogue-New Suffolk |access-date=2007-11-04 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060429124418/http://www.cutchoguenewsuffolk.org/history.htm |archive-date=29 April 2006 }}</ref>

Except for the period from 15 June to 1 October 1901, which was passed training cadets at the [[Naval Undersea Warfare Center|Naval Torpedo Station]], [[Newport, Rhode Island]], ''Holland'' remained at [[Annapolis, Maryland|Annapolis]] as a training submarine until 17 July 1905 when she was decommissioned.<ref name=DANFS1/>

''Holland'' finished her career in reserve at [[Norfolk, Virginia]]. Her name was struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 21 November 1910.<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates"/> This revolutionary submarine was sold as scrap to [[Joseph G. Hitner|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.<ref name=DANFS1/>

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.<ref>Ward County Independent, 26 October 1916.  pg. 1.</ref> 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]].<ref>New York Tribune. 25 May 1917.</ref>

''Holland'' was on display for several years in [[Paterson, New Jersey]] until in 1930 she was sold as scrap to the Brooklyn Navy yard,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Whelan |first1=Jeff |title=The 'silent service" began in Elizabeth |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/1117837306/?terms=holland&match=1 |access-date=28 January 2025 |publisher=The Star-Ledger |date=12 April 2000 |page=57 |language=English}}</ref> and in 1932 was scrapped.<ref name="FriedmanSubs1-dates" />

==See also==
* [[History of submarines]]
* {{ship||Plunger|1897}}
* {{sclass|Holland|submarine|1}} 
* [[Submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]
* {{ship|French submarine|Gustave Zédé|1893|2}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/holland-i.html}} <!-- <ref name=DANFS1 /> -->

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book | last = Bauer | first = K. Jack | author-link = K. Jack Bauer |author2=Roberts, Stephen S. | title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants | publisher = Greenwood Press | year = 1991 | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]] | isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}
* {{cite book |title=The Defender: The Story of General Dynamics |first=Roger| last=Franklin |publisher=Harper & Row |year=1986 }}
* {{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Norman |author-link=Norman Friedman |title=U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1995 |location=Annapolis, Maryland |pages=285–304 |isbn=1-55750-263-3 }}
* {{cite book | last = Gardiner | first = Robert | author2 = Gray, Randal | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921 | publisher = Conway Maritime Press | year = 1985 | location = London | isbn = 0-85177-245-5 }}
* {{cite book |title=John P. Holland, 1841–1914: Inventor of the Modern Submarine |first=Richard Knowles |last=Morris |publisher=University of South Carolina Press |year=1998 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_rX-eHagIggC |isbn=978-1-57003-236-3 |access-date=2008-02-12}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |title=International Directory of Company Histories |volume=86 |date=July 2007 |publisher=The Thomson Gale Group/St. James Press |pages=136–139}} Listed under the heading of General Dynamics/Electric Boat Corporation.
*{{cite journal |title=Who Built Those Subs? |journal=[[Naval History Magazine]] |first=Richard Knowles |last=Morris |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute]] |location=Annapolis, Maryland |date=October 1998 |issue=125th Anniversary}}
*{{cite book |title=Steel Boats, Iron Men: The History of the United States Submarine Force |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1T0NbffwteoC&pg=PA37 |year=1994 |publisher=Turner Publishing Company |location=Paducah, Kentucky |isbn=978-1-56311-081-8 |pages=37–39}}
*{{cite book |title=The Submarine Pioneers |first=CDR Richard, MBE RN |last=Compton-Hall |publisher=Sutton Publishing LTD. UK |year=1999 }}
*{{cite book |title=The Legend of Electric Boat, Serving The Silent Service |first=Jeffery |last=Rodengen |publisher=Write Stuff Syndicate |orig-year=1994 |year=2007 }}
*{{cite journal |journal=The Klaxon |date=April 1992 |publisher=The Nautilus Memorial Submarine Force Library and Museum |location=New London/Groton, Connecticut |title=The Klaxon}} 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]]
*{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |title=Arthur L. Du Busc, Submarine Pioneer, dies (at 90); Builder of First Craft Accepted by the United States |url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0C1EF63E54157A93C3A81788D85F428585F9 |date=11 March 1956 |access-date=2012-09-21}}{{subscription required |date=September 2012}}
*Documents and letters written by [[John Philip Holland]], [[Lewis Nixon (naval architect)|Lewis Nixon]] and [[Elihu B. Frost]], etc. archived and housed at the US Navy [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]] in New London, Connecticut

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Holland (SS-1)}}

*{{cite web |url=https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=Holland |title=PigBoats.COM USS Holland page}}
* {{navsource|08/08001|USS Holland}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/history/pioneers.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703212555/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/history/pioneers.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 July 2007 |title=Submarine Pioneers |publisher=Chief of Naval Operations Submarine Warfare Division}}
*{{cite web |url=http://geocities.com/gwmccue/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026192115/http://geocities.com/gwmccue/ |title=John Philip Holland (1841–1914) And His Submarines |archive-date=26 October 2009}} This site also contains information on [[Elihu B. Frost]], Arthur L. Busch, [[Frank Cable]], [[Lawrence York Spear]], [[Isaac Rice (businessman)|Isaac Rice]] etc.
*{{cite news |url=http://www.gdeb.com/about/centennial/eb-100yrs-2.html |title=Morris view of Holland more widely accepted in our era |first=Robert A. |last=Hamilton |newspaper=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016074338/http://www.gdeb.com/about/centennial/eb-100yrs-2.html |archive-date=16 October 2006}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ss-1.htm |title=SS-1 Holland |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org}}
*{{cite web |url=http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?list=type&type=12 |title=General Dynamics |first=Phil |last=Mattera |publisher=corpwatch.org |access-date=26 June 2008 |archive-date=13 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313001905/http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?list=type&type=12 |url-status=dead }} This site attempts to further explain the events that took place while John P. Holland's company was being formed.
*[http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_Zalinsky.htm DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com Dynamite Guns page]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBx1qyEILLk youtube.com USS Holland ]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOeZJieYqRE youtube.com Submarine #1  ]

{{US Navy navbox}}
{{Plunger class submarine}}
{{Holland Torpedo Boat Company}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Holland (Ss-1)}}
[[Category:Submarines of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Elizabeth, New Jersey]]
[[Category:1885 ships]]
[[Category:John Philip Holland]]