The Plunger-class was an early class of United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

s, used primarily as training vessels for the newly formed "silent service" to familiarize navy personnel with the performance and operations of such craft. Most of these "A-class" submarines ended up being stationed in the Philippines prior to the outbreak of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. In some instances, this class of submarines is referred to as the Adder-class submarine, as the USS Adder was the first boat of the class to be completed.

History

The Plunger-class submarines were built at the beginning of the twentieth century largely as experimental vessels. This class of submarines were built at two different locations on both coasts of the United States. All seven boats were renamed to A-type designations (A-1 through A-7) on 17 November 1911. They were given corresponding alphanumeric hull numbers on 17 July 1920, after all but Grampus (SS-4) and Pike (SS-6) had been decommissioned. All of the Plunger-class ships were decommissioned by 1921 and used as targets.

USS Plunger / A-1

USS Plunger (SS-2)

USS Plunger SS-2 was one of the earliest submarines of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the her class and was later renamed A-1 when she was designated an A-type submarine.-Early service:...

 

• Designation: Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 2, SS-2
• Builders: (Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard, located 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. Production of these ships began before the Spanish-American war and...
  
   in Elizabethport, New Jersey
  Elizabethport, New Jersey
  A neighborhood in the City of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Formerly home of the Singer Manufacturing Company, makers of Singer Sewing Machines....
  
  
• Laid down: 21 May 1901
• Launched: 1 February 1902 (List)
• Operator:
• Commissioned: 19 September 1903 (List)
• Decommissioned: 24 February 1913 (List)
• Status: Sold for scrap 26 January 1922
• Operations: Torpedo testing, training, Theodore Roosevelt
  Theodore Roosevelt
  Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
  
   tour

USS Adder / A-2

USS Adder (SS-3)

USS Adder , a Plunger-class submarine, was one of the earliest submarines used by the United States Navy. She was laid down on 3 October 1900 by the Crescent Shipyard, launched on 22 July 1901, and commissioned on 12 January 1903 at the Holland yard at New Suffolk, Ensign Frank L...

 

• Designation: Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 3, SS-3
• Builders: (Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard, located 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. Production of these ships began before the Spanish-American war and...
  
   in Elizabethport, New Jersey
  Elizabethport, New Jersey
  A neighborhood in the City of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Formerly home of the Singer Manufacturing Company, makers of Singer Sewing Machines....
  
  
• Laid down: 3 October 1900
• Launched: 22 July 1901 (List)
• Operator:
• Commissioned: 12 January 1903 (List)
• Decommissioned: 12 December 1919 (List)
• Status: Sunk as a target ship
• Operations: Torpedo testing, training, peace time patrol

USS Grampus / A-3

USS Grampus (SS-4)

USS Grampus , a Plunger-class submarine later named A-3, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named for two members of the dolphin family : Grampus griseus, also known as Risso's dolphin, and Orcinus orca, also known as the killer whale.Her keel was laid down on 10 December 1900 at...

 

• Designation: Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 3, SS-4
• Builders: (Union Iron Works
  Union Iron Works
  Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
  
   in San Francisco, California
  San Francisco, California
  San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
  
  
• Laid down: 10 December 1900
• Launched: 31 July 1902 (List)
• Operator:
• Commissioned: 28 May 1903 (List)
• Decommissioned: 25 July 1921 (List)
• Status: Struck 16 January 1922 and sunk as a target ship
• Operations: San Francisco earthquake of 1906 relief efforts

USS Moccasin / A-4

USS Moccasin (SS-5)

The second USS Moccasin was a that was later renamed A-4.She was laid down under the direction of Arthur Leopold Busch on 8 November 1900 in Elizabeth, New Jersey at the Crescent Shipyard, launched on 20 August 1901, and commissioned on 17 January 1903 at the Holland yard at New Suffolk, N.Y....

 

• Designation: Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 5, SS-5
• Builders: (Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard, located 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. Production of these ships began before the Spanish-American war and...
  
   in Elizabethport, New Jersey
  Elizabethport, New Jersey
  A neighborhood in the City of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Formerly home of the Singer Manufacturing Company, makers of Singer Sewing Machines....
  
  
• Laid down: 8 November 1900
• Launched: 20 August 1901 (List)
• Operator:
• Commissioned: 17 January 1903 (List)
• Decommissioned: 12 December 1919 (List)
• Status: Target ship
• Operations: Training, trials, peacetime patrol

USS Pike / A-5

USS Pike (SS-6)

The first USS Pike was a in the service of the United States Navy, later renamed as A-5.She was laid down on 10 December 1900 at San Francisco, California by Union Iron Works, launched on 14 January 1903, and commissioned on 28 May 1903 at the Mare Island Navy Yard with Lieutenant Arthur...

 

• Designation: Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 6, SS-6
• Builders: (Union Iron Works
  Union Iron Works
  Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
  
   in San Francisco, California
  San Francisco, California
  San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
  
  
• Laid down: 10 December 1900
• Launched: 14 January 1903 (List)
• Operator:
• Commissioned: 28 May 1903 (List)
• Decommissioned: 25 July 1921 (List)
• Status: Sold for scrap 26 January 1922
• Operations: San Francisco earthquake of 1906 recovery efforts, training & trials, harbor patrol

USS Porpoise, A-6

USS Porpoise (SS-7)

The third USS Porpoise was an early in the service of the United States Navy, later renamed as A-6.She was laid down on 13 December 1900 in Elizabeth, New Jersey at the Crescent Shipyard under the direction of shipyard superintendent, Arthur Leopold Busch...

 

• Designation: Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 7, SS-7
• Builders: (Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard, located 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. Production of these ships began before the Spanish-American war and...
  
   in Elizabethport, New Jersey
  Elizabethport, New Jersey
  A neighborhood in the City of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Formerly home of the Singer Manufacturing Company, makers of Singer Sewing Machines....
  
  
• Laid down: 13 December 1900
• Launched: 23 September 1901 (List)
• Operator:
• Commissioned: 19 September 1903 (List)
• Decommissioned: 12 December 1919 (List)
• Status: Target ship
• Operations: Whiting experiment, other trials, harbor patrols

USS Shark, A-7

USS Shark (SS-8)

The third USS Shark was an early Plunger-class submarine in the service of the United States Navy, later renamed as A-7.Shark was laid down on 11 January 1901 at Elizabethport, New Jersey in the Crescent Shipyard under the direction of Crescent's superintendent, Arthur Leopold Busch...

 

• Designation: Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 8, SS-8
• Builders: (Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard
  Crescent Shipyard, located 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. Production of these ships began before the Spanish-American war and...
  
   in Elizabethport, New Jersey
  Elizabethport, New Jersey
  A neighborhood in the City of Elizabeth, New Jersey. Formerly home of the Singer Manufacturing Company, makers of Singer Sewing Machines....
  
  
• Laid down: 11 January 1901
• Launched: 19 October 1901 (List)
• Operator:
• Commissioned: 19 September 1903 (List)
• Decommissioned: 12 December 1919 (List)
• Status: Target ship
• Operations: Torpedo and other trials, Manila Bay patrols

External links

• SS-2 A-1 Plunger page on globalsecurity.org