Frank Cable

Frank Taylor Cable (1863-1945) was an early pioneer in submarine development for the US Navy.

Frank Cable was the civilian trial captain during the developmental stages of the United States Navy's first submarine, Holland VI - before it was accepted for U.S. Navy service on 11 April 1900. The craft was then recognized as The USS Holland - and eventually with the SS-1 designation... America's first. USS Holland was commissioned on 12 October of 1900 with Lt. Harry H. Caldwell in command. [The circumstances under which Mr. Cable found himself offering his services to Holland's company was one that arose from a most "unusual" event that led to the "apparent" destruction of the famous Holland VI dockside, on October 13th, 1897].

As an associate and employee of Lawyer/Financier Isaac Leopold Rice, Cable would find himself assisting the inventor [John Philip Holland] with electrical issues that surfaced during a careless accident that serverely damaged the craft back on 13 October 1897. The submarine's internal components were flooded and compromised (due to internal damage by saltwater). These components were now in need of serious repair from short-circuits and exposure to corrosion. Mr. Cable specialized in the design and production of propulsion machinery, including diesel engines and electric motors from which he gained much experience - as he worked with Rice's Electo-Dynamic and Storage Companies [Exide] back in Philadelphia - the same companies that originally supplied Holland with this equipment - that was installed on Holland's "sixth" submarine.

As a professionally trained electrician and representitive working for Rice, Cable was dispatched from Philadelphia to the Crescent Shipyard the week after 13 October 1998, to see what, if anything, could be done to remedy the damaged boat. This is how Cable... and Rice was introduced into this new field of underwater naval craft, that, unfortunately, ended up crippling all of Holland's hard work and effort towards his long-lived dream... as he would soon find this out later. Yet Cable was able to successfully repair the damage to the electrical equipment installed on the this particular submarine, thus saving Holland's company time and money - which he quickly found himself running out of. [The cost of dismantleing the Holland VI - and refurbishing the components within - would have certainly brought Holland's venture to an abrupt ending if he did not gain additional investment to keep his operation afloat and "out of" the red]. Holland's financial situation was stressed at this point - no thanks to this apparent "accident" that damaged his submarine - while introducing "outsiders" into his up and coming company that would indeed prove successful. All of this occurring just prior to his company's initial heyday and success - and the worldwide acclaim that became USS Holland... SS-1.

Cable was retained as an electrician at Holland's company - while still working for Rice - and by 4 July 1898, the Holland VI was more or less in a "shakedown" mode and being tested by The Holland Torpedo Boat Company with successful results, run in multiple trials/at various locations. Investors were brought in... and by 1900, the craft proved its worthiness and was purchased by the United States Navy. Yet many of those introduced into Holland's company [after this accident] had virtually no experince with ships or the shipbuilding industry what so ever - and some were known to be highly skeptical to the validity of underwater craft and it usefulness to the U.S. Navy... or whether or not it would ever perform as originally designed. But Holland's sub proved successful - thereby convincing Congressmen and Naval Personal to vote (and lobby) for its purchase in the United States Government... which they did at this time.

As with John Philip Holland and Arthur Leopold Busch [initially...] Cable ended up as one of the founders of the Electric Boat Company - along with others who eagerly anticipated a growth in sales of more submarines to the U.S. Navy - and to other (industralized) countries who were very interested in this new form of underseas weapontry - including, Elihu B. Frost, Isaac Leopold Rice, and Lawrence York Spear.

General Dynamics - Electric Boat Division continues in existence today, constructing the United States' most modern nuclear powered submarines of the Seawolf and Virginia class. The origins of the company that has been called upon to develop the Virginia class begins with the first submarines that were built at the Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth, New Jersey, beginning in late 1896.

The USS Frank Cable (AS-40) is also named in his honour.

References

• Who Built Those Subs? Article published by the United States Naval Inistitute, in Naval History Magazine, Annapolis, Maryland. Copyrighted October, 1998

• The Birth and Development of the American Submarine. Written by Frank Taylor Cable. Published by Harper and Brothers in 1924.

• USS Frank Cable History

• Official Chief of Naval Operations web site at the Pentagon, under Submarine Warfare Division/Submarine Pioneers (http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/history/pioneers.html)

• Under Frank T. Cable (http://www.geocities.com/gwmccue/)