United States L-class submarine

For other ships with the same name, see British L-class submarine.

USS L-1 (SS-40) lead ship of her class during running trials.
Class overview
Name	L class
Builders	Electric Boat (Gp 1 design), Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, Massachusetts (L-1 to L-4, L-9 to L-11) Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Bridgeport, Connecticut (Gp 2 design) (L-5) California Shipbuilding Co., Long Beach, California (L-6 & L-7) Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine (L-8)
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	K class
Succeeded by	USS M-1
Built	1914–1917
In commission	1916–1923
Completed	11
Retired	11
Preserved	0
General characteristics
Type	Submarine
Displacement	Group 1: 450 long tons (457 t) surfaced 548 long tons (557 t) submerged Group 2: 456 long tons (463 t) surfaced 524 long tons (532 t) submerged
Length	Group 1: 167 ft 5 in (51.03 m) Group 2: 165 ft (50 m)
Beam	Group 1: 17 ft 5 in (5.31 m) Group 2: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
Draft	Group 1: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m) Group 2: 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m)
Installed power	Group 1: 1,300 hp (970 kW) (diesel engines), 800 hp (600 kW) (electric motors) Group 2: 1,200 hp (890 kW) (diesel engines), 800 hp (600 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric Group 1: 2 × NELSECO Diesel engines, 2 × Electro Dynamic electric motors, 2 × 60-cell batteries, 2 × shafts Group 2: 2 × Busch-Sulzer Diesel engines, 2 × Diehl electric motors, 2 × 60-cell batteries, 2 × shafts
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) surfaced 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) submerged
Range	4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 7 kn (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) (surfaced) 150 nmi (280 km) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) (submerged)
Test depth	200 ft (61 m)
Complement	28 officers and men
Armament	4 × 18 inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes, 8 torpedoes 1 × 3"/23 caliber retractable deck gun

The United States L-class submarines were a class of 11 submarines built 1914–1917, and were the United States Navy's first attempt at designing and building ocean-going submarines. At the time there was a significant gap in long-range submarine design compared with other major navies. The Group 2 L-boats designed by Lake Torpedo Boat Company (L-5 through L-8) were built to slightly different specifications from the other Group 1 L-boats (which were designed by Electric Boat) and are sometimes considered a separate L-5 class.

Service

After service in the Atlantic Flotilla by the Group 1 boats, most required extensive refits at Philadelphia after the USA's entry into the First World War, which reflected the US Navy's then-limited experience in submarine ocean operations. In December 1917, the seven boats were sent to Bantry Bay as Submarine Division 5 for convoy escort and anti-U-boat patrols. The four new Group 2 L-boats later deployed to the Azores in November 1918 as Division 6 to reinforce four K-class submarines sent there in October 1917. While forward deployed, US L-class submarines displayed "AL" pennant numbers to avoid confusion with British L-class submarines.

US submarines did not sink any U-boats in World War I. The class was generally under-powered, but they enjoyed good endurance for patrols in the North Atlantic and in British waters. After the war, the L class were involved in trials of new torpedoes and hydrophone equipment on both the east and west coasts before decommissioning in 1922 and 1923. At least L-3, L-9, and L-11 were re-engined with Busch-Sulzer diesels removed from Lake-built N-boats in 1921. Three Group 1 boats were scrapped in 1922, the four Group 2 Lake boats were scrapped in 1925, and the remainder were scrapped in 1933 under the London Naval Treaty limiting naval armament.

Design

As in previous US designs, the sail was kept small for reduced drag when submerged. For extended surface runs, the sail was augmented with a temporary piping-and-canvas structure (see photo). Apparently the "crash dive" concept had not yet been thought of, as this would take considerable time to deploy and dismantle. This remained standard through the N class, commissioned 1917–1918. Experience in World War I showed that this was inadequate in the North Atlantic weather, and earlier submarines serving overseas in that war (E class through L class) had their bridge structures augmented with a "chariot" shield on the front of the bridge. Starting with the N class, built with lessons learned from overseas experience, US submarines had bridges more suited to surfaced operations in rough weather. Also, in the L class the rotating cap over the torpedo tubes was replaced by shutters that remained standard through the 1950s.

This was the first US submarine class equipped with a deck gun, in this case a 3-inch/23 caliber (76 mm) partially retractable design. L-9 was the first boat built with the gun; L-1 through L-8 had theirs added some time after completion. The gun was retracted vertically, with a round shield that fit in a well in the superstructure that projected into the pressure hull. Most of the barrel protruded from the deck, resembling a stanchion.

Boats in class

The 11 submarines of the L class were:

Group 1 (Electric Boat design)

Ship name and Hull no.	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate
USS L-1 (SS-40)	Fore River Shipbuilding	13 April 1914	20 January 1915	11 April 1916	7 April 1922	Scrapped 1922
USS L-2 (SS-41)	Fore River Shipbuilding	19 March 1914	11 February 1915	29 September 1916	4 May 1923	Scrapped 1933
USS L-3 (SS-42)	Fore River Shipbuilding	18 April 1914	15 March 1915	22 April 1916	11 June 1923	Scrapped 1933
USS L-4 (SS-43)	Fore River Shipbuilding	23 March 1914	3 April 1915	4 May 1916	14 April 1922	Scrapped 1922
USS L-9 (SS-49)	Fore River Shipbuilding	2 November 1914	27 October 1915	4 August 1916	4 May 1923	Scrapped 1933
USS L-10 (SS-50)	Fore River Shipbuilding	17 February 1915	16 March 1916	2 August 1916	5 May 1922	Scrapped 1922
USS L-11 (SS-51)	Fore River Shipbuilding	17 February 1915	16 May 1916	15 August 1916	28 November 1923	Scrapped 1933

Group 2 (Lake Torpedo Boat Company design)

Ship name and Hull no.	Builder	Laid Down	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Fate
USS L-5 (SS-44)	Lake Torpedo Boat Co	14 May 1914	1 May 1916	17 February 1918	5 December 1922	Scrapped 1925
USS L-6 (SS-45)	California Shpbldg, Long Beach, CA	27 May 1914	31 August 1916	7 December 1917	25 November 1922	Scrapped 1925
USS L-7 (SS-46)	California Shpbldg, Long Beach, CA	2 June 1914	28 September 1916	7 December 1917	15 November 1922	Scrapped 1925
USS L-8 (SS-48)	Portsmouth Navy Yard	24 February 1915	23 April 1917	30 August 1917	15 November 1922	Scrapped 1925

See also

• List of submarine classes of the United States Navy

References

Sources

• Hutchinson, Robert, Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day
• Gardiner, Robert, Conway's all the world's fighting ships 1906–1921 Conway Maritime Press, 1985. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• Friedman, Norman "US Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis:1995, ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
• Silverstone, Paul H., U.S. Warships of World War I (Ian Allan, 1970), ISBN 0-71100-095-6.
• Navsource.org early diesel submarines page
• Pigboats.com L-boats page
• ShipbuildingHistory.com Craig Shipbuilding page
• DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com 3"/23 caliber gun
•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.