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| E-class submarine (United States) | |
|---|---|
| Ship name | USS E-1 (formerly USS Skipjack) |
| Ship class | E-class submarine |
| Ship builder | Union Iron Works |
| Ship laid down | 1906 |
| Ship launched | 1907 |
| Ship commissioned | 1909 |
| Ship fate | Decommissioned 1921; sold 1921 |
E-class submarine (United States) The United States E-class submarine was an early 20th-century United States Navy design built for coastal and fleet operations during the pre-World War I and World War I era. Built by Union Iron Works and operated by crews influenced by doctrines from Alfred Thayer Mahan, the class contributed to evolving submarine tactics and influenced later designs such as the Holland (submarine) derivatives and G-class concepts. The class served in home waters, training squadrons, and patrols associated with the Atlantic Fleet and interacted with contemporaries like the USS D-1 (USS D) and USS F-1 (SS-20).
The E-class originated from experimental work by the Electric Boat Company and yards such as Fore River Shipyard under guidance from naval officers including Rear Admiral Robley D. Evans. Designers adapted lessons from the Spanish–American War and from European developments exemplified by HMS Holland 1 and Narval experiments. The class emphasized improvements in hull strength, battery layout (influenced by designs used by USS Plunger (SS-2)), torpedo tube arrangement derived from trials with Torpedo Station Newport, and greater surface speed to operate with squadrons of the Atlantic Fleet. Construction incorporated riveted pressure hull techniques used at Union Iron Works and propulsion arrangements reflecting work by Electric Boat Company engineers.
E-class boats measured roughly 142 feet in length with a beam approximating 15 feet and a surfaced displacement near 300 tons, numbers consistent with contemporary B-class and C-class comparisons. Propulsion combined gasoline engines for surface running supplied by manufacturers akin to Winton Engine Company and electric motors charged by lead–acid battery banks similar to installations at Naval Torpedo Station Newport. Armament typically comprised multiple 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes comparable to those used on USS H-1 (SS-28), with reserve torpedoes stored aboard. Complement and habitability reflected standards set by Naval Academy-trained officers and enlisted sailors, with endurance and diving depth influenced by contemporary hydrostatic test protocols administered by Bureau of Construction and Repair.
Commissioned into the United States Navy fleet, E-class units served with the Atlantic coastal forces, participating in training exercises with the Atlantic Fleet and operations near bases such as Naval Station Norfolk, Newport, Rhode Island, and Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Crews included officers educated at the United States Naval Academy and petty officers from Bureau of Navigation ratings. During peacetime years, E-class boats supported development of submarine doctrine alongside vessels like USS G-4 (SS-26) and worked with shore establishments such as Torpedo Station Keyport on torpedo handling and maintenance practices.
With the outbreak of World War I in Europe and the later U.S. entry, E-class submarines conducted coastal patrols, training sorties, and antisubmarine screening in coordination with units from the United States Coast Guard and destroyer divisions like those attached to Destroyer Squadron 5. Patrol sectors included approaches to the Chesapeake Bay, convoy escort zones near New York Harbor, and patrol lines informed by intelligence from Office of Naval Intelligence. Operations tested submerged endurance, periscope tactics developed by officers influenced by reports from Royal Navy submarine actions, and coordinated attack drills modeled in part on doctrines advanced by Admiral William S. Sims.
Throughout service, E-class boats received incremental upgrades reflecting technological advances: battery capacity improvements paralleling work at Naval Research Laboratory, installation of more reliable spark-ignition systems or converted engines drawing on experience with Winton Motor Carriage Company powerplants, and fitting of updated hydrophones influenced by ASDIC precursors and research at Bureau of Steam Engineering. Hull fittings and ballast controls were refined following incidents investigated by boards convened under the authority of Secretary of the Navy policy, and crew habitability saw minor changes informed by studies at Naval Hospital facilities and shore training centers.
After wartime exigencies waned and newer classes such as the K-class submarine (United States) and L-class submarine (United States) entered service, E-class boats were phased out. Decommissioning processes executed by Charleston Navy Yard or Philadelphia Navy Yard led to striking from the Naval Vessel Register under postwar policies linked to the Washington Naval Treaty naval limitation ethos, followed by sale or scrapping under contracts overseen by the Bureau of Yards and Docks. Some hulls were sold to private firms or dismantled at shipbreaking yards like those in Baltimore.
Although limited in number and capability compared with later submarine types, the E-class contributed to doctrine, training, and engineering practices that informed Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet development. Evaluations by naval historians and analysts connected to institutions such as the Naval War College cite the class as a stepping stone between experimental Holland-type boats and more capable fleet submarines exemplified by later classes like the Gato-class submarine lineage. The E-class remains a subject for maritime researchers at archives including the National Archives and Records Administration and museums like the National Museum of the United States Navy.