United States N-class submarine

USS N-7 (SS-59)
Class overview
Builders:	Seattle Construction and Drydock Co., Seattle, Washington (N-1 to N-3) Lake Torpedo Boat Co., Bridgeport, Connecticut (N-4 to N-7)
Operators:	United States Navy
Preceded by:	AA-1 class submarine
Succeeded by:	O class submarine
Built:	1915–1917
In commission:	1917–1926
Completed:	7
Retired:	7
General characteristics
Type:	Submarine
Displacement:	N-1 to N-3: 348 long tons (354 t) surfaced 414 long tons (421 t) submerged N-4 to N-7: 340 long tons (345 t) surfaced 415 long tons (422 t) submerged
Length:	N-1 to N-3: 147 ft 3 in (44.88 m) N-4 to N-7: 155 ft (47 m)
Beam:	N-1 to N-3: 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m) N-4 to N-7: 14 ft 6 in (4.42 m)
Draft:	N-1 to N-3: 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) N-4 to N-7: 12 ft 4 in (3.76 m)
Propulsion:	Diesel-electric N-1 to N-3: 2 × NELSECO Diesel engines, 600 hp (450 kW) total, 2 x Electro Dynamic electric motors, 300 hp (220 kW) total, 2 x 60-cell batteries, 2 x shafts N-4 to N-7: 2 × Busch-Sulzer Diesel engines, 600 hp (450 kW) total, 2 x Diehl electric motors,300 hp (220 kW) total, 2 x 60-cell batteries, 2 x shafts
Speed:	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) submerged
Test depth:	200 ft (61 m)
Complement:	N-1 to N-3: 25 officers and men N-4 to N-7: 29 officers and men
Armament:	4 × 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tubes, 8 torpedoes

The United States N class submarines were a class of seven coastal defense submarines of the United States Navy.

The boats were constructed by two companies to slightly different specifications; N-1, N-2, and N-3 were designed by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut and built by the Seattle Construction and Drydock Company of Seattle, Washington, and N-4, N-5, N-6, and N-7 were designed and built by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut. The N-boats built by Lake are sometimes considered a separate class.

This class was the first US Navy submarine class completed with metal bridge shields. These had been omitted from previous classes to increase underwater speed. These classes used piping-and-canvas temporary bridges for extended surface runs; these were found to be inadequate on North Atlantic patrols in World War I. All forward-deployed submarines were back-fitted with metal "chariot" bridge shields during the war. The coastal patrol nature of the small N-class submarines was emphasized by their lack of a deck gun.

Commissioned after the American entry into World War I, they were assigned to the 1st Naval District, primarily operating from Naval Submarine Base New London with some boats operating out of New York City at times, all patrolling the New England coast.

By 1922 the Seattle boats were assigned to the Submarine School, New London, while the Lake boats (sometimes called the N-4 class) were all scrapped in that year, their engines having been removed in 1921 to re-equip some of the L-class. The Seattle boats were decommissioned in 1926 and scrapped in 1931 to comply with the limits of the London Naval Treaty.

Ships in class

The seven submarines of the N-class were:

References

• 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 N-boats page
• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to N class submarines of the United States.

• List of United States submarine classes