The A-Boats, A legend is born:
The Navy accepted and commissioned the
USS Holland in October of 1900. It was the first of an unbroken line
of commissioned submarines in the United States Navy. John Holland
had already built a follow-on design, the Fulton and showed it to
Naval Officials. The Navy wanted more boats and put in an order for
seven to be built along the lines of the Fulton. The first was laid
down in New Jersey the following month. By the spring of 1901, all
seven were well in hand in two shipyards. On the west coast were the
A-3 and the A-6 at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco. In
Elizabethport, New Jersey the A-1, A-2, A-4, A-6 and A-7 sat side by
side in the Crescent Shipyard.
The construction technique was
different by a long shot from anything we see today. Welding was
non-existent. Everything had to be either cast into the desired
shape or fabricated from rolled steel which was then either bolted or
riveted together. Welding some angle or channel iron to build
foundations and brackets could be done. Frames of rolled T-stock or
Z-stock were erected about 18 inches apart. These frames had
pre-drilled 3/4" holes around their periphery. Rolled and
hammered 1/2" oil tempered plates some 70 feet long and about 8
feet wide with tapered ends were laid against the frames and holes
marked. The plates were then drilled with more 3/4' holes to match
the holes in the frames. The plates then were re-laid along the
frames again and the rivets inserted. The rivets were inserted
red-hot from the inside then backed up by a hefty man with a backing
piece. On the outside, the hammer man either with and air hammer or
a hand hammer peaned the protruding end of the rivet into the
countersunk hole in the plate. The plate above was overlapped by
nearly a foot and a double row of rivets spaced about two inches
apart hammered properly to make a pressure-tight seal. Burrs and
rivet heads that protruded too much were filed off, by hand. The
work was brutal. These things were started and finished in the
winter-----in New Jersey----outside!!!.
Tank plates assembled at the same time
as the hull and its frames were fabricated the same way. Ballast
tanks were in the center of the boat and in a saddle shape, the
bottom of which was the pressure hull. They carried well past the
horizontal centerline on the sides and formed enclosing wings. The
tank top was flat and formed a floor for the battery cells. Forward,
under the torpedo tube was the gasoline tank. The forward trim tank
wrapped around the tube. The after trim tank was under and a part
of the foundation for the thrust bearing on the main shaft.
Atop the center of the pressure hull,
a large cylindrical casting was inserted. Merely thirty-six inches
in diameter, the cylinder was closed at the top by a hatch,
twenty-four inches in diameter. This was the conning tower and one
of the only two hatches in the boat. The other was over the engine.
The engine was gasoline fueled, four
cycle and had four cylinders. But that is where the resemblance to
the modern automobile engine ends. The cylinders were about 7 inches
in diameter and had a stroke of nearly a foot. The engine could be
turned over by hand, by the electric motor or air started. It was
started on one cylinder only then as it was turning over the others
were cut in by adjusting the fuel and spark. The thing had to be
tweaked constantly. It only ran in one direction so backing down was
out of the question. There was only a limited speed adjustment.
Half speed of about 4 knots and full speed of about 8.5 knots were
the choices. It would develop 180 horsepower when running properly.
Flanged fittings bolted up with no lockwashers or lockwire, pipe
thread with only lead paste to form a gasket, no swage fittings or
compression joints, the piping system was a nightmare.
Being gasoline fueled, there was the
problem of leaks and fumes. The fumes could build up and cause two
problems. First was the obvious fire problem. The fire would be
sudden and disastrous. The second problem was the effect of the
fumes on the brain. They tended to accumulate low in the ship and
caused displacement of the oxygen and slow asphyxia. The symptoms
were an euphoria which overcame the crew and impaired their judgment.
The next step was fire or death by suffocation. Lubricating oil was
splashed into the bearings in the semi-open crankcase and the oil
cups were gravity feed and had to be reused by filling the oil cups
from a can. The term oiler had real meaning. Working around this
engine with all its open moving cams, crankshafts and rods made it a
dangerous time to be a machinist.
On 24 July 1917 the USS Shark suffered
a fire and explosion while patrolling in the bay. The fire was
caused by gasoline leaks with the fumes igniting around the engine.
The crew tried to fight the fire but to no avail. Lt(jg) Arnold
Marcus the captain of the Shark ordered all hands to lay topside.
The crewmen all suffered burns and the effects of inhaling hot smoke
and fumes. All six men died within hours. Captain Marcus died the
following day. Shark was never returned to service.
Aft of the engine on the main shaft
was a hand operated band clutch. Next in line was the 70 horsepower
open winding DC motor. Powered from the battery, it drove the shaft
at some 400 rpm. It was reversible and had some speed control so it
was used for maneuvering near the dock. The shaft also drove,
through a set of friction clutches, the air compressor and ballast
pump. Full speed submerged was seven knots and could be sustained
for about four hours.
Nestled inside the wings of the main
ballast tanks was the battery. Here was a monster. Admiral Lockwood
called it the "Fiery Devil and the Green Death". It was a
lead acid battery, lead plates and sulfuric acid as electrolyte. It
was the same general type used today. However, there were some
significant differences. Today's battery is closed in a hard rubber
and plastic cell jar that holds the electrolyte and plates. The
electrolyte is stirred by an air lift pump similar to an aquarium's
pump. The plates today are specially designed to minimize gassing,
and we have good ventilation with accurate hydrogen detectors. None
of these were present on the A-boat. The battery cells were steel
boxes lined with a layer of rubber and a layer of lead and wedged in
place with waxed maple wedges. The boxes were open topped and the
plates were hung by extenders on the top of each plate to from the
top of the cell jar. The positive plates were connected together
with a soldered bus bar of lead coated copper. The negative plates
were hung and connected in a similar manner. The cells were then
connected in series with intercell connector bars as our batteries
are today. The cells were wedged in place in the steel box that was
bounded by the ballast tanks and the fore and aft half bulkheads.
The box was lined was lined with lead. The top of the battery well
was covered by shellacked oak planks about 3 inches thick and 16
inches wide. They stretched from side to side across the well and
rested on a lip on each side of the well. The planks, when in place
were covered by a rubber sheet then a shellacked canvas walking
cover. If any maintenance or monitoring of the battery gravity or
temperature had to be done, the planks were taken up then replaced
when the readings were done. The cells could be cut out of the
circuit and repaired by replacing acid and plates. The space above
the cells was ventilated by air leaking down around the planks and
drawn off to be exhausted over the side by the battery blowers.
There were sixty cells in ten rows of six cells each and they could
develop an 1840 amp hour discharge rate for 4 hours. Being a lead
acid battery which used a chemical reaction to provide electrical
power, the battery had a few other chemical reactions which had to be
taken into consideration. First, when being charged, (and to a
lesser extent while being discharged at a high rate) the battery
generated hydrogen gas. This gas was highly flammable at a four
percent concentration in air and explosive at a seven percent
concentration. If the battery were improperly charged or improperly
ventilated and the concentration could build in a hurry. The results
were lethal. This was the Fiery Death.
Another gas generated by the battery
was hydrogen sulfide. The rotten egg smell of this gas permeated
everything. Then there was chlorine. The battery was in the center
of the boat, covered by a deck of loose planks, rubber sheet and
canvas. Directly above the deck was the conning tower and the main
hatch into the boat. The top of the hatch was three feet above the
waterline with the original design and five feet with the later
conning tower. Any seawater coming down the hatch fell directly on
the battery deck. If any leaked into any of the cells, the sulfuric
acid combined with the sodium chloride in the seawater and liberated
a pea green, heavier than air, oxygen displacing, toxic gas, the
Green Devil, chlorine. If cells became salted, they were charged and
discharged while ventilating the boat to get rid of the chlorine then
the acid was spiked as necessary.
The battery was connected to a master
switchboard. Not at all what we are used to even in our worst
nightmares. A single three foot wide by four foot high slab of two
inch thick marble, supported by steel angle and channel was mounted
vertically on the starboard (port on some) side of the boat. On this
slab were mounted two double pole, single throw knife switches that
were the battery breakers. one for each half of the battery. Above
them was a double pole, double throw knife switch which could hook
the battery halves in series or parallel. There were separate single
throw single and double throw knife switches for the battery blowers,
auxiliaries and lights. A large double throw knife switch was the
ahead and reverse lever for the main motor. Seven single pole knife
switches in a row were the starting resistance cutout switches.
These starting resistors of german silver were mounted either in a
separate box or on the back of the marble slab. A motor field switch
and motor field rheostat rounded out the list of items on the
switchboard. There were no other switchboards or distribution boxes.
That was it. It was all open switches, open wiring. Battery
voltage varied from 70 to 160 volts DC. It was a dangerous time to
be an electrician.
Up front was a single 18"
diameter torpedo tube. The boat could carry one torpedo in the tube
and two in the boat on each side of the middle space (where the
battery well was). The torpedo man who took care of the torpedoes
was a real craftsman. The fish was powered by high pressure air
which powered a four cylinder air motor. It was a straight runner,
with only a rudimentary (and not very reliable) depth control. Each
fish had to have its gyro set up in the shop and tweaked prior to
loading. Taking on the torpedo was interesting as it was loaded into
the tube then brought into the boat. After each firing, the torpedo
had to be recovered even if it meant dragging the bottom then diving
to hook on a line. It was then reloaded, dismantled and prepared for
another launch. On 15 April 1909 Ensign Whiting of the USS Porpoise
made a lockout through the torpedo tube and lived. Consider for a
moment crawling through an 18 inch diameter tube about 15 feet long.
Now think about doing it while it was flooding.
The crew of an “A” boat consisted
of one officer, normally an Ensign and six enlisted men. There would
be two chiefs, one electrician chief and one machinist chief. A
couple machinists, another electrician and a torpedoman would round
out the crew. The watches were non-rotating. two tended the engine,
one the motor and switchboard, one on the helm, one on the deck with
the CO and one cooking, cleaning and generally hanging loose. The
steering gear was hand only, as were the stern planes. There were no
bow planes. (Note: A-1 had hand hydraulic steering and diving. The
operator turned a gear pump which pumped oil to rams attached by
linkage to the planes and rudder.)
To submerge the boat was quite an
evolution. Lets assume that the boat had just transited to its
operating area and the CO decided to dive. First he rang up ALL
STOP. The engine was shutdown and the clutch between the engine and
motor was disengaged. A couple of men unshipped the two ventilation
pipes and struck them below. The masts, if up were taken down
(although that was not required). The crew went below, shutting and
clamping the conning tower hatch. Still stopped, safety tank was
flooded, then the ballast tanks. These tanks had vent valves which
vented the air into the interior of the boat. The vents were opened
then large kinsgston valves (lever operated valves which shut with
sea pressure) were opened and admitted water to the tanks. If the
ship was properly ballasted, it should sink until the conning tower
upper end was just at the surface.
The CO ordered ahead half speed ahead.
The electrician at the switchboard, made sure all the switches for
the main motor starting resistance were open, checked the field
rheostat at minimum, smartly shut the motor field switch then the
motor reverser switch in the ahead position. Then reaching up, he
shut each of the starting resistance switches in turn. After the
motor comes up to the minimum running speed, the electrician adjusts
the motor field rheostat to adjust the speed to the ordered shaft
turns. The planesman cranked some up angle on the stern planes to
give down angle to the boat. He had to turn the handwheel that was
connected to linkage from the middle of the boat to the aft end of
the main motor. The gears were attached to a quadrant gear which
drove the linkage to the planes and rudder. No power assist. With a
little down angle the boat started down. Normally, the boats ran at
either 16' depth (measured at about the mid level of the boat) or at
60 feet.
It was not an easy life, but the
hardship bonded the crew. Each man had to know all that had to be
done and lent a hand when required on any job. Ensign Charles
Lockwood, when about to be checked out for final qualification to
command the A-2, was introduced to a new concept. The crew had been
briefed by the old CO and the Division Commander ahead of time and as
Lockwood took the boat down for his qualification dive, all hell
broke loose. The boat seemed heavy and there was the sound of
rushing water from aft. Someone yelled that they were leaking
through the engine exhaust and the bilges were filling. Just then
someone else yelled out that they smelled chlorine. The boat took a
lurch with an up angle and the lights went out. He ordered the boat
to the surface. After the boat leveled out on the surface, and the
lights came back on, Lockwood noticed all the crew men had grins on
their face and the flooding and chlorine problems seemed to have
vanished. The Division CO and the crew had pulled a drill. It was
realistic, well rehearsed and a complete surprise. Lockwood did well
but was really upset by what he felt was a trick played by the crew.
When it was explained that this was a way to demonstrate he could
handle the boat, and that he had done well, thus earning the respect
and trust of the crew, he felt much different. The tradition of
casualty drills has been an integral part of the submarine force
since the earliest boats.
The class was built from plans of the
Electric Boat Company. The plans were John Holland's seventh, the
sixth being the Holland. The first of the class is normally the one
with the lowest class number and the first to be laid down. Not so
in the A-Class. The A-1 was the USS Plunger. She was slightly
different than any of her sisters. The first boat laid down was the
A-2, USS Adder. Thus the class became known as the Adders. There
was a class prototype built, the Fulton. It was tested by EB then
when the Navy didn't buy it, EB sold it to Russia to compete with
Simon Lake who had already sent his submarine,'Protector' over and
was looking for contracts for more. He got a contract and built five
boats at Newport News Shipbuilding.
Adder and her sisters were built and
from their commissioning until 1908 taught the Navy much about the
submarine and its capabilities. Formed into an operational flotilla
in Newport, RI in April of 1904. Adder, Moccasin, Porpoise and Shark
operated out of Newport, Rhode Island and Suffolk, Long Island.
Grampus and Pike operated out of San Francisco and San Pedro,
California. Then in 1908 most were put out of commission. There
were two new submarine classes in the water and the Adders weren't
needed anymore. ---- Here that is. They were needed to help defend
Manila Bay. Admiral Dewey had said that if the Spanish had possessed
one submarine in the bay in 1898, he would not have attacked.
The boats were stripped down and
loaded aboard colliers to make the trip. Porpoise and Shark were
first. They went aboard the USS Caesar (AC-16). Loading in Newport,
Caesar made the trip across the Atlantic, through the Med, through
the Suez Canal and across the Indian Ocean to Manila from April to
August of 1908. Once the ship made port in Cavite, she off loaded
the boats by pushing them overside on skids. Thus the Porpise and
Shark were the first US submarines through the Suez Canal and the
first to be launched twice. (Holland was launched twice, but only
once as a Naval ship).
The following year, Caesar made
another trip carrying the Adder and the Moccasin. In late 1912, the
USS Ajax (AC-15) carried two of the B Class (B-2 and B-3) to Manila.
In 1915, the USS Hector (AC-7) took the two west coast boats Grampus
and Pike and the B-1 to Manila. Thus by the end of 1915, the Manila
Bay flotilla consisted of six A-class boats and three B-class boats.
The first advanced base. The first WestPacs and the Opening Of
Olongapo.
These boats escorted ships into and
our of Manila during WWI and performed the tasks of a "Fleet in
being" that is one whose presence deters an opponent even if it
makes no patrols and sinks none of its foes. After the war, they
were worn out and used up. By 1918 the S-boats were being built.
The Adders were put out of commission for the last time. They stayed
anchored and alongside used for oil tanks and water tanks until 1922.
The Navy designated them as targets and they were towed to a
position probably north of Corregidore and sunk over a period of time
by gunfire of destroyers. As near as we can find out at present,
they are still there.
These were expended as targets in
firing exercises by the destroyers stationed in Manila and Olongapo
(Subic Bay). The records are a bit muddled but super research by Mr
Christopher Wright has uncovered the following. (Note that which sub
was sunk by which ship is in some cases confusing and may be in
error.) On 18 December 1921 ships of Destroyer Division 37, the USS
Southard, USS Hovey, USS Broome, and USS Alden sank ex-USS A-4,
ex-USS A-6 and ex-USS B-2. On 19 December 1921 the ex-USS B-1 and
ex-USS B-3 were sunk by elements of Destroyer Division 37. On 20
December 1921 the USS Talbot of Destroyer Division 12 opened fire on
the ex-USS A-5 in the firing range west of Corregidore just outside
the entrance to Manila Bay. She made three hits at a range of about
3000 yards and the old submarine sank in four minutes after the first
hit. The total firing exercise took 5 minutes and 22 seconds with 18
rounds being fired. Ex-USS A-2. ex-USS A-7 and ex-USS A-3 were sunk
by USS Talbot, USS Zane, USS Roper, USS Waters and USS Dorsey of
Destroyer Division 12 most likely later in the day in a second
exercise. As an interesting note, the ex-USS A-1 was sold while
embarked on the deck of the ex-USS Puritan (a monitor ) and moved
from the berth in the Norfolk Navy Yard on 28 May 1922 to be scrapped
by the firm of Joseph G. Hitner and W. F. Cutler.
The A-boats were the first in many
ways. In one, however, they showed the way the submarine force would
be. Ensign Lockwood was most disappointed to be assigned to the USS
Monterey for duty in submarines. He was told by some of the officers
already there that the submarine would get in your blood and soon
either you wouldn't be around or you wouldn't trade the boat for duty
on anything else. He discovered within six months that they were
right. The man who was Commander Submarine Force Pacific during the
last three years of World War II was never the same.
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