 USSK-1 underway in 1916 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | K class |
| Builders |
|
| Operators |  United States Navy |
| Preceded by | H class |
| Succeeded by | L class |
| Built | 1912–1914 |
| In commission | 1914–1923 |
| Completed | 8 |
| Retired | 8 |
| General characteristics[1] | |
| Type | Submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 153 ft 7 in (46.81 m) |
| Beam | 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 200 ft (61 m) |
| Capacity | 18,126 US gal (68,610 L; 15,093 imp gal) fuel |
| Complement |
|
| Armament | 4 ×18 inch (450 mm)bowtorpedo tubes (8torpedoes) |
TheK-class submarines were a class of eightsubmarines of theUnited States Navy, serving between 1914 and 1923, includingWorld War I. They were designed byElectric Boat and were built by other yards undersubcontracts.K-1,K-2,K-5, andK-6 were built byFore River Shipyard, inQuincy, Massachusetts,K-3,K-7, andK-8 byUnion Iron Works, inSan Francisco, California, andK-4 byThe Moran Company, inSeattle, Washington. All were decommissioned in 1923, and scrapped in 1931, to comply with the limits of theLondon Naval Treaty.
The K-class of coastal defense submarines, although similar to the precedingH-class, were slightly larger. This followed a design trend byElectric Boat (EB) of simply scaling up a previous design to meet new performance requirements. In this design EB eliminated thewatertight bulkheads that made the control room a separate space. The forward battery, control room, and after battery were one large space.[2] The smallconning tower was surrounded by a streamlinedfairwater, there was no enclosedbridge for surface operations. Later, a pipe-frame and canvas bridge structure would be erected atop of the fairwater to serve as a makeshift bridge. Since USN tactical doctrine of the time did not emphasizecrash dives, the considerable time it took to deploy or dismantle was not seen as a liability.[3] Experience inWorld War I showed that this removable bridge was inadequate in theNorth Atlantic weather, and other submarines serving overseas in that war,E, K, andL-classes, had their bridge structures augmented with a "chariot" shield on the front of the bridge.
The K-class retained the rotatingtorpedo tube muzzle cap which was standard on previous classes. The cap was rotated so that two holes would line up with alternate torpedo tubes so that the weapons could be fired.[4]
K-1,K-2,K-5, andK-6, began their careers on theUS East Coast and were forward deployed to theAzores, in World War I, asconvoy escorts, where their experience proved valuable in adapting future submarines for surfaced operations in rough weather. The remaining four were stationed on theWest Coast, early in their careers, but were reassigned toKey West, Florida, for training and coastal security patrols in early 1918. All remained on the East Coast following the war for the rest of their careers.
Although considered to be successful submarines, the K-class coastal defense design was quickly overtaken by rapid advances in technology following World War I, and were of little use to the USN of the 1920s, with its new emphasis on global fleet operations. They were all discarded after only about nine years of service.[2]
The following ships of the class were constructed:[1][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
| Ship name | Hull class and no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comm. | Decomm. | Renamed | Rename date | Reclass. hull no. | Reclass. hull no. date | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haddock | Submarine No. 32 | Fore River Shipbuilding Company,Quincy, Massachusetts | 20 February 1912 | 3 September 1913 | 17 March 1914 | 7 March 1923 | K-1 | 17 November 1911 | SS-32 | 17 July 1920 | Sold for scrapping, 25 June 1931 |
| Cachalot | Submarine No. 33 | 4 October 1913 | 31 January 1914 | 9 March 1923 | K-2 | SS-33 | Sold for scrapping, 3 June 1931 | ||||
| Orca | Submarine No. 34 | Union Iron Works,San Francisco, California | 15 January 1912 | 14 March 1914 | 30 October 1914 | 20 February 1923 | K-3 | SS-34 | |||
| Walrus | Submarine No. 35 | The Moran Company,Seattle, Washington | 27 January 1912 | 19 March 1914 | 24 October 1914 | 10 May 1923 | K-4 | SS-35 | |||
| K-5 | Submarine No. 36 | Fore River Shipbuilding Company,Quincy, Massachusetts | 10 June 1912 | 17 March 1914 | 22 August 1914 | 20 February 1923 | SS-36 | ||||
| K-6 | Submarine No. 37 | 19 June 1912 | 26 March 1914 | 9 September 1914 | 21 May 1923 | SS-37 | |||||
| K-7 | Submarine No. 38 | Union Iron Works,San Francisco, California | 10 May 1912 | 20 June 1914 | 1 December 1914 | 12 February 1923 | SS-38 | ||||
| K-8 | Submarine No. 39 | 11 July 1914 | 24 February 1923 | SS-39 | Sold for scrapping, 25 June 1931 |
