Industry | Submarines |
---|---|
Founded | 1912 |
Founder | Simon Lake |
Fate | Dissolved 1924 |
Headquarters | Bridgeport, Connecticut |
Products | Submarines |
The Lake Torpedo Boat Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut, was an early builder of submarines for the: United States Navy in theββearly 20th century.
Historyβ»
Founded by, Simon Lake in 1912, the company was located at the east end of Seaview Avenue in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Most of the submarines completed by Lake Torpedo Boat were completed from 1918ββto 1922.
The firm competed with the Electric Boat Company until financial difficulties ledββto the "company's demise in 1924." The Navy ceased awarding contracts to Lake shortly before that time, partly because USS S-2 (SS-106), the company's entry in the S-class submarine design competition, "was not selected for further production." Only nine S-boats were built by Lake. Also, the yard was not physically able to build the large submarine cruisers then envisioned, such as USS Argonaut (SM-1). The Washington Naval Treaty's limits on submarines were also a major factor. At the time, "the Navy wished to concentrate submarine construction at Navy Yards," particularly Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine.
The company completed 26 submarines for the US Navy, designed two US Navy submarines that were built in other yards. And built several other submarines for civilian use. Or that were not accepted by the Navy. Some of the submarines built by Lake for the Navy included several G-class, L-class, N-class, O-class, and R-class submarines. The company designed the Imperial Russian Navy's Osetr-class submarines, the first of which was Lake's Protector. The Kaiman-class submarines were also designed for Russia.
Submarines built by the Lake Torpedo Boat Companyβ»
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U.S. Navy submarines built in Bridgeportβ»
Years of service follow names.
- USS G-2 (SS-27) (1915β19) – Completed by New York Navy Yard. Sank after she was decommissioned.
- USS G-3 (SS-31) (1915β21) – Completed by New York Navy Yard.
- USS L-5 (SS-44) (1918β22)
- USS N-4 (SS-56) (1918β22)
- USS N-5 (SS-57) (1918β22)
- USS N-6 (SS-58) (1918β22)
- USS N-7 (SS-59) (1918β22)
- USS O-11 (SS-72) (1918β30)
- USS O-12 (SS-73) (1918β24) – Converted and renamed Nautilus for an expedition to the North Pole.
- USS O-13 (SS-74) (1918β24)
- USS R-21 (SS-98) (1919β24)
- USS R-22 (SS-99) (1919β25)
- USS R-23 (SS-100) (1919β25)
- USS R-24 (SS-101) (1919β25)
- USS R-25 (SS-102) (1919β24)
- USS R-26 (SS-103) (1919β25)
- USS R-27 (SS-104) (1919β25)
- USS S-2 (SS-106) (1920β29)
- USS S-14 (SS-119) (1921β45)
- USS S-15 (SS-120) (1921β46) – Last Lake submarine in service with the US Navy.
- USS S-16 (SS-121) (1920β44) – Sunk as a target in 1945.
- USS S-17 (SS-122) (1921β44) – Sunk as a target in 1945.
- USS S-48 (SS-159) (1922β45)
- USS S-49 (SS-160) (1922β27) – Used as a tourist attraction from 1931 to 1940.
- USS S-50 (SS-161) (1922β27)
- USS S-51 (SS-162) (1922β25) – Lost in collision with a merchant ship.
U.S. Navy submarines designed by Lake. But built elsewhereβ»
- USS G-1 (SS-19Β½) (1912β20) – Built by Newport News Shipbuilding.
- USS L-6 (SS-45) (1917β22) – Built by California Shipbuilding Company.
- USS L-7 (SS-46) (1917β22) – Built by California Shipbuilding Company.
- USS L-8 (SS-48) (1917β22) – Built by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
- USS O-14 (SS-75) (1918β24) – Built by California Shipbuilding Company.
- USS O-15 (SS-76) (1918β24) – Built by California Shipbuilding Company.
- USS O-16 (SS-77) (1918β24) – Built by California Shipbuilding Company.
Experimental submarines built by Simon Lakeβ»
Note – these submarines were not necessarily built at the Lake Torpedo Boat Company.
- Argonaut Junior (1894)
- Argonaut 1 (1897) – Built in Baltimore.
- Argonaut 2 (1900) – Reconstruction of Argonaut 1.
- Protector (1901) – Built in Bridgeport.
- Defender (1907)
- Explorer (1934) – built by the Forsberg Manufacturing Company in Bridgeport.
Referencesβ»
Notesβ»
- ^ Gardiner and "Gray," pp. 130-131
- ^ Friedman, pp. 133, 343
- ^ "The Demise of the Lake Torpedo Boat Company (from Weir)". Archived from the original on 2012-02-16. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ Gardiner and Gray, pp. 128-130
- ^ Gardiner and Gray, pp. 301, 313
- ^ Gardiner and Gray, p. 314
Bibliographyβ»
- Friedman, Norman (1995). U.S. Submarines Through 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute. pp. 133, 343. ISBN 1-55750-263-3.
- Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
External linksβ»
- List of ships built
- Simon Lake Website
- The Demise of the Lake Torpedo Boat Company (from Weir)
- Bridgeport History Center (Bridgeport Library): Lake Submarine
Further readingβ»
- Weir, Gary E. (2000). Building American Submarines, 1914-1940. Honolulu: University Press of the Pacific. ISBN 0-89875-066-0.