USS ''E-1'' (SS-24) was an E-class

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. Originally named ''Skipjack'', the boat was launched on 27 May 1911 by the

Fore River Shipyard Fore River Shipyard was a shipyard owned by General Dynamics Corporation located on Weymouth Fore River in Braintree, Massachusetts, Braintree and Quincy, Massachusetts. It began operations in 1883 in Braintree, and moved to its final location on ...

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county. Quincy is part of the Greater Boston area as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in ...

; sponsored by Mrs. D. R. Battles; renamed ''E-1'' on 17 November 1911; and commissioned on 14 February 1912,

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Chester W. Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (; 24 February 1885 – 20 February 1966) was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in Chief, ...

in command. She was the first American submarine to be powered by diesel engines.

Service history

Six days after commissioning, ''E-1'' sailed from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

for

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via Newport and

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. Off the

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, she underwent tests through April. Her engines were overhauled at New London, and she began operations off southern New England. On 28 September, she arrived at

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for alterations, repairs, and installation of a

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, for which she became a pioneer underwater test ship. She also experimented with submerged radio transmission. ''E-1'' conducted tests of these and other important developments under the direction of Commander, Submarine Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet, Lieutenant (and future

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)

. Throughout his career, Nimitz played a progressive and leading role in the incorporation into the Navy of the vast scientific and technological developments of this century, many of them pioneered by the Navy. Nimitz's appreciation of the capabilities of submarines contributed to them becoming a decisive factor under his command in the

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during

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. On 14 October ''E-1'' proudly passed in review with the fleet in the North River before

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George von L. Meyer. ''E-1'' continued important experimental development and training with the Atlantic Fleet for the next five years. In 1916 she became the first American submarine to cross the Atlantic. This was in response to the crossing of the Atlantic by the German submarines and earlier that year. On 4 December 1917, when she left Newport for the

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and different duty. From 12 January 1918, she patrolled between

Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality (''concelho'') and executive capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67,2 ...

and Horta, protecting the islands from German attack and use as a haven by

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

s. She returned to New London on 17 September. After overhaul, ''E-1'' trained new submariners and tested experimental listening gear. Placed in commission in reserve on 20 March 1920, ''E-1'' arrived at Norfolk on 22 April. There she was placed in commission in ordinary on 18 July 1921, and on 17 September sailed for

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, where she was decommissioned on 20 October and sold on 19 April 1922.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:E-1 (SS-24) E-1 E-1 Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1911 ships