United States L Class Submarine

United States L Class Submarine

The United States L class submarine was the United States Navy's first attempt at designing and building ocean-going submarines, which at the time was a yawning gap in capability compared with other major navies. The first hulls were laid down in 1914, six months before the European hostilities, but they were not commissioned until two years later because of long fitting-out periods.

The Group 2 L-boats designed by Lake Torpedo Boat (L-5 through L-8) were built to slightly different specifications from the other Group 1 L-boats, which were designed by Electric Boat, and are sometimes considered a separate L-5 class.

After service in the Atlantic Flotilla by the Group 1 boats, most required extensive refits at Philadelphia after the USA's entry into the First World War which reflected the US Navy's then limited experience in ocean operations.

In November 1917, the class was sent to the Bantry Bay and the Azores for anti-U-boat patrols. The class did not sink any U-boats.

The class was generally under-powered, but they enjoyed good endurance for patrols in the North Atlantic and in British waters.

After the war, the L class were involved in trials of new torpedoes and hydrophone equipment on both the east and west coasts before decommissioning in 1922 and 1923 and were used in the US scrapping quota in 1933 under the London Naval Treaty limiting naval armament.