USS N-2
USS N-2 , also known as "Submarine No. 54", was an N-class submarine|N-class] coastal submarine of the United States Navy commissioned during World War I. She spent the war patrolling off the coast of New England, and was decommissioned after less than ten years in service.
Design
The N-class boats designed by Electric Boat, N-1 throughN-3, also referred to as the N-1-class, were built to slightly different specifications from the other N-class submarines, which were designed by Lake Torpedo Boat, referred to as the N-4-class. The Electric Boat submarines had a length of overall, a beam of, and a mean draft of. They displaced on the surface and submerged. The Electric Boat submarines had a crew of 2 officers and 23 enlisted men. They had a diving depth of.For surface running, the Electric Boat submarines were powered by two NELSECO 240V8FS diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a Electro Dynamic electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the boats had a range of at 11 kn and at submerged.
The boats were armed with four 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried four reloads, for a total of eight torpedoes.
Construction
N-2s keel was laid down on 29 July 1915, by the Seattle Construction and Drydock Company, in Seattle, Washington. She was launched on 16 January 1917, sponsored by Mrs. Whitford Drake, and commissioned on 26 September 1917.Service history
After fitting out out and conducting sea trials in Puget Sound, N-2 departed the Puget Sound Navy Yard, 21 November 1917, and sailed for San Francisco, California, in company with her sister boats and. Upon arriving at San Francisco, she was ordered to proceed to the East Coast, via the Panama Canal, for assignment to the Submarine Force, US Atlantic Fleet.She arrived at New London, Connecticut, on 7 February 1918, and almost immediately began to patrol along the New England coast, guarding against enemy submarines. Operating in this area for the remainder of the war, N-2 helped keep the sea lanes open.
Following the end of World War I, N-2 continued her operations out of New London, serving as a training ship for the Submarine School. Beginning in late May 1921, the submarine also tested experimental Navy weapons, such as a radio-controlled torpedo, and evaluated its potential value in modern combat. Placed in reduced commission 22 April 1922, N-2 continued her training and experimental duties at New London. On 11 October, she aided the tanker, grounded on the southern end of Block Island.