USS Plunger (1897)

For other ships of the same name, see USS Plunger.

USS Plunger (tail view) Plunger while under construction at the Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, Maryland
Career
Name:	USS Plunger
Ordered:	3 March 1893
Awarded:	13 March 1895
Builder:	Columbian Iron Works and Dry Dock Co., Baltimore, Maryland
Launched:	August 1897
Fate:	Contract cancelled, 1900 Scrapped, 1917
General characteristics
Type:	Submarine
Displacement:	149 long tons (151 t) surfaced 168 long tons (171 t) submerged
Length:	85 ft 3 in (25.98 m)
Beam:	11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Draft:	11 ft (3.4 m)
Speed:	15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) surfaced 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged
Complement:	7
Armament:	2 × 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tubes

USS Plunger, the first submarine torpedo boat to be built for the United States Navy, was authorized by the United States Congress on 3 March 1893, designed by John P. Holland, a contract for her construction was awarded to Holland Torpedo Boat Company on 13 March 1895. However, the boat and the contract were canceled in April 1900.

Plunger, was a 149-ton experimental steam-driven vessel. She was constructed at Columbian Iron Works and Dry Dock Co., Baltimore, Maryland, launched in August 1897 and ran dock trials in 1898. However, her complex machinery arrangement proved unworkable and the boat was not accepted for service. For one thing, the craft was prone to overheating, making it nearly impossible for the crew to operate it for any extended period. The contract was canceled in 1900, with the funds already paid for her applied to the purchase price of a new submarine, which became Plunger (SS-2). The original Plunger was retained by the Holland Torpedo Boat Company. Though considered for reconstruction with new engines, she remained inactive until scrapped in 1917.

References

• This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Photo gallery of USS Plunger at NavSource Naval History
• Naval Historical Center Online Library of Selected Images: USS Plunger