View source for AA-1-class submarine

{{Short description|Class of three experimental submarines of the United States Navy,}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= File:USS AA-1 (SS-52).jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''AA-1'' (SS-52)
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=''AA-1'' class
|Builders=*[[Electric Boat]] Company (design)
*[[Fore River Shipbuilding]]
|Operators={{navy|United States|1912}}
|Class before={{USS|M-1|SS-47|6}}
|Class after=[[United States N-class submarine|N class]]
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=1916–1922
|In service range=1920–1927
|In commission range=
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=3
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=3
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|1,106|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (surfaced)
*{{convert|1,486|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} (submerged)<ref>Alden, p. 22</ref>
|Ship length={{convert|268|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} overall
|Ship beam={{convert|22|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship height=
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|14|ft|2|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=*(as built) 4 × [[NELSECO]] [[diesel engine]]s, 1000 hp (746 kW) each
*2 × [[Electro Dynamic]] [[electric motor]]s, 675 hp (503 kW) each
*1 × NELSECO auxiliary [[diesel generator]]
*2 × 60-[[electrochemical cell|cell]] [[Exide]] [[battery (electricity)|batteries]]
*2 × shafts<ref>Alden, p. 210–211.</ref>
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed=*{{convert|20|kn|mph km/h|lk=in|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|10.5|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=*{{convert|3000|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|14|kn|abbr=on}} (surfaced)
*{{convert|100|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|5|kn|abbr=on}} (submerged)
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth={{convert|150|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=54<ref>Alden, p. 22</ref>
|Ship crew=
|Ship time to activate=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament= *AA-1 (as built) eight [[American 18 inch torpedo|18 inch (450&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (four bow internal, four mounted under the deck in trainable pairs fore and aft of the conning tower) 16 torpedoes total
*AA-1 (early modification) six [[American 18 inch torpedo|18 inch (450&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (four bow internal, two mounted under the deck in trainable pair aft of the conning tower) 14 torpedoes total, one [[4"/50 caliber gun|4-inch (102&nbsp;mm)/50 caliber]] fixed [[deck gun]] forward
*AA-1 (later modification), four [[American 18 inch torpedo|18 inch (450&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (four bow internal) 12 torpedoes total, one [[4"/50 caliber gun|4-inch (102&nbsp;mm)/50 caliber]] fixed [[deck gun]] forward
*AA-2 and AA3 (as built) four [[American 18 inch torpedo|18 inch (450&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (four bow internal) 12 torpedoes total<ref>Alden, p. 22-24.</ref><ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=T-class PigBoats.COM T-class pages]</ref>
|Ship armour=
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|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''AA-1'' class''' was a [[ship class|class]] of three experimental [[submarine]]s of the [[United States Navy]], built toward the end of [[World War I]], between 1916 and 1920, intended to produce a high-speed [[fleet submarine]]. The design was not a success and the submarines saw only limited active service. However, the lessons learned were applied to the design of the later [[V-boat]]s. The class was later renamed as the '''T-class'''.

== Design ==
In the early 1910s, only a dozen years after {{USS|Holland|SS-1|2}} inaugurated the Navy's undersea force, naval strategists had already begun to wish for submarines that could operate as long range [[reconnaissance]] vessels, in closer collaboration with the surface fleet than the Navy's existing classes, which had been designed primarily for coastal defense. These notional "fleet" submarines would necessarily be larger and better armed, but primarily, they would need a surface speed of some {{convert|21|kn|lk=in}} to be able to maneuver with the 21-knot [[battleship]]s the battle fleet was built around.<ref>Friedman, pp. 99–100</ref> This was the designed speed of the {{sclass|Delaware| battleship|4}} and later battleships, including the [[Standard-type battleship]]s that were under construction and proposed in 1913.

In the summer of 1913, [[Electric Boat]]'s chief naval architect, former naval constructor [[Lawrence York Spear|Lawrence Y. Spear]], proposed two preliminary fleet-boat designs for consideration in the Navy's 1914 program. In the ensuing authorization of eight submarines, Congress specified that one should "be of a seagoing type to have a surface speed of not less than twenty knots." This first fleet boat, laid down in June 1916, was named [[USS T-1 (SS-52)|''Schley'']] after [[Spanish–American War]] hero [[Winfield Scott Schley]]. With a displacement of 1,106&nbsp;tons surfaced, 1,486&nbsp;tons submerged, on a length of {{convert|270|ft|m}}, ''Schley'' (later ''AA-1'', and finally ''T-1'') was twice as large as any previous U.S. submarine. To expedite production Spear simply expanded an existing partial double hull design for a foreign customer without thickening the hull plating or strengthening the framework. This resulted in a complicated tank arrangement and a diving depth that was limited to {{convert|150|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>[https://pigboats.com/images/4/4b/THE_T-class.pdf ''The T-Class Fleet Submarines 1916-1927: An Analysis of Failure'', Johnston, David L., PigBoats.COM, 2023]</ref> To achieve the required surface speed, two {{convert|1,000|hp|kW|lk=in}} [[diesel engine]]s arranged in tandem on each shaft drove twin screws, and a separate diesel generator was provided for charging batteries. Although ''Schley'' and two [[Sister ship|sister boats]] authorized in 1915 - [[USS T-2 (SS-60)|''AA-2'']] (later ''T-2''), and [[USS T-3 (SS-61)|''AA-3'']] (later ''T-3'') - initially all made their design speed of {{convert|20|kn}}, they could only maintain that speed for short periods of time before extreme torsional vibration problems with their tandem engines forced them to slow. As the engines were clutched together, it was impossible to perfectly synchronize their operation and that resulted in an unbalanced situation. That and other circumstances resulted in poor engine reliability.<ref>Johnston, p. 3-4.</ref> 

The engineering plant included four [[New London Ship and Engine Company]] (NELSECO) 6-EB-19 [[four-cycle]] six-cylinder diesels, {{convert|1,000|hp|kW|abbr=on}} each in two tandem pairs, and two [[Electro Dynamic]] main electric motors, {{convert|675|hp|kW|abbr=on}} each, [[direct drive|directly driven]] by the engines. Two 60-[[electrochemical cell|cell]] [[Exide]] [[battery (electricity)|batteries]] provided submerged power. One NELSECO four-cycle four-cylinder auxiliary [[diesel generator]] was included to charge batteries while the main engines were operating at high speed. From 1923 to 1927, ''T-3'' was re-engined with two German-built [[MAN SE|Maschinenfabrik Augsburg Nürnberg AG]] (MAN) four-cycle ten-cylinder diesels, {{convert|2,350|hp|kW|abbr=on}} each.<ref>Alden, p. 210-211</ref>

In addition to the usual four bow [[American 18 inch torpedo|18 inch (450&nbsp;mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s, the design incorporated two twin trainable external torpedo tubes in the deck superstructure, immediately forward and aft of the sail. These could fire on either broadside, but not dead ahead or dead astern. Two [[3"/23 caliber gun|3-inch (76&nbsp;mm)/23 caliber]] retractable [[deck gun]]s were in the original design for the submarines, but they were never installed. As with other contemporary U.S. submarine designs, the ''AA-1'' class was optimized for a high submerged speed, with a small conning tower fairwater and no bridge structure, although "chariot" style bridge structures were later added to all three boats.<ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=T-class PigBoats.COM T-class pages]</ref> In August 1918 ''T-1'' was experimentally rearmed with a single [[4"/50 caliber gun|4-inch (102&nbsp;mm)/50 caliber]] non-retractable gun at the expense of the forward trainable torpedo tubes, probably to test the effect of a bigger gun on submerged speed as well as provide more anti-ship firepower.<ref>Friedman, p. 104</ref> Larger submarine deck guns were considered because many German [[U-boat]]s were equipped with guns of up to {{convert|105|mm|in|abbr=on}} and some were equipped with 150&nbsp;mm (5.9 inch) guns. The 4 inch gun would later become standard on the [[United States S-class submarine|S-class]] submarines.<ref>[http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_3-23_mk13.htm DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com 3"/23 caliber gun]</ref><ref>[http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_4-50_mk9.htm DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com 4"/50 caliber gun]</ref><ref>[http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_41-45_skc06.htm DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com German 105&nbsp;mm guns]</ref><ref>[http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNGER_59-45_tbts.htm DiGiulian, Tony Navweaps.com German 150&nbsp;mm guns]</ref> The trainable tubes were eliminated from the design by the time AA-2 and AA-3 were commissioned, and only AA-1 was so equipped.<ref>Alden, p. 22</ref>

== Service ==
They were based out of [[Hampton Roads, Virginia]] as part of Submarine Division 15 in the [[U.S. Atlantic Fleet|Atlantic Fleet]] and were used for training and maneuvers. On August 23, 1917, ''Schley'' was renamed ''AA-1'' prior to launching, to free the name for the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Schley|DD-103|2}}. On July 17, 1920, the three boats were reclassified as Fleet Submarines and given the [[hull classification symbol|hull numbers]] SF-1, SF-2, and SF-3. Their names were changed from the AA-series to ''T-1'', ''T-2'', and ''T-3'' on September 22, 1920. AA-2 and AA-3 never carried those names during their commissioned service, having been renamed into the T-series after launching but before being accepted by the Navy.<ref>[https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=T-class PigBoats.COM T-class page Notes section]</ref>

All three boats had been decommissioned by 1923 and placed into storage at [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]. Between 1925 and 1927, ''T-3'' was restored to service in order to test [[Germany|German]]-built [[diesel engine|diesels]] ({{convert|2350|hp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}} [[MAN SE|MAN]] engines), then returned to Philadelphia. All three were struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 19 September 1930 and sold for scrap on 20 November 1930.

== Boats in class ==
[[USS T-1 (SS-52)|USS ''Schley'', ''AA-1'', ''T-1'']]
* Designation: Submarine No. 52, SS-52, SF-1
* Builders: {{USA}} ([[Fore River Shipbuilding]] in [[Quincy, Massachusetts]])
* Laid down: 21 June 1916
* Launched: 25 July 1918 
* Operator: {{navy|United States}}
* Commissioned: 30 January 1920 
* Decommissioned: 5 December 1922 
* Fate: Sold for scrap 20 November 1930
* Operations: Trials and training
[[USS T-2 (SS-60)|USS ''AA-2'', ''T-2'']]<!--[[File:USS T-1.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''T-1'']]-->
* Designation: Submarine No. 60, SS-60, SF-2
* Builders: {{USA}} ([[Fore River Shipbuilding]] in [[Quincy, Massachusetts]])
* Laid down: 31 May 1917
* Launched: 6 September 1919 
* Operator: {{navy|United States}}
* Commissioned: 7 January 1922 
* Decommissioned: 16 July 1923 
* Fate: Sold for scrap 20 November 1930
* Operations: Training
[[USS T-3|USS ''AA-3'', ''T-3'']]
* Designations: Submarine No. 61, SS-61, SF-3
* Builders: {{USA}} ([[Fore River Shipbuilding]] in [[Quincy, Massachusetts]])
* Laid down: 21 May 1917
* Launched: 24 May 1919 
* Operator: {{navy|United States}}
* Commissioned: 7 December 1920 
* Decommissioned: 14 July 1927 
* Fate: Sold for scrap 20 November 1930
* Operations: Training, engine trials

== See also ==
* [[List of United States submarine classes]]

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist|30em}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin}}
* Alden, John D., CDR U.S. Navy (Retired), ''The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy A Design and Construction History'', Naval Institute Press 1979. {{ISBN|0-87021-187-0}}
* Friedman, Norman "US Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis: 1995, {{ISBN|1-55750-263-3}}.
* Gardiner, Robert, ''Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921'', Conway Maritime Press, 1985. {{ISBN|0-85177-245-5}}.
* Silverstone, Paul H., ''U.S. Warships of World War I'' (Ian Allan, 1970), {{ISBN|0-71100-095-6}}.
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/04idx.htm Navsource.org fleet submarines page]
* [https://pigboats.com/index.php?title=T-class PigBoats.COM T-class page]
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_3-23_mk13.htm DiGiulian, Tony, Navweaps.com 3"/23 caliber gun]
* [http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNUS_4-50_mk9.htm DiGiulian, Tony, Navweaps.com 4"/50 caliber gun]
{{refend}}
{{DANFS}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}

{{AA-1 class submarine}}
{{WWI US ships}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aa-1 Class Submarine}}
[[Category:Submarine classes]]
[[Category:AA-1-class submarines| ]]