USS B-2

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USS Cuttlefish/B-2 (SS-11), also known as "Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 11", was one of three B-class submarines built for the United States Navy (USN) in the first decade of the 20th century. She was the first ship of the USN to be named for the cuttlefish, a 10-armed marine mollusk similar to the squid. Used primarily for training, she was transported to the Philippines, in 1913. During WWI she patrolled the waters around the Philippines.

Design

The B-class submarines, also known as the Viper-class, were enlarged versions of the preceding . They had a length of Template:Cvt overall, a beam of Template:Cvt, and a mean draft of Template:Cvt. They displaced Template:Cvt on the surface and Template:Cvt submerged. The B-class boats had a crew of one officer and nine enlisted men. They had a diving depth of .Template:Sfn

For surface running, they were powered by one gasoline engine that drove the single propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a electric motor.Template:Sfn The boats could reach Template:Cvt on the surface and Template:Cvt underwater. On the surface, they had a range of Template:Cvt at 9 kn and Template:Cvt at Template:Cvt submerged.Template:Sfn

The B-class boats were armed with two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried two reloads, for a total of four torpedoes.Template:Sfn

Construction

Cuttlefish was laid down 30 August 1905, in Quincy, Massachusetts, by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company, under a subcontract from Electric Boat Company, of New Suffolk, Long Island. Cuttlefish was launched on 1 September 1906, sponsored by Miss Eleanor Gow; the boat was commissioned on 18 October 1907.Template:Sfn

Service history

Cuttlefish reported to the Second Submarine Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet. She operated along the Atlantic coast, running experiments, testing machinery and equipment, and conducting extensive training exercises until going into reserve at Charleston Navy Yard, on 30 November 1909. Recommissioned on 15 April 1910, she served with the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet until joining the Reserve Torpedo Group, at Charleston Navy Yard, on 9 May 1911. The boat was renamed B-2 on 17 November.Template:Sfn

B-2 remained in reserve until placed out of commission, on 4 December 1912. On 6 December, she was towed to Norfolk Navy Yard, and loaded onto the collier , along with her sister ship , for transfer to the Asiatic Station. Sailing via North Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, and the Indian Ocean, Ajax arrived at Cavite, in the Philippine Islands, on 30 April 1913, and B-2 was launched on 12 May. She was recommissioned on 2 August, and assigned to the Torpedo Flotilla, Asiatic Fleet.Template:Sfn

During ensuing operations, she had close brushes with disaster. While the submarine was running submerged to conduct a battery test, soon after arriving in the Philippines, her commander suddenly observed through her periscope the grey side of a ship cross B-2Template:'s bow. He dove immediately to avoid a collision, but the submarine's periscope struck an Army ferry on a run from Corregidor to Manila. Although the mishap mangled the periscope rather severely, neither vessel suffered significant damage.Template:Sfn

After World War I erupted in Europe during the summer of 1914, B-2Template:'s duties were expanded to include patrols to enforce the neutrality of Philippine waters. She also continued to help devise and improve the techniques of submarine operations.Template:Sfn

Fate

Her service in the Philippines lasted through the Armistice, though her active career ended 19 months beyond the end of the Great War. B-2 was decommissioned on 12 December 1919, and she was subsequently sunk as a target during destroyer gunnery drills conducted off the entrance to Manila Bay. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 17 January 1922.

Bibliography

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