G Class Submarine: Laid down, 2 February 1909, as Seal at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Newport News, VA.; Launched, 8 February 1911; Renamed G-1, 17 November 1911; Commissioned USS G-1, 28 October 1912, at New York Navy Yard, New York, NY; Decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register, 6 March 1920, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA.; Final Disposition, sunk as a target during depth charge tests, 21 June 1921, in Narragansett Bay off Taylor's Point, R.I. Specifications: Displacement, surfaced 400 t., submerged 516 t.; Length 161'; Beam 13' 1"; Draft 12' 6"; Speed, surfaced 14 kts, submerged 10 kts; Depth Limit 200'; Complement 1 Officer, 23 Enlisted; Armament, six 18" torpedo tubes, (includes two deck firing tubes), six torpedoes; Propulsion, gasoline electric, White & Middleton Co., gasoline engines, 1,200 hp, Fuel Capacity 1,200 gal., Diehl Manufacturing Co., electric motors, 520 hp, Battery Cells 120, twin propellers.
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2.76k | The boat shown in this drawing is, without any doubt, NOT the C-3. This is a Simon Lake design and the C-3 was built by Electric Boat. If you look in the lower right hand corner it has the Lake Torpedo Boat Company information. I think were it was mislabeled is that the person who filed it with the National Archives misunderstood what the “Submarine No 14” meant. They assumed that meant C-3 and they even wrote that on the print next to the info box. Most likely that designation was an internal LTB or Newport News Shipbuilding numbering system that has nothing to do with the Navy’s official numbering system.
The boat shown in the drawing bears a remarkable resemblance to the G-1, and is most likely an early proposal drawing submitted to Newport News and the Navy from LTB. In true Simon Lake fashion the final design likely changed several times before the boat was launched. File Unit: C-3 (SS-14): Outboard Profile 9 June 08 |
Text i.d. courtesy of David Johnston. Item Unit: Plans for the Submarine C-3, 1789 - 1967, Series: Alphabetical Series of Ship Engineering Drawings, 1789 - 1967, Record Group 19: Records of the Bureau of Ships, 1940 - 1966 National Archives Identifier: 167816557 Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov | |
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109k | Seal (SS-19½) afloat after launching, off the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company shipyard, Newport News, VA., 8 February 1911. | USN photo NH # 98033 courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Commander Theodore G. Ellyson, USN. | |
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761k | Seal (SS-19½) afloat after launching, off the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company shipyard, Newport News, VA., 8 February 1911. | Photo courtesy of loc.gov, courtesy of the George Grantham Bain Collection. Reproduction Number LC-DIG-ggbain-09035. | |
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141k | The G-1 (SS-19½) makes her way through N.Y. City harbor past what looks to be wharf of the N.Y. & Cuba Mail terminal. | Photo copyright by E. Muller, Jr. from Jane's Fighting Ships, 1919 courtesy of Robert Hurst. | |
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52k | The G-1 (SS-19½) pier-side with her exposed external torpedo tubes. | Picture from "The Romance of A Submarine" by G. Gibbard Jackson & submitted by Robert Hurst. | |
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106k | Seal (SS-19½) in drydock, circa the mid-1910s. Note her external torpedo tubes and other hull details. | USN photo NH # 78280 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Photo courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1973. | |
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36k | G-1 (SS-19½), as built (1912), shows the deck torpedo tube positions fore & aft of the bridge. | Drawing by Jim Christley. Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.Naval Institute Press. | |
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1.40k | THE G-1 (SS-19½) RUNNING AT TOP UNDER FULL SPEED | Image and text provided by The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation. Photo from the The Sun. (New York [N.Y.] 1833-1916, 14 November 1914, FIFTH SECTION, Page 3, Image 55, courtesy of chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. | |
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70k | G-1 (SS-19½) being towed by Fulton (AS-1), circa 1915. The original print's reverse contains the hand-written comment: "Towed 30 hrs. parted two line off Cape Hatteras, Fulton relieved by Castine. Castine stood by G-1 in storm off Hatteras for 48 hours before she could pick her up. G-1 registered a roll of 72 degrees. Arrow over rubber necks head. "Rubber neck" is probably Chief Quartermaster John Harold. |
USN photo NH # 101546 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Photo from the Collection of Chief Quartermaster John Harold. | |
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88k | G-1 (SS-19½) right and G-2 (SS-27) left, alongside Fulton (AS-1) at the Norfolk Navy Yard, VA., circa 1915. Note the 13-star "boat flag" flying at G-2's stern. | USN photo NH # 101548 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. Photo from the Collection of Chief Quartermaster John Harold. | |
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417k | AT THE SUBMARINE MANEUVERS AT NEWPORT, R. I. A United States boat of the G type is nestling close alongside its "mother," the monitor Ozark (M-7). G-1 (SS-19½) arrived at New London, Conn 18 October 1915 in company with three other G-class submarines, tended by monitor Ozark. | Text courtesy of DANFS. Image and text provided by Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA. Photo from Evening Public Ledger.(Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 07 October 1915, Final, Image 16, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. |
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501k | The G-1 (SS-19½) new type, showing only periscope, in recent Newport maneuvers. | Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Photo from the New-York Tribune. (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 17 October 1915, Image 51, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. |
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NR | ONE OF UNCLE SAMS GOOD SUBMARINES | Image and text provided by Penn State University Libraries; University Park, PA. Photo from the The Fulton County News. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 21 October 1915, Image 3, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. |
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105k | Judah Moses, EM 1, circa 1915. | Photo from the collection of Helen Moses via Aryeh Wetherhorn. These photos are from her father in law of blessed memory, Judah Moses. |
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93k | The crew of the G-1 (SS-19½) pose on deck, circa 1915. Judah Moses is on the top right with his arm around the periscope. The G-3 (SS-31) is moored outboard of the G-1. |
Photo i.d. courtesy of Ric Hedman. Photo from the collection of Helen Moses via Aryeh Wetherhorn. These photos are from her father in law of blessed memory, Judah Moses. |
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213k | Moses does not split the Atlantic! The crew of the G-1 (SS-19½) pose on deck, circa 1915. Note the boat's bell. |
Photo from the collection of Helen Moses via Aryeh Wetherhorn. These photos are from her father in law of blessed memory, Judah Moses. |
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148k | G-1 (SS-19½) deck view at sea, circa 1915. | Photo from the collection of Helen Moses via Aryeh Wetherhorn. These photos are from her father in law of blessed memory, Judah Moses. |
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305k | A shear view of G-1 (SS-19½), circa 1915. | Photo from the collection of Helen Moses via Aryeh Wetherhorn. These photos are from her father in law of blessed memory, Judah Moses. |
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339k | A group picture of a course at Thomas Edison's company in December 1915. Edison is in front center, Moses is on the left end of the next to top row. His hat ribbon says USS G-1. | Photo from the collection of Helen Moses via Aryeh Wetherhorn. These photos are from her father in law of blessed memory, Judah Moses. |
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441k | Superstructure Deck, Berth Deck, Hold, Inboard Profile, Outboard Profile, Cross Sections, Midship Section, General Information and Data for G-1 (SS-19½), 12 May 1916. | National Archives Identifier: 75841641 Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov | |
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192k | G-1 (SS-19½) ex-Seal, is depicted in December 1916 after a refit at the New York Navy Yard. Note Lake's trademark wheels and the trap door from the diver's compartment.G-1's forward pair of engines had been removed, which halved her surface power to 600 BHP. Her deck torpedo tubes had been removed, leaving only the two bow tubes in the main hull. Unlike E.B., Lake was happy to blister his tubes out from the main hull. Moving them well apart left space for the diver's compartment between them. G-1 retained Lake's wheels. Although this boat was generally described as double-hulled, she had a conventional circular section (spindle) pressure hull with a partly watertight superstructure, as in E.B. submarines, ballast tanks were inside the pressure hull (mainly under the machinery and at the ends). Gasoline was stowed at the ends, outboard of ballast tanks that presumably protected the interior of the submarine from possible explosions. The bridge fairwater shows Lake's practice of separating the navigating turret (forward) from the captain's turret (aft), with a separate conning tower protruding from the superstructure between them. Forward of both is a separate hatch trunk into the pressure hull, and the captain's turret has its own hatch trunk at its after side. Abaft the engine room hatch is a well for the marker buoy. The battery is concentrated forward of the immersion tank (presumably equivalent of a Q-tank) below the conning tower; above the tank is an equilibrium control tank, and abaft it is a final adjusting tank. Lake argued that his type of battery housing was far superior to E.B.'s battery tanks, but there was some question as to how much more space it required. |
Drawing by Jim Christley. Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.Naval Institute Press. |
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 | 83k | A midships cross section of the E-2 (SS-25),(left) illustrates Holland's patented U-shaped tank, in this case surrounding the boat's safety (adjusting) tank. A similar cross section of Lake's G-1 (SS-19½) is shown at right. Because Holland had patented the U-shaped ballast tank, Simon Lake had to use inefficient flat-topped tanks. For example, he had to place his batteries on top of his tanks (limiting overhead space), where Holland could surround batteries with tank-age. In both drawings, shading indicates ballast water. Note that E-2's hull is not perfectly circular, it has a flat bottom where the pressure hull joins the duct keel. | Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman.Naval Institute Press. |
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1.78k | REPORTS FOR DUTY WITHOUT REPAIRS United States submarine G-1 (SS-19½), after waiting in drydock nineteen months, had to sail without repairs because steel companies were too busy. |
Image and text provided by Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN. Photo by American Press Association. Photo from the The Bemidji Daily Pioneer. (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 02 February 1917, Image 1, via chroniclingamerica.loc.gov. |
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 | 589k | Broadside of G-1 (SS-19½), circa 1917. | Photo i.d. courtesy of David Johnston National Archives Identifier: 45513733 Local Identifier: 165-WW-338B-021 Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov | |
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156k | G-1 (SS-19½) is seen off New London, Ct. circa 1917. | USN photo courtesy of Darryl L. Baker. | |
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75k | G-1 (SS-19½) off the Submarine Base New London, Groton, CT., circa 1918. Note her trainable torpedo tubes fore and aft of her conning tower fairwater. Note the horizontal surface steering wheel atop the fairwater, at its fore end. |
Photo Submarine Force Museum and Library & submitted by Robert Hurst. Text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press. |
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117k | G-1 (SS-19½) in port, circa 1918, possibly at the Submarine Base New London, Groton, CT. The submarine at left is either H-1 (SS-28) or H-2 (SS-29). G-1 is in the middle. The submarine on the right is unidentified. | USN photo NH # 42195 from the collections of the US Naval Historical Center. | |
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1.06k | Port bow of G-1 (SS-19½) with crew on deck, c 1918. Note another submarine on the left side of the photo marked with the number 25. Most likely the photo is of the L-5 (SS-44) & was taken sometime in the fall of 1918. According to DANFS, she departed for the West Coast in October 1918 via the Panama Canal. |
Photo i.d. courtesy of Dave Johnston & Ric Hednan. Record Group 19: Records of the Bureau of Ships, 1940 - 1966. National Archives Identifier: 513028 Local Identifier: 19-N-18245 Photo courtesy of catalog.archives.gov |
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73k | G-1 (SS-19½) with the captured German sub U-117, circa 1919. | Photo courtesy of Ric Hedman. | |
View the Seal / G-1 (SS-19½)
DANFS history entry located on the Haze Gray & Underway Web Site.
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Not Applicable to this Vessel
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
PigBoats.COM TM, a Historic Look at Submarines
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