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NavSource Online: Submarine Photo Archive

Adder / A-2 (SS-3)

Adder Class Submarine Torpedo Boat: Laid down as Adder, 3 October 1900, at Crescent Shipyards, Elizabethport, NJ ; Launched, 22 July 1901; Commissioned USS Adder, 12 January 1903, at the Holland Co., New Suffolk, Long Island, NY; Decommissioned, 26 July 1909, for transport to the Philippines; Recommissioned, 10 February 1910; Renamed USS A-2 (Submarine Torpedo Boat No.3), 17 November 1911; Decommissioned, 12 December 1919; Designed (SS-3), 17 July 1920; Final Disposition, designated for use as a target, 24 September 1920; Struck from the Naval Register, 16 January 1922.

Specifications: Displacement; Surfaced, 107 t., Submerged, 123 t.; Length 63' 10"; Beam 11' 11"; Draft 10' 7"; Speed, Surfaced, 8 kts, Submerged, 7 kts; Depth Limit 150'; Complement, 1 Officer, 6 Enlisted; Armament, one 18" torpedo tube, 5 torpedoes; Propulsion, Otto Gas Engine Works gasoline engine, HP 160; Fuel Capacity 767 gal.; Electro Dynamic electric motors, HP 150; Battery Cells 60; single screw.

Size	Image Description	Contributed By
64k	A group of A-type (SS-02-8) submarines at the Holland Submarine Co., basin, New Suffolk, Long Island, circa 1903. In the front line Plunger (SS-02) (later *A-1), Porpoise* (SS-07) (later *A-6), and Adder* (SS-03) (later *A-2) along the breakwater (background) are Shark* (SS-08) (later *A-7) and Moccasin* (SS-05) (later *A-4*).	US Navy photo # NH 45937 from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, courtesy of Joe Radigan, MACM USN, Ret.
306k	The Adder class was in effect, an enlarged production version of *Holland* with a much more powerful gasoline engine. With the dynamite gun omitted, the decking at the ends was no longer necessary and the superstructure was drastically reduced. The hull was enlarged so that men could move about errect on the internal deck, with plenty of headroom. In 1900, when advocating this design, Electric Boat argued that she would be handier and livelier than *Holland, despite her greter size, because weights would be concentrated better near her center of gravity. For example, whereas Holland's* ballast tanks were spread along her length, in this design the main ballast tank was no longer than the storage battery. It was designed to avoid the air pockets (with their free-surface effect) that could form in the earlier boat's ballast tanks. The air compressor had much increased capacity. The company argued that the most important single improvement was provision of a compensating tank that made it easy to operate in fresh or salt water. (*Holland* had failed a 20 April 1898 trial because she was trimmed wrong for New York Harbor, with its mixture of and salt water). The scrap drawing shows the periscope and conning tower modification applied to *Plunger* . In the inboard profile, note the rods high in the hull that connect the steering gear to the control surfaces aft.	Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
68k	Underway on the surface, while running trials, probably in Long Island Sound, circa 1903. Note the yacht in the distance.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 57724.
95k	Underway on the surface, while running trials, probably in Long Island Sound, circa 1903. Note the slicker-clad man at the wheel of her exterior conning station.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 57719.
79k	Underway on the surface, while running trials, probably in Long Island Sound, circa 1903.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 57721.
86k	With several men on deck, while she was running trials, probably in Long Island Sound, circa 1903.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 57722.
96k	With other submarines, at the Electric Boat Company/Holland Torpedo Boat Company facility, New Suffolk, Long Island, New York, circa 1903.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 57728.
96k	Perhaps the most important harbors submarines had to defend were those in the Phillipines, which had to be held until the fleet could steam across the Pacific. early U.S. subs could not transit all the way there, so they were transported aboard colliers. Here Adder (SS-03) is unloaded from the collier *Caesar* in 1908.	Photo & text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
81k	*Caesar* (1898-1922) at anchor in 1908-1909, while transporting submarines to the Philippine Islands. The "boats" are either Submarines Shark (SS-08), and Porpoise (SS-07) which were embarked on *Caesar* in April-July 1908, or Adder (SS-03) and Moccasin (SS-05), which were on board in July-October 1909.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 78275
110k	At the Cavite Navy Yard, Philippine Islands, circa 1910-1911. Porpoise (SS-07) is in the left background. Note the man inside Adder's (SS-03) cowl ventilator.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 90169.
65k	In Philippine waters with her crew on deck, prior to World War I. Note the 13-star "boat" flag flown by this submarine.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 84663.
73k	In Manila Bay, Philippine Islands, circa 1912. Note men working with her foredeck hatch.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 57732-A.
88k	Underway in Manila Bay, Philippine Islands, circa 1912.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 90190.
122k	Dewey Drydock, Olongapo Naval Station, Philippines. Submarines A-6 (SS-7) ex-Porpoise , A-4 (SS-5) ex-Moccasin and A-2 (SS-3) ex-Adder in the Dewey Drydock, circa 1912. The boats show standard features: a single tall periscope abaft the conning tower; a conning tower fairing; and a bridge structure atop the conning tower, with the surface wheel atop it. This photo was taken before the boats had been fitted with forward periscopes. The bow of their tender, *Mohican*, is at left, with an anchor suspended from her starboard cathead.	Photo courtesy of U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 90185. Partial text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
66k	Loading an 18" torpedo, while at the Cavite Navy Yard, Philippines, circa 1912. Note this early submarine's rectangular hatch.	U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph # NH 90188. Photo added 04/06/07.
176k	In the Philippines about 1915, Adder (SS-03) shows her false bow and her two periscopes protruding from her enlarged connning tower fairing. The object abaft the second periscope is an underwater bell for signalling; the noisy geared drives in these boats often rendered such devices useless.	USN photo courtesy of ussubvetsofwwii.org. Text courtesy of U.S. Submarines Through 1945, An Illustrated Design History by Norman Friedman. Naval Institute Press.
31k	Commemorative post mark on the occassion of the 100th year of Adder's (SS-03) commissioning, 12 January 1903 - 12 January 2003.	Courtesy of Jack Treutle.