USS L-5 (SS-44)

History of USS L-5 (SS-44)

The United States' late entry into World War I (1914-1918) meant that many indigenous war products were of little use in the conflict years. The USS L-5 (SS-44) is an attack submarine built on May 14, 1914 by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut. However, the ship was not launched until May 1, 1916, and the design was not officially withdrawn until February 17, 1918.

The entry of the United States was accompanied by the official declaration of war against Germany on April 6, 1917, which ended in an armistice in November 1918. The L-5's contribution to the war was that of the 6th Submarine Division operating near the Azores in November 1918. part.

The L-5 is based on the previous L-class boat, but unlike the Electric Boat design, it was bred from a design provided by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company. This group includes the L-5, L-6, L-7 and L-8, which are slightly different from their electric boat cousins. When completed, the L-5 had a surface displacement of 458 tons (short) and a submerged displacement of 535 tons. She has a length of 165 feet, a beam of 14.8 feet, and a draft of 13.2 feet.

Power is provided by 2 diesel engines for surface travel and 2 electric motors for underwater travel. Surface speeds in excess of 14 knots, underwater speeds in excess of 10.5 knots, and a range of up to 3,300 nautical miles (surfaced, though 150 nautical miles underwater). Working depths up to 200 feet.

Her crew consisted of 28 officers and submarines, and her armament consisted of 4 x 18 in (457 mm) torpedo tubes (bow mounted, 8 torpedoes in total) and a 3 in/23 caliber deck gun.

L-5's career in the ocean was short, and she never fired a shot out of anger. During the postwar period from 1919 to 1922, she was used to evaluate various torpedo designs and new sonar equipment on the West Coast of the United States.

Decommissioned on December 5, 1922 at Hampton Roads, Virginia (she arrived via the Panama Canal), she was sold and eventually scrapped in 1925.

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