United States L-class submarine

USS L-1 (SS-40) lead ship of her class during running trials.
Class overview
Name	L class
Builders	Electric Boat (EB), Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, Massachusetts (L-1 to L-4, L-9 to L-11) Lake Torpedo Boat Company, Bridgeport, Connecticut (L-5) California Shipbuilding Co., Long Beach, California (L-6 & L-7) Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine (L-8)
Operators	United States Navy
Preceded by	K class
Succeeded by	USS M-1
Built	1914–1917
In commission	1916–1923
Completed	11
Retired	11
Preserved	0
General characteristics
Type	Submarine
Displacement	EB design: 450 long tons (457 t) surfaced 548 long tons (557 t) submerged Lake design: 451 long tons (458 t) surfaced 527 long tons (535 t) submerged
Length	EB design: 168 ft 5 in (51.33 m) Lake design: 165 ft (50 m)
Beam	EB design: 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m) Lake design: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
Draft	EB design: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m) Lake design: 13 ft 3 in (4.04 m)
Installed power	EB design: 1,300 hp (970 kW) (diesel engines), 800 hp (600 kW) (electric motors) Lake design: 1,200 hp (890 kW) (diesel engines), 800 hp (600 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric EB design: 2 × NELSECO Diesel engines, 2 × Electro Dynamic electric motors, 2 × 60-cell batteries, 2 × shafts Lake design: 2 × Busch-Sulzer Diesel engines, 2 × Diehl electric motors, 1 × 120-cell batteries, 2 × shafts
Speed	14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) surfaced 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) submerged
Range	4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 7 kn (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) (surfaced) 150 nmi (280 km) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) (submerged)
Test depth	200 ft (61 m)
Complement	28 officers and men
Armament	4 × 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, 8 torpedoes 1 × 3"/23 caliber retractable deck gun (gun on EB design only)[1]

The United States L-class submarines were a class of 11 coastal defense submarines built 1914–1917, and were the most modern and capable submarines available to United States Navy when the country entered World War I. Despite being considered a successful design by the USN, war experience in European waters demonstrated that the boats lacked the range, speed, and endurance to conduct extended patrols in the North Atlantic.^[2]