USS Holland ( SS - 1 ) USS " Holland " ( SS - 1 ) was the United States Navy ' s first commissioned submarine , named for her Irish - American inventor , John Philip Holland , although not the first submarine of the US Navy , which was the 1862 . The boat was originally laid down as Holland VI , and launched on 17 May 1897 . Design and construction . The work was done at ( Ret . ) Navy Lieutenant Lewis Nixon ' s Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth , New Jersey for John Holland ' s company , then known as the Holland Torpedo Boat Company . The craft was built under the supervision of John Holland , who designed the vessel and her details . The keel to this craft was laid at Nixon ' s Crescent Shipyard with both men present . The two men worked together using many of John Holland ' s proven concepts and patents to make the submarine a reality , each man complementing the other ' s contributions to the development of the modern submarine . " Holland VI " included many features that submarines of the early 20th century would exhibit , albeit in later , more advanced forms . She had both an internal combustion engine for running on the surface , and an electric motor for submerged operation . She had a reloadable torpedo tube and a deck gun ( a pneumatic dynamite gun ) . There was a conning tower from which the boat and her weapons could be directed . Finally , she had all the necessary ballast and trim tanks to make precise changes in depth and attitude underwater . Service . " Holland VI " eventually proved her validity and worthiness as a warship and was ultimately purchased by the U . S . government for the sum of $ 150 , 000 on 11 April 1900 . She was considered to be the first truly successful craft of her type . The United States Government soon ordered more submarines from Holland ' s company , which were to be known as the . These became America ' s first fleet of underwater naval vessels . " Holland VI " was modified after her christening , and was renamed USS " Holland " ( SS - 1 ) when she was commissioned by the US Navy on 12 October 1900 , at Newport , Rhode Island , with Lieutenant Harry H . Caldwell in command . " Holland " was the first commissioned submarine in the US Navy and is the first of the unbroken line of submarines in the Navy . She was the third submarine to be owned by the Navy , however . ( The first submarine was " Propeller " ( also known as " Alligator " ) and the second was " Intelligent Whale " . ) On 16 October 1900 , in order to be kept serviceable throughout the winter , " Holland " left Newport under tow of the tug " Leyden " for Annapolis , Maryland , where she was used to train midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy , as well as officers and enlisted men ordered there to receive training vital in preparing for the operation of other submarines being built for the Fleet . " Holland " proved valuable for experimental purposes in collecting data for submarines under construction or contemplation . Her surface run , from Annapolis to Norfolk , Virginia from 8 – 10 January 1901 , provided useful data on her performance underway over an extended period . " Holland " , along with six other Holland - type submarines , was based in New Suffolk , New York on the North Fork of Long Island from 1899 – 1905 , prompting the hamlet to claim to be the First Submarine Base in the United States . Except for the period from 15 June to 1 October , which was passed training cadets at the Naval Torpedo Station , Newport , Rhode Island , " Holland " remained at Annapolis as a training submarine until 17 July 1905 . " Holland " finished her career at Norfolk , Virginia . Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 21 November 1910 . This revolutionary submarine was sold as scrap to Henry A . Hitner & Sons , of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania on 18 June 1913 for $ 100 . Her purchaser was required to put up $ 5 , 000 bond as assurance that the submarine would be broken up and not used as a ship . The success of the submarine was instrumental in the founding of the Electric Boat Company , now known as the General Dynamics Electric Boat , a division of General Dynamics Corporation . This company , therefore , can trace its origins to the formation of John Philip Holland ' s original company and the revolutionary submarines that were developed at this shipyard .