USS L-6 (SS-45)
USS "L-6" (SS-45) was an L-class submarine built for the United States Navy during the 1910s. Description. The L-class boats designed by Lake Torpedo Boat ("L-5" through "L-8") were built to slightly different specifications from the other L boats, which were designed by Electric Boat, and are sometimes considered a separate "L-5" class. The Lake boats had a length of overall, a beam of and a mean draft of . They displaced on the surface and submerged. The L-class submarines had a crew of 28 officers and enlisted men. They had a diving depth of  . For surface running, the boats were powered by two diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the Lake boats had a range of at and at submerged. The boats were armed with four 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried four reloads, for a total of eight torpedoes. The L-class submarines were also armed with a single 3"/50 caliber deck gun. Construction and career. "L-6"s keel was laid down on 27 May 1914 by  Craig Shipbuilding Company in Long Beach, California. "L-6" was launched on 31 August 1916 sponsored by Mrs. William R. Monroe, and commissioned on 7 December 1917 with Lieutenant H. B. Berry in command. Service history. After exercises along the West Coast, "L-6" departed Pacific waters on 20 April 1918, arriving Charleston, South Carolina, on 10 June. Following a brief overhaul, the submarine patrolled off Charleston until she sailed on 15 October for the eastern Atlantic. Arriving Ponta Delgada, Azores, in early November, "L-6" joined Submarine Division 6 just prior to the signing of the Armistice with Germany on 11 November . After making stops in Caribbean Sea and Central American ports, "L-6" arrived San Pedro, California, on 14 February 1919, completing one of the best long-distance seagoing performances of the United States's youthful submarine force. From 1919 to 1922, she remained on the West Coast, experimenting with new torpedoes and undersea detection equipment. "L-6" was placed in commission, in ordinary, on 24 March 1922; returned to full commission on 1 July; and sailed for the East Coast the same month. Upon arrival Hampton Roads, "L-6" decommissioned on 25 November 1922, and was sold to M. Samuel and Sons on  21 December 1925 for scrapping.