The , the US Navy's first submarine, was launched in May 1897 and tested at Holland Torpedo Boat Station. Built by
Crescent Shipyard at
Elizabeth, New Jersey, the 55 feet long by 11 feet wide
Holland made its first sea trials at
Perth Amboy, New Jersey on 17 March 1898 before moving to Holland Torpedo Boat Station. The
Holland was acquired by the Navy on 11 April 1900 and commissioned on 12 October 1900 at
Newport, Rhode Island. On 16 October 1900, the USS
Holland departed for her first port, the
United States Naval Academy at
Annapolis, Maryland, for crew training. The submarine had a crew of one officer and five enlisted men. Holland Torpedo Boat Station had engineers, mechanics, draftsmen, machine shops, housing, and all the supplies needed to operate the seven submarines at the station. A two-mile-long test track was made about three miles east of Holland Torpedo Boat Station in
Little Peconic Bay. Little Peconic Bay is at the north end of
Long Island located at . The two-mile test track was marked with
buoys and flags. To test the submarine and train the crew, the submarine ran the course in both directions. On 26 July 1899 the
USS Plunger followed the course submerged. A
Whitehead torpedo was added to the submarine
Holland at the Station on 20 August 1899 for training. On 6 November 1899, the first sea trails of the
Holland were made.
Rear Admiral Frederick Rodgers and other US Navy personnel were at the first sea trails, for which
Holland had seven crew members and two US Navy officers: Commander William H. Emory and Captain John Lowe (1838–1930) as observers for the Navy. In addition to the observers, three Whitehead torpedoes were aboard. The test did electric runs (125V-175A), gas-powered runs, submerged runs, torpedo firings and torpedo reloading (
Holland had one torpedo tube). Buoy with flags was added to the
Holland so Frederick Rodgers and others could track the
Holland during the submerged runs. The US Navy sea trial was successful and a report was given to the US Navy and US Congress. On 7 November 1899, Captain John Lowe would report to the US Congress the need for a fleet of submarines, as
Philippines, Hawaii and other
United States oversea territories could be attacked. Captain John Lowe became the first naval officer to be posted on active duty in the new US Navy submarine service. John Lowe retired in 1900, and in 1911 was promoted to rear admiral with a retroactive promotion back to 1900. ==Station Submarines==