NATIONAL SUBMARINE DAY
The United States Navy acquired its first modern commissioned submarine on April 11, 1900. Each April 11th honors this day as people across the nation celebrate National Submarine Day.
- The U.S. Navy’s first submarine was the Alligator, 1862. -
The first known U.S. Navy submarine was the USS Alligator, the fourth United States Navy ship of that name. The Alligator was active during the American Civil War. America’s very first submarine, the Turtle, was built in the Revolutionary War era, however, the United States Navy did not exist when theTurtle was operational.
Named after its Irish-American inventor, John Philip Holland, the Holland VI was designed in 1896 and launched on May 17, 1897 at Navy Lt. Lewis Nixon’s Crescent Shipyard in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It was later purchased by the United States Navy on April 11, 1900, becoming the United States Navy’s first commissioned submarine and renamed USS Holland (SS-1).
Elsewhere, “Submarine Day” is celebrated on March 17th.