United States K-class submarine

USS K-1 (SS-32) underway in 1916
Class overview
Name:	K class
Builders:	Electric Boat (design) Fore River Shipyard Union Iron Works Seattle Const. and DD Co.
Operators:	United States Navy
Preceded by:	H class
Succeeded by:	L class
Built:	1912-1914
In commission:	1914-1923
Completed:	8
Retired:	8
General characteristics
Type:	Submarine
Displacement:	392 long tons (398 t) surfaced 521 long tons (529 t) submerged
Length:	153 ft 7 in (46.81 m)
Beam:	16 ft 8 in (5.08 m)
Draft:	13 ft 1 in (3.99 m)
Installed power:	950 hp (710 kW) (diesel engines) 680 hp (510 kW) (electric motors)
Propulsion:	Diesel/electric 2 × NELSECO diesel engines 2 × Electro Dynamic electric motors 2 × 60-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 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 120 nmi (220 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 (bow) 8 × torpedoes

The K-class submarines were a class of eight submarines of the United States Navy, serving between 1914 and 1923, including World War I. They were designed by Electric Boat and were built by other yards under subcontracts. K-1, K-2, K-5, and K-6 were built by Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, K-3, K-7, and K-8 by Union Iron Works in San Francisco, and K-4 by Seattle Construction and Drydock Company in Seattle, Washington. All were decommissioned in 1923 and scrapped in 1931 to comply with the limits of the London Naval Treaty.

K-1, K-2, K-5, and K-6 began their careers on the US East Coast and were forward deployed to the Azores in World War I as convoy escorts, where their experience proved valuable in adapting future submarines for surfaced operations in rough weather. The remaining four were stationed on the West Coast early in their careers, but were reassigned to Key West, Florida for training and coastal security patrols in early 1918. All remained on the East Coast following the war for the rest of their careers.

The K class, although similar to the preceding H class, were slightly larger. These vessels included some features intended to increase underwater speed that were standard on US submarines of this era, including a rotating cap over the torpedo tube muzzles. A small sail for extended surface runs was augmented with a temporary piping-and-canvas structure.