USS Holland became the first U.S. Navy submarine when it was commissioned in 1900.
Built by John Philip Holland and the Holland Torpedo Boat Company, the boat entered Navy service as USS Holland, later designated SS-1. It combined a gasoline engine for surface travel with an electric motor and batteries for submerged operation.
The Navy purchased the vessel in 1900 and used it to train crews and develop submarine doctrine. Its success encouraged the United States to order additional boats, beginning the Navy’s modern submarine fleet.
USS Holland is distinct from the later USS Plunger and USS Nautilus classes. The Navy’s first submarine, USS Alligator, was an experimental Civil War vessel and was never commissioned into the modern submarine force.