USS Holland was the first commissioned vessel of the United States Navy’s modern submarine force, entering service in 1900.
The submarine was designed by John Philip Holland, an Irish-American inventor whose work helped establish practical submarine design in the United States. The Navy purchased the boat from the Holland Torpedo Boat Company and commissioned it as USS Holland on 12 October 1900.
Holland combined a gasoline engine for surface travel with an electric motor and batteries for submerged operation. That mixed propulsion system became characteristic of many early submarines, although later boats adopted diesel engines instead of gasoline because diesel fuel was safer.
The boat was officially designated SS-1. It trained crews and demonstrated submarine capabilities rather than serving as a large fleet combatant. USS Holland was retired in 1905, but its design influenced the Plunger-class submarines that followed.