USS B-2 (SS-11) was one of three B-class submarines built for the United States Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. Description The B-class submarines were enlarged versions of the preceding Plunger class. They had a length of overall, a beam of and a mean draft of . They displaced on the surface and submerged. The B-class boats had a crew of one officer and nine enlisted men. They had a diving depth of . For surface running, they were powered by one gasoline engine that drove the single propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a electric motor. The boats could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, they had a range of at and at submerged. The B-class boats were armed with two 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried two reloads, for a total of four torpedoes. Construction and career B-2 was laid down by Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, under subcontract from Electric Boat Company of New Suffolk, L. I., as Cuttlefish, making her the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the cuttlefish, a 10-armed marine mollusk similar to the squid. Cuttlefish was launched on 1 September 1906 sponsored by Ms. Eleanor Gow, daughter of Commander J. L. Gow, and commissioned on 18 October 1907. She reported to the Second Submarine Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet. Cuttlefish operated along the Atlantic coast, running experiments, testing machinery and equipment, and conducting extensive training exercises until going into reserve at Charleston Navy Yard on 30 November 1909. Recommissioned on 15 April 1910, she served with the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet until joining the Reserve Torpedo Group at Charleston Navy Yard on 9 May 1911. The boat was renamed B-2 on 17 November. B-2 remained in reserve until placed out of commission on 4 December 1912. On 6 December, she was towed to Norfolk, Virginia, and loaded onto for transfer to the Asiatic Station. Sailing via the Suez Canal, Ajax arrived at Cavite, Philippine Islands on 30 April 1913, and B-2 was launched on 12 May. She was recommissioned on 2 August and assigned to the Torpedo Flotilla, Asiatic Fleet. She remained on duty in the Philippines, Naval Base Manila, until decommissioned at Cavite on 12 December 1919. B-2 was subsequently used as a target. See also USS B-1 USS B-3 Notes References External links