List of submarine classes of the United States Navy
Class name No First ship laid down Last ship commissioned
Barracuda 3 USS Barracuda ( SS-163 ) and USS Bass ( SS-164 ) 20 October 1921 USS Bonita ( SS-165 ) 22 May 1926
Argonaut 1 1 May 1925 2 April 1928
Narwhal 2 USS Narwhal ( SS-167 ) 10 May 1927 USS Nautilus ( SS-168 ) 1 July 1930
Dolphin 1 14 June 1930 1 June 1932
Cachalot 2 USS Cachalot ( SS-170 ) 7 October 1931 USS Cuttlefish ( SS-171 ) 8 June 1934
Porpoise 10 USS Porpoise ( SS-172 ) 24 October 1933 USS Pompano ( SS-181 ) 12 June 1937
Salmon 6 USS Salmon ( SS-182 ) 15 April 1936 USS Skipjack ( SS-184 ) 30 June 1938
Sargo 10 USS Sargo ( SS-188 ) 12 May 1937 USS Seawolf ( SS-197 ) 1 December 1939
Tambor 12 USS Tambor ( SS-198 ) 16 January 1939 USS Grayback ( SS-208 ) 30 June 1941
Mackerel 2 USS Mackerel ( SS-204 ) 6 October 1939 USS Marlin ( SS-205 ) 1 August 1941
Gato 77 USS Drum ( SS-228 ) 11 September 1940 USS Croaker ( SS-246 ) 21 April 1944
Between the world wars
Submarines of the United States Navy are built in classes, using a single design for a number of boats. Minor variations occur as improvements are incorporated into the design, so later boats of a class may be more capable than earlier. Also, boats are modified, sometimes extensively, while in service, creating departures from the class standard. However, in general, all boats of a class are noticeably similar. Experimental use: an example is USS Albacore (AGSS-569), which used an unprecedented hull design. In this list such single boat classes are marked with (unique).