USS D-2

Grayling, probably during builder's trials, circa 1909
History
United States
Name	USS Grayling
Builder	Fore River Shipyard Quincy, Massachusetts
Laid down	16 April 1908
Launched	16 June 1909
Sponsored by	Miss C. H. Bowles
Commissioned	23 November 1909
Decommissioned	18 January 1922
Renamed	USS D-2, 17 November 1911
Fate	Sold for scrap, 25 September 1922
General characteristics
Class and type	D-class submarine
Displacement	288 long tons (293 t)
Length	134 ft 10 in (41.10 m)
Beam	13 ft 11 in (4.24 m)
Draft	11 ft 8 in (3.56 m)
Speed	13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph)
Complement	15 officers and men
Armament	4 × 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes

USS D-2 (SS-18) was a D-class submarine of the United States Navy.

D-2′s keel was laid down by Fore River Shipbuilding Company in Quincy, Massachusetts, under a subcontract from Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut, as Grayling, making her the first ship of the U.S. Navy to be named for the Arctic grayling, a fresh-water game fish closely related to the trout. Grayling was launched on 16 June 1909, sponsored by Miss C. H. Bowles, and commissioned on 23 November 1909. She was renamed D-2 on 17 November 1911.

D-2 joined the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet as Flagboat for Submarine Division 3 (SubDiv 3). Along the United States East Coast, D-2 joined in diving, torpedo, and experimental exercises. She participated in the Presidential Review of the Fleet in the North River at New York City from 5 to 18 May 1915.

While patrolling outside Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island, just 3 nautical miles (5.6 km; 3.5 mi) east of Point Judith shortly before 14:00 on 7 October 1916, D-2 discovered the Imperial German Navy submarine SM U-53 under the command of Hans Rose heading towards Newport, Rhode Island, as part of her hitherto unprecedented two-way traversal of the Atlantic Ocean without refueling or resupply. The United States was still neutral in World War I, but there was an initial flurry of activity when U-53 suddenly steamed away to port believing the submerged D-2 to be a British submarine, but when D-2 surfaced so that a crewman could run aft to raise the United States flag, U-53 slowed. Lieutenant G. C. Fulker, USN, commanding officer of D-2, brought his submarine up close to U-53 on a parallel course to escort U-53 while in sight of land. As the submarines reached the Brenton Reef Lightship, Rose requested permission from D-2 to enter port at Newport. Fulker granted it, and Rose called back by megaphone, "I salute our American comrades and follow in your wake."^[1]

After the United States entered World War I on the side of the Allies on 6 April 1917, D-2 served in training and experimental work at New London, Connecticut. On 31 July 1917 or 1 August 1917 she sank the schooner Charlotte W. Miller in a collision near Bartletts Reef near New London; Charlotte W. Miller later was raised but declared a total loss.^[2][3] On 14 September 1917 D-2 sank at pierside with all hands aboard, although her entire crew was rescued. She was refloated, repaired, and returned to service.

D-2 was placed in commission, in reserve, at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 9 September 1919 and placed in ordinary on 15 July 1921. She was decommissioned on 18 January 1922 and sold as a hulk on 25 September 1922.

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entries can be found here and here.

• Photo gallery of USS Grayling/D-2 at NavSource Naval History