narwhalclass

Interesting photo!

USS Octopus C-1: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_C-1_(SS-9) USS Tarpon C-3: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_C-3_(SS-14) USS Bonita C-4: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_C-4_(SS-15) USS Grayling D-2: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Grayling_(SS-18)

Date on glass negative is 10/28/11. During October 1911, over 100 naval ships assembled in New York for a Naval Review by the President of the United States (Theodore Roosevelt). See query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9905E6DC1539E333A... and the PDF it points to. It lists these submarines among the vessels to be present. Salem is the warship in the background. Many of the photos of naval vessels in this batch of Bain photos were probably taken around New York during October or early November 1911. However, there was also a Naval Review in New York the following year.

Thanks for pinning down the date and the event! The "Salem" may be a sub called the "Salmon" and the ship in the background may be the Nebraska, according to comment with www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2162989549/

The three on the left are D-class subs. There were only three in this class, so these have to be Narwhal, Grayling, and Salmon. The three on the right are C-class, which includes Tarpon, Octopus, and Bonita, as well as Stingray and Snapper which apparently couldn't make it that day. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_C_class_submarine en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_D_class_submarine I spoke too soon, looks like Stingray and Snapper were tied up on the other side. I suspect there's a limit to how many subs can be lined up at once. Note the negatives are both labeled 2335, so probably taken at the same event. www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163790206/

given the lack of line up number between the BB funnels, this is most likely the 1911 event.