ussbonita

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.

Tarpon, Octopus, and Bonita were C class subs, Grayling was D class. All were renamed on 17 November 1911 so this photo may have been taken prior to that date. I can't find a "Salem" but I wonder if that's really the Salmon, another D class. Subs were all named for fish at the time so "Salem" seems unlikely. Salmon was commissioned in Sept 1910 so that helps to further date the photo. The photo was probably taken at Newport, Rhode Island, as that's where all these subs operated out of. Source: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, via wikipedia.

Thanks for the information and your source! The "Salmon" name makes sense given the other sub names. This negative is visually very similar to a negative dated Oct. 28, 1911, showing a naval review in NYC, www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/2163790702/.

The names are painted on the sides of the vessels, but there isn't enough resolution in the scans (or perhaps the original negative) to be able to read them.

perfgeek: Try looking at the higher resolution version (tiff file) available at the persistent URL listed in the description.

Are those towers in the background on ships?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal_locks

The boat in the foreground is the USS C-4 (SS-15) (ex- USS Bonita) (note "C 4" on the bow). See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_C-4_(SS-15)

Richard Norton and TVL1970: Thanks for the additional details. We'll add them to the description next time we update.

:-) 1914, Gatun Locks, 5 submarines, C-class www.navsource.org/archives/08/0801307.jpg

US C-class submarine (s) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_C-class_submarine