List of torpedo boats of the United States Navy

USS Cushing (TB-1)
Ships of the United States Navy
Ships in current service
Ships grouped alphabetically
Ships grouped by type

This list of steam-driven torpedo boats of the United States Navy includes all ships with the hull classification symbol TB, running from TB-1 of 1890 to TB-35 of 1901. It does not include the Patrol Torpedo (PT) boats of World War II.

The first torpedo-boat to serve with the United States Navy was the experimental Stiletto of 31 tons, built in 1885-86 as a yacht by the Herreschoff Manufacturing Company, Bristol, Rhode Island. Designated WTB-1 (for "Wooden Torpedo Boat"), she was purchased under the Act of 3 March 1887 for use as a torpedo boat for experimental purposes and commissioned in July 1887. She measured 94ft overall (88ft 6in waterline) x 11ft 6in x 3ft, and had a 1-shaft vertical compound engine of 359 ihp, achieving 18.2 knots. She was stricken on 27 January 1911 and sold on 18 July 1911.

The authorisation for the following steel torpedo-boats was as follows:

  • Act of 3 August 1886: TB-1
  • Act of 30 June 1890: TB-2
  • Act of 26 July 1894: TB-3 to TB-5
  • Act of 2 March 1895: TB-6 to TB-8
  • Act of 10 June 1896: TB-9 to TB-18
  • Act of 3 March 1897: TB-19 to TB-23
  • Act of 4 May 1898: TB-24 to TB-35 (also the first sixteen TBDs - see Bainbridge-class destroyer)

Cushing class torpedo boat[edit]

Ericsson class torpedo boat[edit]

Foote class torpedo boats[edit]

Porter class torpedo boats[edit]

Rowan class torpedo boat[edit]

Hull No. Ship Name Shipyard Authorised Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
TB-1 Cushing Herreshoff, Bristol, Rhode Island 3 August 1886 April 1888 23 January 1890 22 April 1890 Stricken 6 April 1912; sunk as target 24 September 1920.
TB-2 Ericsson Iowa Iron Works, Dubuque, Iowa 30 June 1890 21 July 1892 12 May 1894 18 February 1897 Stricken 6 April 1912; sunk as target.
TB-3 Foote Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, Maryland 26 July 1894 1 May 1896 1 October 1896 7 August 1897 Renamed CTB-1 on 1 August 1918; sold 19 July 1920.
TB-4 Rodgers Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, Maryland 26 July 1894 6 May 1896 10 November 1896 1 April 1898 Renamed CTB-2 on 1 August 1918; sold 19 July 1920.
TB-5 Winslow Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, Maryland 26 July 1894 8 May 1896 6 January 1897 29 December 1897 Stricken 12 July 1910 and sold in January 1911.
TB-6 Porter Herreshoff, Bristol, Rhode Island 2 March 1895 February 1896 9 September 1896 20 February 1897 Stricken 7 November 1912 and sold 30 December 1912.
TB-7 DuPont Herreshoff, Bristol, Rhode Island 2 March 1895 February 1896 30 March 1897 3 September 1897 Renamed CTB-3 on 1 August 1918; sold 19 July 1920.
TB-8 Rowan Moran Brothers, Seattle, Washington 2 March 1895 22 June 1896 8 April 1898 1 April 1899 Stricken 29 October 1912 and used as target, sold 3 June 1918.

Dahlgren class torpedo boats[edit]

Farragut class torpedo boat[edit]

Davis class torpedo boats[edit]

Morris class torpedo boat[edit]

Talbot class torpedo boats[edit]

MacKenzie class torpedo boats[edit]

Hull No. Ship Name Shipyard Authorised Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
TB-9 Dahlgren Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 10 June 1896 11 December 1897 29 May 1899 16 June 1900 Renamed CTB-4 on 1 August 1918; sold 19 July 1920.
TB-10 Craven Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 10 June 1896 6 December 1897 25 September 1899 9 June 1900 Stricken 14 November 1913 and sunk as target in 1913.
TB-11 Farragut Union Iron Works, San Francisco 10 June 1896 26 July 1897 16 July 1898 22 March 1899 Renamed CTB-5 on 1 August 1918; sold 9 September 1919.
TB-12 Davis Wolf & Zwicker, Portland, Oregon 10 June 1896 2 March 1897 4 June 1898 10 May 1899 Stricken 12 November 1913; sold 21 April 1920
TB-13 Fox Wolf & Zwicker, Portland, Oregon 10 June 1896 4 March 1897 4 July 1898 8 July 1899 Stricken 31 August 1916; sold as mercantile Ace 31 August 1920.
TB-14 Morris Herreshoff, Bristol, Rhode Island 10 June 1896 19 November 1897 13 April 1898 11 May 1898 Renamed CTB-6 on 1 August 1918; sold 10 October 1924.
TB-15 Talbot Herreshoff, Bristol, Rhode Island 10 June 1896 8 April 1897 14 November 1897 4 April 1898 Renamed USS Berceau (YFB 3) 11 April 1918; sold 18 July 1944.
TB-16 Gwin Herreshoff, Bristol, Rhode Island 10 June 1896 14 April 1897 15 November 1897 4 April 1898 Renamed USS Cyane (YFB 4) 11 April 1918; sold 24 September 1925.
TB-17 MacKenzie Charles Hillman Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 10 June 1896 15 April 1897 19 February 1898 1 May 1899 Stricken 10 March 1916 and used as target.
TB-18 McKee Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, Maryland 10 June 1896 11 September 1897 5 March 1898 16 May 1898 Stricken 6 April 1912 and used as target; sunk 24 September 1920.

Stringham class torpedo boat[edit]

Goldsborough class torpedo boat[edit]

Bailey class torpedo boat[edit]

Somers class torpedo boat[edit]

Manley class torpedo boat[edit]

Hull No. Ship Name Shipyard Authorised Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
TB-19 Stringham Harlan & Hollingsworth, Wilmington, Delaware 3 March 1897 21 March 1898 10 June 1899 7 November 1905 Stricken 26 November 1915 and used as target ship 1915; sold 18 March 1923.
TB-20 Goldsborough Wolf & Zwicker, Portland, Oregon;
completed by Puget Sound Navy Yard
3 March 1897 14 July 1898 29 July 1899 9 April 1908 Renamed CTB-7 on 1 August 1918; sold 8 September 1919.
TB-21 Bailey Gas Engine & Power Co., Morris Heights, N.Y. 3 March 1897 30 April 1898 5 December 1899 10 June 1901 Renamed CTB-8 on 1 August 1918; sold 10 March 1920.
TB-22 Somers G. Schichau, Elbing, Germany * 3 March 1897 1893 1897 28 March 1898 Renamed CTB-9 on 1 August 1918; sold 19 July 1920.
TB-23 Manley Yarrow & Co,, Poplar, London * 3 March 1897 - ca. 1894 never commissioned Renamed USS Levant (YFB) 11 April 1918; sold 21 April 1920.

Note: * purchased for US Navy during Spanish-American War on 25 March 1898 and 13 April 1898 respectively.

Bagley class torpedo boats[edit]

Blakely class torpedo boats[edit]

Hull No. Ship Name Shipyard Authorised Laid down Launched Commissioned Fate
TB-24 Bagley Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 4 May 1898 4 January 1900 25 September 1900 18 October 1901 Renamed CTB-10 on 1 August 1918; sold 9 April 1919.
TB-25 Barney Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 4 May 1898 3 January 1900 28 July 1900 21 October 1901 Renamed CTB-11 on 1 August 1918; sold 19 July 1920.
TB-26 Biddle Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine 4 May 1898 21 February 1900 18 May 1901 26 October 1901 Renamed CTB-12 on 1 August 1918; sold 19 July 1920.
TB-27 Blakely George Lawley & Sons, South Boston, Mass. 4 May 1898 12 January 1899 22 November 1900 27 December 1904 Renamed CTB-13 on 1 August 1918; sold 10 March 1920.
TB-28 DeLong George Lawley & Sons, South Boston, Mass. 4 May 1898 24 January 1899 23 November 1900 12 October 1902 Renamed CTB-14 on 1 August 1918; sold 19 July 1920.
TB-29 Nicholson Lewis Nixon, Elizabethport, N.J. 4 May 1898 6 December 1898 23 September 1901 10 January 1905 Stricken 3 March 1909 and used as Target No.6.
TB-30 O'Brien Lewis Nixon, Elizabethport, N.J. 4 May 1898 29 December 1898 24 September 1900 15 July 1905 Stricken 3 March 1909 and used as Target No.5.
TB-31 Shubrick William R. Trigg Co., Richmond, Va. 4 May 1898 11 March 1899 31 October 1899 31 May 1901 * Renamed CTB-15 on 1 August 1918; sold 10 March 1920.
TB-32 Stockton William R. Trigg Co., Richmond, Va. 4 May 1898 18 March 1899 27 December 1899 14 March 1901 * Stricken 15 November 1913 and sunk as target September 1916.
TB-33 Thornton William R. Trigg Co., Richmond, Va. 4 May 1898 16 March 1899 15 May 1900 9 June 1902 Renamed CTB-16 on 1 August 1918; sold 28 August 1920.
TB-34 Tingey Columbian Iron Works, Baltimore, Maryland 4 May 1898 29 March 1899 25 March 1901 7 January 1904 Renamed CTB-17 on 1 August 1918; sold 10 March 1920.
TB-35 Wilkes Gas Engine & Power Co., Morris Heights, New York 4 May 1898 3 June 1899 28 September 1901 18 September 1902 Stricken 15 November 1913 and sunk as target 1914.

Note: * not recorded; first log for Shubrick started 19 November 1901; first log for Stockton started 14 November 1901.

Re-classification in 1918[edit]

On 1 August 1918 all 17 surviving torpedo boats were redesignated as Coast Torpedo Boats and given numbers in place of their original names[1] and were subsequently sold for breaking up in 1919 and 1920.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Paul H. Silverstone, US Warships of World War I, Ian Allan Ltd, 1970.
  • Blackford, Charles Minor. Torpedoboat Sailor. Annapolis: United States Naval Institute, 1968.
  • Chesneau, Roger, Eugène M. Koleśnik, and N. J. M. Campbell. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. New York: Mayflower Books, 1979.
  • Fock, Harald. Fast Fighting Boats, 1870–1945 Their Design, Construction, and Use. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press, 1978.
  • Gardiner, Robert, Randal Gray, and Przemysław Budzbon. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press, 1985.
  • Mooney, James L. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington: Naval Historical Center, Dept. of the Navy, 1991.
  • Moore, John Evelyn. Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I. New York: Military Press, 1990.