The USS Adder (SS-3), also known as "Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 3," was a Plunger-class submarine built for the United States Navy in the early 20th century. She measured 63 feet 10 inches (19.5 meters) in overall length, with a beam of 11 feet 11 inches (3.6 meters) and a mean draft of 10 feet 7 inches (3.2 meters). Displacing 107 long tons (109 tonnes) on the surface and 123 long tons (125 tonnes) submerged, the vessel was designed for coastal defense and training purposes. Her crew comprised one officer and six enlisted men, and she was capable of diving to a depth of 150 feet (45.7 meters). Powering the USS Adder was a single 180-horsepower gasoline engine for surface propulsion, driving a single propeller, and an electric motor of 70 horsepower for submerged operation. She could reach speeds of 8 knots (15 km/h) on the surface and 7 knots (13 km/h) underwater. Her armament consisted of one 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tube located in the bow, with four reload torpedoes, providing a total of five torpedoes. Construction began on October 3, 1900, at the Crescent Shipyard in Elizabethport, New Jersey, with her launch occurring on July 22, 1901. She was commissioned on January 12, 1903, at the Holland Torpedo Boat Station, making her the second U.S. submarine after the Holland. Initially used for experimental duties at Newport, she was later transferred to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. In 1909, Adder was decommissioned and transported to the Philippines aboard the collier Caesar, arriving in October. Recommissioned in February 1910, she joined the 1st Submarine Division of the Asiatic Torpedo Fleet, operating primarily out of Cavite and Olongapo. During World War I, she conducted patrols around Manila Bay and Corregidor. Renamed A-2 on November 17, 1911, she served until her decommissioning on December 12, 1919. Designated SS-3 in 1920, she was used as a target and sunk in mid-January 1922, subsequently struck from the Naval Vessel Register. The USS Adder played a significant role in early U.S. submarine development and maritime defense training.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.