John Philip Holland, the man who developed the first true submarine accepted by the United States Navy (spending 57 of his 74 years working with submersibles), was born in Liscanor, County Clare, Ireland, on 29 February 1840. As a youth, he considered the use of the submarine to further the cause of Irish Independence. Holland came to the United States in 1873. In 1875 his first submarine designs were submitted for consideration by the United States Navy, but were turned down as unworkable.

Holland continued to improve his designs and worked on several experimental boats prior to his successful efforts with the privately built "Holland" launched in 1898. This was the first submarine having power to run submerged for any considerable distance. She was purchased by the United States Navy after rigorous tests, and six more of her type were ordered.

On 12 August 1914, John Philip Holland died in Newark, New Jersey. The United States Navy's first submarine was named in his honor.

USS Holland (SS-1) was launched by Crescent Shipyards in Elizabethport, New Jersey, in 1898, and commissioned on 12 October 1900 at Newport, Rhode Island, with Lieutenant Harry H. Caldwell in command.

When commissioned, the submarine was 53 feet 10 inches in length overall, had an extreme beam of 10 feet 3 inches, and displaced 64 tons of water on the surface. At that displacement, the submersible drew 8 feet 6 inches of water. Submerged displacement was 74 tons. Ship's compliment was one officer and six enlisted men. Armament included one 8.425-inch pneumatic dynamite gun and one 18-inch torpedo tube. Three torpedoes were carried. Five tons of gasoline could be carried to fuel the 50 brake horsepower main propulsion Otto internal combustion gasoline engine, which could propel the submarine at 6 knots at speed on the surface. Surface endurance was 200 nautical miles at 6 knots. Power for submerged propulsion was supplied by 66 Exide Paste battery cells, which turned a 50 horsepower main propulsion motor, which drove the boat at 5.5 knots, submerged. Submerged endurance was 30 nautical miles at 5.5 knots. The vessel was designed to safely go to 75 feet...her test depth. One propeller shaft that turned one propeller was fitted on the centerline of the ship.

On 16 October 1900 USS Holland left Newport under tow of tug "Leyden" for Annapolis where she trained midshipmen of the Naval Academy as well as officers and enlisted men ordered there to receive training so vital in preparing for the operation of other submarines being built for the Fleet.

USS Holland proved valuable for experimental purposes in collecting data for submarines under construction or contemplation. Her 166-mile surface run from Annapolis to Norfolk from 8 to 10 January 1901 provided useful data on her performance underway for an extended period.

Except for the period 15 June to 1 October 1901, which was passed training midshipmen at the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport, Rhode Island, USS Holland remained at Annapolis until 17 July 1905 as a training submarine.

USS Holland finished out her career at Norfolk. Her name was struck from the Navy Register of Ships on 21 November 1910. She was sold as scrap to Henry A. Hitner & Sons at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 18 June 1913. Her purchaser was required to put up $5,000 bond as assurance that the submarine would be broken up and not used as a ship.