Plunger, a 149-ton experimental steam-powered submarine designed by John P. Holland, was built under a Navy contract issued in March 1895. She was constructed at Baltimore, Maryland, launched in August 1897 and ran dock trials in 1898. However, her complex machinery arrangement proved unworkable and the boat was not accepted for service. The contract was cancelled in 1900, with the funds already paid for her applied to the purchase price of a new submarine, which became USS Plunger (Submarine # 2). The original Plunger was retained by the Holland Torpedo Boat Company. Though considered for reconstruction with new engines, she remained inactive until scrapped in 1917.