Top
Home → Boats → Submarines → Timeline

RN Submarine Timeline

1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1126 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1136 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1196 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039
Holland Class (5) S'fish (1) R Class (12) S Class (63) Swiftsure Class (6)
A Class (13) X1 (1) Parthian Class (6) Explorer Class (2) Trafalgar Class (7)
B Class (11) D Class (8) Oberon Class (3) Porpoise Class (8) Vangaurd Class (4)
C Class (38) E Class (56) Odin Class(6) Stickleback Class (4) Oberon Class (3) Astute Class (7)
V Class (4) Rainbow Class (4) Dreadnought (1) Upholder Class (4) Dreadnought Class (4)
S Class (3) L Class (34) Valiant Class (2)
Nautilus (1) River Class (3) Resolution Class (4)
W Class (4) Sold to Italy Grampus Class Churchill Class (3)
J Class (7) T Class (54)
K Class (17) U Class (49)
M Class (3) Amphion Class (16)
H Class (44)
K26 Class (1) Turkish Class Transferred to Turkey
F Class (3) * US R Class (3)
G Class (14) V Class (22)
X Class (16)
XT Class (6)
VIIC Class (1) XVIIB Class (1)
XE Class (18)
Allied Subs in the RN (19)            
US S Class (6)
1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1126 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1136 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1196 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039

The 1912-1920 Submarine Build Strategy

In November of 1910 Captain Roger J B Keyes succeeded Captain Sydney S Hall as Inspecting Captain of Submarines. Keyes was a destroyer man and knew nothing about submarines. He appointed a committee which advised him that future British submarines should be of two types, 'Coastals' for local defence and large 'Overseas' for operations off an enemy's coast.

Keys considered Vickers and Chatham Dockyard unable to meet his demands. So that additional submarines could be built in private yards, he caused the Admiralty-Vickers agreement to be terminated. As two years notice had to be given none of the excellent Admiralty-designed E boats could be ordered from other yards until 1913.

Keyes went abroad to obtain what he wanted in addition to encouraging British shipbuilding firms to propose their own designs. The results were catastrophic, unfortunately, as these efforts produced nothing else but a motley collection of what at best could be called experimental submarine types. These foreign designs were barely suitable for work in the North Sea as they had been developed for the Mediterranean and this caused the Royal Navy to lag behind the German Navy submarines of the overseas type.

There were a number of dismal failures, the Italian designed S Class and the French designed W Class which were both of double hull construction. These boats were finally ceded to the Italian Navy in 1915-1916. Keyes remained in charge of the submarines for four years. It is a fact that the British Navy never wanted more submarines, at least until the advent of the nuclear submarine.

Most flag officers and above all Admiral Fisher believed that the Battle Fleet should have its own flotillas of submarines capable of working with the surface ships. The obsession of the Admirals in their rigid Battle Fleet concept prevented them considering the submarine as the lone unsupported weapon it really was. This persuaded the British to waste a not inconsiderable portion of their submarine building effort through the construction of so-called Fleet Submarines. The resulting K Class steam driven submarines, intended as a new and powerful spearhead for the Battle Fleet, were to suffer more calamity than ever endured by any other class of warship in the Royal Navy.

1901 - 1913: Holland Class