38 C Class were built between 1905 and 1910, all but six being built at Barrow. The other six were built at Chatham, (First instance of Lead Yard?).
The B Class and C Class were almost identical, being larger versions of the A Class, with petrol engines for surface propulsion and batteries for propulsion when submerged.
Many improvements were made from B1 to C38, particularly in the superstructure, to improve surface running and seaworthiness. These infant submarines led eventful lives.
Unluckiest vessel of the era was surely the submarine A1. Some of the things that happened in her have served as a warning to all submariners from that day to this. Before delivery, A1 suffered the first explosion in a submarine, this was due to a pocket of hydrogen gas.
When on passage off Land's End the crew had to abandon ship when seawater entered the batteries, filling the submarine with choking chlorine gas. When she was eventually delivered to Portsmouth, A1 was berthed in a remote part of the harbour, so that this 'dangerous craft' could do as little damage as possible if she blew up.
In the summer of 1904, during manoeuvres against the Fleet, A1 was dispatched to attack a battleship. When she neared Spithead, the ocean liner SS Berwick Castle made an approach. No one on watch noticed the tiny periscope jutting from the waves, nor did any of her crew feel anything more than a slight tremble as the massive ship ran over a small unknown object. When A1 failed to report that night, it was realised that a disaster had occurred. Eleven men lost their lives in this tragedy, which caused great concern throughout the country.
The early years of submarine building were a time of innovation:
In 1908, approval was given to fit C12 to C16 with 'airlocks' or 'air-traps' as they were sometimes known. Divided into three airlocks, with a fourth fitted on the starboard side, the enclosed spaces had stowed in them sixteen diving helmets, one for each member of the crew. The escape route was through the torpedo hatch. These airlocks were subsequently fitted to all Band C Class submarines.
The first submarine to carry a boat appears to have been C1, which had a 10t berthon boat, a practice that was adopted for the remainder of the class. In 1905, the hitherto unknown dangers of petrol vapour caused an explosion in A5, which killed her commander and several others, and led to the move to adopt diesel engines, which used heavy oil with a higher flash point, and A13 was fitted with an experimental diesel engine for trials at sea.
During these trials, the C Class vessels continued to be fitted with the same sixteen cylinder Wolseley petrol engine as in A5 to A12, but now made by Vickers and called the Vickers engine. In C19 to C38 the number of cylinders was reduced to twelve. Following the trials in A13, diesels were adopted for the D Class, and the use of petrol engines in new designs came to an end.
The A Class, B Class and C Class, although intended for coastal defensive work, proved that the submarine was here to stay and with greater range could have an even more important role to play.
Distribution of RN Submarines WW1
The British Fleet at the moment when war was declared possessed 72 submarine torpedo-boats built and 22 building. Some of these were, however, stationed at the oversea naval bases.
Chapter 3: The Spindle Hull Types - Holland, A, B and C Classes
The Development of HM Submarines from Holland 1 (1901) to Porpoise (1930)
Early in 1915 an experiment took place in the Firth of Forth of a C class boat being towed submerged by a powerful tug. The submarine was towed along at various depths, using a towing slip to enable her, at the opportune moment, to release herself and so make the attack. It was C27 which carried out these experiments which proved quite a success, she and C19 were sent to Aberdeen for actual operations.
On 6 July 1918, a squadron of German seaplanes returning from a daylight raid on Lowestoft and Walmer, caught a Harwich-based British C-class submarine napping on the surface. When the boat was eventually towed into port she was literally a bloody shambles, her captain and nearly half her crew were dead and several others wounded. Yet, even this tragic event had its share of heroism
| U-Boats Destroyed |
Paul Kemp Covering U-Boat losses in both World Wars, this reference for naval historians and students provides data on the nature, causes, locations, and results of losses. |
| U-Boat Manual |
Alan Gallop An insight into the design, construction and operation of the feared World War 2 German Type VIIC U-boat |
| Type VII U-boats |
Robert C. Stern After the narrow defeat of their U-boat fleet in the First World War, the German Navy analyzed their experiences and devised new theories and plans for a future conflict. |
| Hitler's Attack U-Boats |
Jak P Mallmann Showell This is the story of the Types II, VII and IX that became the workhorse' of the Kriegsmarine's submarine fleet and put out to sea to attack Allied shipping right up to the end of the war. The Type II was a small coastal boat that struggled to reach the Atlantic; the Type VII was perfectly at home there, but lacked the technology to tackle well protected convoys; whilst the Type IX was a long-range variety that was modified so that it could operate in the Indian Ocean. |
| Class: | 1935 - 1970: Improved S Class |
| Built By: | Cammell Laird (Mersey) |
| Build Group: | S3 |
| Fate: | |
| Sold 28/10/49 scrapped Faslane | |
11 pages added or updated in the last Array month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation. Or you can make a big one if you like :)
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
Distribution of RN Submarines WW1
The British Fleet at the moment when war was declared possessed 72 submarine torpedo-boats built and 22 building. Some of these were, however, stationed at the oversea naval bases.
Chapter 3: The Spindle Hull Types - Holland, A, B and C Classes
The Development of HM Submarines from Holland 1 (1901) to Porpoise (1930)
Early in 1915 an experiment took place in the Firth of Forth of a C class boat being towed submerged by a powerful tug. The submarine was towed along at various depths, using a towing slip to enable her, at the opportune moment, to release herself and so make the attack. It was C27 which carried out these experiments which proved quite a success, she and C19 were sent to Aberdeen for actual operations.
On 6 July 1918, a squadron of German seaplanes returning from a daylight raid on Lowestoft and Walmer, caught a Harwich-based British C-class submarine napping on the surface. When the boat was eventually towed into port she was literally a bloody shambles, her captain and nearly half her crew were dead and several others wounded. Yet, even this tragic event had its share of heroism
| U-Boats Destroyed |
|
Paul Kemp Covering U-Boat losses in both World Wars, this reference for naval historians and students provides data on the nature, causes, locations, and results of losses. |
| U-Boat Manual |
|
Alan Gallop An insight into the design, construction and operation of the feared World War 2 German Type VIIC U-boat |
| Type VII U-boats |
|
Robert C. Stern After the narrow defeat of their U-boat fleet in the First World War, the German Navy analyzed their experiences and devised new theories and plans for a future conflict. |
| Hitler's Attack U-Boats |
|
Jak P Mallmann Showell This is the story of the Types II, VII and IX that became the workhorse' of the Kriegsmarine's submarine fleet and put out to sea to attack Allied shipping right up to the end of the war. The Type II was a small coastal boat that struggled to reach the Atlantic; the Type VII was perfectly at home there, but lacked the technology to tackle well protected convoys; whilst the Type IX was a long-range variety that was modified so that it could operate in the Indian Ocean. |
| Class: | 1935 - 1970: Improved S Class |
| Built By: | Cammell Laird (Mersey) |
| Build Group: | S3 |
| Fate: | |
| Sold 28/10/49 scrapped Faslane | |
11 pages added or updated in the last Array month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation. Or you can make a big one if you like :)
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.