Class

1915 - 1926: K Class

K Class submarines were the most bizarre and ill-fated submarines of the First World War period. Their conception, in the spring of 1915, arose from the demand for a submarine that could accompany the Grand Fleet at speeds of up to 24 knots.

A 1913 Admiralty design was adopted and, given the outline particulars, form and general arrangements, Vickers were requested to proceed with the detailed drawings.

The first-of-class K3 was laid down by His Majesty the King in May 1915 and was completed at Vickers within 15 months of being ordered. As a result of her trials, additional fans were fitted in the turbine room to combat the very high temperature generated by the steam turbines.

The K-Class submarine was a attempt by the Royal Navy to create a submarine capable of keeping pace with the massive dreadnoughts of the era - but sadly the design was badly hampered by issues from the start.

Of the 17 of the class, six were built at Vickers, each at an estimated cost of £340000. Originally 28 K Class submarines were ordered, but of these several were later cancelled, K18 to K21 were redesigned and became the M Class and K26 was an experimental submarine, built in an attempt to overcome the defects of the earlier K boats.

At the time, they were not only the largest submarines in the world, but also the fastest - their phenomenal speed being attained from 10 500 shp oil-fired steam turbines. In addition to the steam turbines, the class had an auxiliary diesel generator for charging the batteries and powering the electric motors.

The pioneer vessels of the K Class had a flush deck with a slight sheer forward but, because of a tendency to dive into head seas, later boats were redesigned to overcome this alarming habit and were fitted with large clipper bows and buoyancy tanks.

In order to allow this change, the armament and torpedo tubes were rearranged - the guns were removed to the superstructure and, where fitted, twin 18-inch deck tubes for use on the surface at night were removed.

The outline of the K boats was broken by two small funnels, which were hinged to fold down into a watertight well. The large air-intakes for the two oil-fired boilers also required watertight seals.

In the concise words of a contemporary submariner, the K Class had 'too many damned holes', and a minor obstruction or wire rope was sufficient to jam a vent open just as the submarine was ready to dive. An added disadvantage was that the highly ingenious design of the class was so complex that it was vulnerable to small defects.

K Class submarines could submerge faster than any previous steam submarines, but the delay was still impossibly long. Although the specified time to close down and secure the boiler room, funnel, etc. was only 30 seconds, the class still took about five minutes to dive. Once submerged, the class could dive to a depth of 200 feet.

The K boats, being high-speed Fleet submarines, were fitted with a deckhouse built over and around the conning tower, forming, in fact, a fully-enclosed bridge and giving, for the first time in Royal Navy submarines, protection to bridge personnel other than by canvas screens.

Although embarrassing for the shipbuilder, this rare photograph of K4 gives a good impression of the size, and a seldom seen view of a K Class Submarine

K Class submarines began to enter service in 1916, but because of their role with the Fleet they were unduly exposed to the risk of collision and a chapter of accidents befell the class. The worst accident occurred on the night of 31st January 1918 when ten K boats were operating with battle cruisers on a night exercise off May Island.

During the night, the helm in K14 jammed to starboard and she swung round and collided with K22, which was actually the K13 renamed after she had drowned most of her crew on her maiden voyage. The two boats locked together and in a series of collisions K4 was sunk by K6 (losing all hands), and K7 was sunk by HMS Fearless (also losing all hands). Four other submarines were damaged. This incident added further to the suspicion of a hoodoo on the class, because just two months earlier K1 had been sunk by the gunfire of HMS Blonde off the Danish coast.

These disasters finally sealed the fate of the K Class submarines and most were taken out of service at the end of the war.

The class never had an opportunity to prove themselves as Fleet submarines only six of the 17 boats built were in commission for six years or more, and the maximum time in service was nine years. However, experience gained from the K Class led to the building of the experimental submarine K26.

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Chapter 8: Fleet Type K and K26 Classes

The Development of HM Submarines from Holland 1 (1901) to Porpoise (1930)

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Unlucky Thirteen

K13 was carrying out her final acceptance trials prior to the Admiralty officially taking her over from her Clydeside builders. She had already covered the measured mile at a record 23 knots to gain the honour of the world's fastest submarine and there was a festive air about the pre-diving lunch which continued to 3:15 pm. And as she glided slowly down to the diving area in Gareloch she was carrying not only her regular crew of 53 officers and men but also 14 directors and employees of Fairfield, 13 other civilians, and two Royal Navy submarine officers acting as observers. When she arrived at the loch she picked up two more civilian experts. She dived smoothly enough but to Lt-Cdr Herbert's consternation she refused to trim level at 20 feet and continued plunging toward the bottom.

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Steam Submarines

The gargantuan steam submarines were treated as a joke by the hardened veterans of the Submarine Service when they first appeared. But on the fateful afternoon of January 29th, 1917 the K boats suddenly developed a new and more sinister reputation. From that day onwards 'K' stood for Killer. And by apt coincidence the drama featured No 13.

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Wartime Memoirs of Coxn Oscar Moth

A survivor Of K13 - It must be clearly understood, by all those who read my War Experiences, that, they were only written under pressure from my relatives and also the Friends I made during the Great War. They all tell me that my experiences are so varied that they deem it my duty that I should try and write them in Book Form. I think myself that my effort should prove very interesting to everyone and instructive to the younger generation.

The Full Story of the 'Battle' of the Isle of May Island. As they approached navigational confusion broke out, caused by the misinterpretation of ship's steaming lights and mayhem followed.

During the next couple of hours five collisions occurred involving eight ships and resulting in the death of 105 officers and ratings. This fiasco and the resulting naval investigation and court marshal were shielded from the general public and kept in secret files until the full details were released in 1994.

From this official report, the author now tells the full story of that dreadful night and the proceedings that followed. Background information on the evolution of the ill-fated and much hated K Class submarines is also included together with the investigation and court marshal proceedings of the events surrounding that tragic night.

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K Boats

Don Everitt

The twin-funnelled K Boat was the biggest, fastest submarine of World War I. It suffered a series of accidents from the day trials began.

This documentary answers questions about the numerous accidents, had while reconstructing the best concealed debacle in British naval history.

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X3 to X54

Keith Hall

The X and XE-Class submarines were conceived during the Second World War: around 51ft (16m) long, they were designed to be towed by a mother submarine and use their small size to complete stealth missions, such as attacking harbours and performing reconnaissance. Although they would not begin active service until 1942, the submarine crews achieved quite the record, racking up 167 honours between them, including four Victoria Crosses.

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Above Us the Waves

C.E.T. Warren / James Benson

It was the Italians who pioneered the use of two-man human torpedoes or 'chariots', and their attacks on ships of the Royal Navy in Alexandria Harbour in 1941 caused Winston Churchill to write to the Chief of Staffs committee to enquire what was being done to emulate these daring attacks.

The result was the development of British 'chariots' which were regarded as stop-gaps until the X-Craft or midget submarines could be deployed.

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Harwich Submarines in the Great War

Mark Harris / Rear Admiral Jonathan Westbrook CBE

The authoritative story of the Royal Navy's first submarine campaign, told using new research. The Harwich Submarine Flotilla played a key role establishing British dominance in the North Sea at the beginning of the First World War. Letters, diaries, memoirs and combat reports of the participants are used to give a complete account.

Much of this is in print for the first time. Foreword by Rear Admiral Jonathan Westbrook CBE, former Royal Navy Submariner. Written in collaboration with the Friends of the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, with profits from royalties contributing towards the work of the Museum.

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Cachalot (N 84)

Class:	1930 - 1946: Grampus Class
Built By:	Scotts (Clyde)
Build Group:	G2
Fate:
30 July 1941 - Scuttled off Benghazi to avoid capture

For many years submariners produced local newspapers, reporting from the deep with a unique take on their unusual lifestyle. Held in much affection by submarine crews, they enjoyed a long period of popularity from the 1970s-1990s for their irreverent and decidedly un-PC approach to underwater living.

In this entertaining book, author Keith Hall examines the development of this strange branch of underwater journalism, collating the articles and anecdotes, jokes cartoons and stories that have been published over the years to brighten up the lives of submariners far from home, providing an insight into the bizarre self-contained world of the submariner.

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