| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | K1 |
| Fate: | Sold 26th October 1921. |
12th Flotilla: Scapa Flow.
12th Flotilla: Rosyth.
K3 was the first-of-class, laid down by His Majesty the King in May 1915 and 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.
While commanded by Herbert Shove, an eccentric who usually carried two white rats in the pockets of his uniform, K3 went out of control in the Pentland Firth and struck bottom at 266 feet. In what were regarded as shallow waters K3 with an unerring eye for disaster, had picked the one spot where there was a large hole in the seabed. Fortunately it was the K Class hoodoo's day off and despite the tremendous pressure to which her hull was subjected Shove got her back to the surface none the worse for her escapade.
The Light-cruiser HMS Blonde was heading K1, K3, K4 and K7 in line ahead off the Danish coast when she was forced to turn sharply to port to avoid three cruisers, that crossed her bows from starboard to port. The abrupt change of course took the submarines by surprise and K1 and K4 collided. K1 had lost way due to salt-water, instead of fuel, coming through the sprayers and extinguishing the boilers. K3 passed close on the port side. K4, following K3, suddenly observed the red light of K1, and, although taking avoiding action, struck K1 a glancing blow abreast the conning tower. Water poured into the control room. Within minutes, chlorine gas was being released from the batteries. Blonde was signalled that K1 was sinking, and the cruiser closed, lowering two cutters. The rescue boats made five trips and transferred all 56 members of the crew to Blonde. A discussion was then held as to whether K1 could be saved, and it was decided to sink her.
| Class: | 1959 - 1998: Oberon Class |
| Built By: | Cammell Laird (Mersey) |
| Build Group: | O2a |
| Fate: | |
| Sold October 1991 to the Warships Preservation Trust at Liverpool and despite several subsequent groups trying to preserve her Onyx was towed away from her berth at Barrow to begin her journey to the scrapyard on June 12, 2013 | |
After an exhaustive two-year search for the truth about the events and aftermath of this terrible Submarine disaster in Liverpool Bay, June 1939, David Roberts has at last found some shocking hitherto unpublished details.
13 pages added or updated in the last 2 month
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| Class: | 1959 - 1998: Oberon Class |
| Built By: | Cammell Laird (Mersey) |
| Build Group: | O2a |
| Fate: | |
| Sold October 1991 to the Warships Preservation Trust at Liverpool and despite several subsequent groups trying to preserve her Onyx was towed away from her berth at Barrow to begin her journey to the scrapyard on June 12, 2013 | |
After an exhaustive two-year search for the truth about the events and aftermath of this terrible Submarine disaster in Liverpool Bay, June 1939, David Roberts has at last found some shocking hitherto unpublished details.
13 pages added or updated in the last 2 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.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
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