| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | H21 |
| Fate: | Sold to the breakers August 1935 |
| 1929: | Lieutenant Commander | David Edward Gillespie Wemyss | |
| 1933: | Lieutenant | William Kenneth Ramsden Cross |
| Length overall | 171 ft 9 inch |
| Beam | 15 ft 9 inch |
| Depth | 15 ft 4 inch |
| Displacement | 438 tons (surface) |
| 504 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 150 ft |
| Speed | Surface 13 knots (design) |
| Surface 11.5 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 to 10.5 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Armament | 4 x 21 inch bow tubes (6 torpedoes carried) |
| Endurance | Surface: 2000 miles at full power (design) |
| Surface: 1100 miles at full power or 1600 miles at 10 knots (service) | |
| Submerged: 70 miles at 3 knots (design) | |
| Submerged: 9 miles at 8 knots or 34 miles at 3.5 knots (service) | |
| Complement | 22 |
L 52 |
|
| Class: | 1916 - 1945: L Class |
| Built By: | |
| Build Group: | L3 |
|
Fate: Broken Up 1935 |
|
Submariners are a special breed. Not for them a life on the ocean wave, the fresh air and sunshine of other naval sailors. With stealth and daring they go deep and dark, alone and unseen, in often dangerous waters. They sometimes call themselves the Silent Service, with good reason.
Australian submariners have done extraordinary deeds in the First and Second World Wars and, more recently, the Cold War. In April 1915 the Australian submarine AE2 penetrated the Dardanelles Strait to 'run amuck', a historic feat that was a turning point in the Gallipoli campaign. Eventually captured, her crew spent three harrowing years as prisoners-of-war in Turkey.
In the Second World War Australian naval volunteers made their name serving in midget submarines, attacking Hitler’s mightiest battleship, the Tirpitz, in the icy waters of a Norwegian fjord. Later, they fought the Japanese in the South China Sea.
And in the last half of the twentieth century, RAN submarines played a vital role tracking the Soviet navy in the Pacific Ocean. One wrong move could have led to outright war. The risks they ran, the perils they met and the intelligence they gathered are still classified Top Secret.
Submarines and the sailors who serve in them have been and remain the tip of the spear of Australia's defences. For the first time, this is their unique story.
14 pages added or updated in the last 1 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.
| Length overall | 171 ft 9 inch |
| Beam | 15 ft 9 inch |
| Depth | 15 ft 4 inch |
| Displacement | 438 tons (surface) |
| 504 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 150 ft |
| Speed | Surface 13 knots (design) |
| Surface 11.5 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 to 10.5 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Armament | 4 x 21 inch bow tubes (6 torpedoes carried) |
| Endurance | Surface: 2000 miles at full power (design) |
| Surface: 1100 miles at full power or 1600 miles at 10 knots (service) | |
| Submerged: 70 miles at 3 knots (design) | |
| Submerged: 9 miles at 8 knots or 34 miles at 3.5 knots (service) | |
| Complement | 22 |
L 52 |
|
| Class: | 1916 - 1945: L Class |
| Built By: | |
| Build Group: | L3 |
|
Fate: Broken Up 1935 |
|
Submariners are a special breed. Not for them a life on the ocean wave, the fresh air and sunshine of other naval sailors. With stealth and daring they go deep and dark, alone and unseen, in often dangerous waters. They sometimes call themselves the Silent Service, with good reason.
Australian submariners have done extraordinary deeds in the First and Second World Wars and, more recently, the Cold War. In April 1915 the Australian submarine AE2 penetrated the Dardanelles Strait to 'run amuck', a historic feat that was a turning point in the Gallipoli campaign. Eventually captured, her crew spent three harrowing years as prisoners-of-war in Turkey.
In the Second World War Australian naval volunteers made their name serving in midget submarines, attacking Hitler’s mightiest battleship, the Tirpitz, in the icy waters of a Norwegian fjord. Later, they fought the Japanese in the South China Sea.
And in the last half of the twentieth century, RAN submarines played a vital role tracking the Soviet navy in the Pacific Ocean. One wrong move could have led to outright war. The risks they ran, the perils they met and the intelligence they gathered are still classified Top Secret.
Submarines and the sailors who serve in them have been and remain the tip of the spear of Australia's defences. For the first time, this is their unique story.
14 pages added or updated in the last 1 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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