British R class submarine

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Britain
Operators:	Royal Navy
Preceding class:	P-class
Following class:	S-class
Ships in Class
Ships in class:	12
Scrapped ships:	10
Ships planned but not completed:	2
General Characteristics
Class type:	diesel-electric submarine
Displacement:	420 tons (427 t) surfaced 500 tons (507t) submerged
Length:	163ft (49.7m)
Beam:	16ft (4.9m)
Draught:	11ft 6in (3.5m)
Propulsion and power:	Diesel engines, 240hp(180kW) Electric motors, 1200hp (895kW) One shaft
Speed:	9.5 knots (17.6kph) surfaced 14kt (26kph) submerged
Complement:	20 officers and ratings
Armament:	6 × 18in (53;cm) torpedo tubes (forward)
Sensors:	bow hydrophone array

The R class submarines were a class of 12 British diesel-electric submarines built for the Royal Navy during World War I

Ordered in December 1917, they were the first designed specifically to attack and sink other submarines, a forerunner of the modern hunter-killers. For this purpose they were designed to be faster underwater (14 knots {26kph, 16mph}) than on the surface (9 knots {17kph, 10mph}).

Designed with a streamlined spindle-shaped hull of circular section^[1] (not reproduced until the Los Angeles class) with a single screw, with greatly increased battery capacity and a greater submerged than surfaced horsepower, their armament was six 18" bow torpedo tubes, later changed to 21-inch.^[2]The bulbous bow also contained sensitive hydrophones. The vessels had a well-streamlined conning tower and carried no deck gun.

R-1 through R-4 were ordered from Chatham, R-5 and R-6 from Devonport (later changed to Pembroke), R-7 and R-8 from Vickers, R-9 and R-10 from Armstrong, and R-11 and R-12 from Cammell Laird. In August 1919, with World War One over, R-5 and R-6 were cancelled, the rest being completed. To save time, they used H-class components.^[3]

At 14 knots the class set an underwater speed record not broken for 25 years, and it was only exceeded then by research vessels.^[4]

Operating out of Killybegs, Donegal, one of the class reportedly tracked and fired on a U-Boat in October 1918; the torpedo hit but failed to explode.

All but R-4 and R-10 were sold for scrap in 1923. The two survivors were relegated to ASW training at Portland, where their high performance led to them to (literally) run rings around trawlers whose performance their crews found deficient. R-10 was sold in 1929, R-4 in 1934, without the RN ever recognizing their true value.^[5]

[edit] R class submarines

• HMS R1
• HMS R2
• HMS R3
• HMS R4
• HMS R5
• HMS R6
• HMS R7
• HMS R8
• HMS R9
• HMS R10
• HMS R11
• HMS R12

[edit] References

• Gunston, Bill. Submarines in Colour Blandford Colour Series (Blandford Press), 1976. (ISBN 0-7137-0780-1)
• Preston, Anthony. Submarines - The History and Evolution of Underwater Fighting Vessels. Octopus Books, 1974. (ISBN 0-7064-0429-7)
• Fitzsimons, Bernard, editor. Encyclopedia of 20h Century Weapons and Warfare, Volume 20. London: Phoebus Publishing, 1977.
• J. J. Colledge, Ships of the Royal Navy, Greenhill Books, 1987.

1. ^ Fitzsimons, p.2170, "R-1"
2. ^ Gunston, p.114, "'British R class (33)"
3. ^ Fitzsimons, ibid.
4. ^ Gunston, p.114, "'British R class (33)"
5. ^ Fitzsimons, ibid.