HMS H6
 HNLMS O 8 | |
| Career (United Kingdom) |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Canadian Vickers |
| Launched: | 10 June 1915 |
| Fate: | Sold to the Netherlands, 4 May 1917 |
| Career (Netherlands) |  |
| Name: | Hr.Ms. O 8 |
| Acquired: | 4 May 1917 |
| Fate: | Scuttled by Dutch Forces following German invasion of the Netherlands during Second World War. Later refloated by Germany |
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
| Name: | U-D1 |
| Decommissioned: | 23 November 1943 |
| Fate: | Scuttled in Kiel Harbour following Allied advance, 3 May 1945 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type: | H-class submarine |
| Displacement: | 363 long tons (369 t) surfaced 434 long tons (441 t) submerged |
| Length: | 150 ft 3 in (45.80 m) |
| Beam: | 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m) |
| Propulsion: | 1 × 480 hp (358 kW) diesel engine 2 × 620 hp (462 kW) electric motors |
| Speed: | 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 130 nautical miles (240 km; 150 mi) at 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) submerged |
| Complement: | 22 |
| Armament: | 4 × 18-inch (450mm) bow torpedo tubes 8 × 18 inch torpedoes |
HMS H6 was a British H-class submarine of the Royal Navy built by Canadian Vickers & Co. during World War I.
History
She was completed on 10 June 1915 and was commissioned by the Royal Navy the same year. However, her service in the Royal Navy was short. On 19 January 1916 she ran aground near the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog after which she was interned by the Dutch Navy. On 4 May 1917 an agreement was reached to sell H6 to the Netherlands.
Dutch service
The Dutch Navy renamed H6 HNLMS O 8 and refitted her with knowledge gained from the interned German submarine UC-8. After UC-8 was bought from Germany O 8 was equipped with UC-8 's Zeiss periscope. During maintenance in October 1921, O 8 sank in the harbour at Den Helder. Because only minor damage was sustained, she was repaired and continued service. In the summer of 1925 O 8 together with the other Dutch vessels K XI, Jacob van Heemskerck, Maarten Harpertszoon Tromp, Z 3 and Z 5 were part of an exercise in the Baltic Sea.
During the German attack on the Netherlands at the start of the Second World War O 8 was still in Dutch service. Because of her old age it was decided to scuttle her.
German service
After the surrender of the Netherlands the German forces were able raise O 8 and found her almost fully intact.[1]
Germany took O 8 into service as U-D1 and transferred her from Den Helder to Kiel. In Kiel she was used as training ship to train crews for the German U-boats. Because of her old age she was decommissioned on 23 November 1943. On 3 May 1945, she was scuttled in the harbor at Kiel.[2]
References
- ↑ Bezemer, K.W.L.; Zij vochten op de zeven zeeën; Uitgeversmaatschappij W. de Haan N.V.; 1954
- ↑ Dutchsubmarines.com O 8
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
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