HMS H5

A view from the bridge of HMS H5.
History
UK
Name: HMS H5
Builder: Canadian Vickers, Montreal
Launched: June 1915
Fate: Sunk, 2 March 1918
General characteristics
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:
Speed:
  • 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged
Range:
  • 1,600 nmi (3,000 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 130 nmi (240 km) at 2 kn (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) submerged
Complement: 22
Armament:

HMS H5, was a British H-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was sunk after being rammed by the British merchantman Rutherglen, mistaken for a German U-boat, on 2 March 1918. All on board perished.

Stoker Petty Officer Thomas Lloyd was among the casualties. He, and all the rest of the crew are commemorated on Panel 29 at Royal Navy Submarine Museum. Also on board was US Navy Lt. Earle Wayne Freed Childs from the American submarine AL-2 as an observer, he became the first US submariner to lose his life in the First World War. The wreck site is designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act. A plaque commemorating the 26 who died was dedicated on Armed Forces Day 2010 in Holyhead.[1]

Design

Like all pre-H11 British H-class submarines, H5 had a displacement of 364 tonnes (401 short tons) at the surface and 434 tonnes (478 short tons) while submerged.[2] It had a total length of 171 feet (52 m),[3] a beam length of 15 feet 4 inches (4.67 m), and a draught length of 12 feet (3.7 m).[4] It contained a diesel engines providing a total power of 480 horsepower (360 kW) and two electric motors each providing 320 horsepower (240 kW) power.[4] The use of its electric motors made the submarine travel at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). It would normally carry 16.4 tonnes (18.1 short tons) of fuel and had a maximum capacity of 18 tonnes (20 short tons).[5]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) and a submerged speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). British H-class submarines had ranges of 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi).[2] H5 was fitted with a 6 pounds (2.7 kg) Hotchkiss quick-firing gun gun (6-pounder) and four 18 inches (460 mm) torpedo tubes. Its torpedo tubes were fitted to the bows and the submarine was loaded with eight 18 inches (460 mm) torpedoes.[2] It is a Holland 602 type submarine but was designed to meet Royal Navy specifications. Its complement was twenty-two crew members.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Ceremony for Armed Forces Day marks submarine tragedy". BBCNews. BBC. 19 June 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "H-class". Battleships-Cruisers, Cranston Fine Arts. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  3. ↑ Derek Walters (2004). The History of the British 'U' Class Submarine. Casemate Publishers. pp. 2–. ISBN 978-1-84415-131-8.
  4. 1 2 Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475. Retrieved from Naval-History on 20 August 2015.
  5. ↑ J. D. Perkins (1999). "Building History and Technical Details for Canadian CC-Boats and the Original H-CLASS". Electric Boat Company Holland Patent Submarines. Retrieved 20 August 2015.


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