British H-class submarine

Class overview
H4 at Brindisi, August 1916
Operators:	Royal Navy Chilean Navy Royal Canadian Navy
Preceded by:	E class
Succeeded by:	J class
In commission:	26 May 1915–1945
Completed:	42
Lost:	9
Retired:	33
General characteristics
Displacement:	Group 1+2 : 363 long tons (369 t) surfaced 434 long tons (441 t) submerged Group 3 : 423 long tons (430 t) surfaced 510 long tons (518 t) submerged
Length:	Group 1+2 : 150 ft 3 in (45.80 m) Group 3 : 171 ft 0 in (52.12 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:	Group 1+2 : 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged Group 3 : 11.5 knots (21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) surfaced 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged
Range:	Group 1+2 : 1,600 nmi (3,000 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced Group 3 : 2,985 nmi (5,528 km) at 7.5 kn (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) surfaced Group 1+2+3 : 130 nmi (240 km) at 2 kn (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) submerged
Complement:	22
Armament:	4 × 18 in (457 mm) bow torpedo tubes 8 × 18 inch torpedoes 1 × QF 6 pounder gun (H1–H4 only)^[1]

An H-class submarine under construction.

Three H-class submarines (lower left).

HMS H5, H6, H7, H8, H9, and H10 with the drydocked British armoured cruiser HMS Carnarvon (at upper left) during World War I, sometime between the 1915 commissioning of the submarines and the 4 May 1917 sale of H6 to the Netherlands.

The British H-class submarines were Holland 602 type submarines used by the Royal Navy. The submarines constructed for the British Royal Navy between 1915 and 1919 were designed and built in response to German boats which mined British waters and sank coastal shipping with ease due to their small size. The H class was therefore created to perform similar operations in German waters, and to attack German submarines operating in British waters.

Despite their cramped size and lack of a deck gun, the class became enormously popular amongst submariners, and saw action all around the British Isles, some being transferred as far as the Adriatic. Due to the later arrival of most of the class, they were unable to have a massive impact, only destroying two German submarines U-51 and UB-52 for the loss of four of their own number in the First World War.

Post-war many were retained in the Royal Navy for training purposes, and four more were lost in wrecks during the 1920s. At the outbreak of the Second World War they were hopelessly obsolete, but nevertheless were retained in training and coastal warfare roles to help the Royal Navy cope with heavy losses to the submarine fleet during the early stages of the war. Two were sunk during this duty by German countermeasures. The Canada-built boats were equipped with Fessenden transducers, which were missing from the US-built boats.

Boats

Group 1

Group 1 was built in Canada at the Canadian Vickers Yards in Montreal before being transported across the Atlantic and deployed from Britain. This was necessary because British shipyards were too overcrowded and busy to construct submarines at this time.

H1 – Launched May 1915
H2 – Launched June 1915
H3 – Launched June 1915. Mined and sunk July 1916
H4 – Launched June 1915
H5 – Launched June 1915. Rammed and sunk March 1918
H6 – Launched June 1915. Interned and purchased by the Dutch January 1916
H7 – Launched June 1915
H8 – Launched June 1915
H9 – Launched June 1915
H10 – Launched June 1915. Disappeared 1918

Group 2

The second group was constructed simultaneously with the first group, but at Fore River Yard at Quincy, Massachusetts in the then-neutral United States. When the US government discovered the construction, they impounded all the completed units, only releasing them following their own declaration of war two years later. To escape this difficulty, the British government gave six units to the Chilean Navy as partial payment for the appropriation of six Chilean ships for British service in 1914.

H11 – Launched 1915.
H12 – Launched 1915.
H13 – Launched 1918, transferred to Chile
CH-14 – Launched 1919, transferred to Canada
CH-15 – Launched 1918, transferred to Canada
H16 – Launched 1918, transferred to Chile
H17 – Launched 1918, transferred to Chile
H18 – Launched 1918, transferred to Chile
H19 – Launched 1918, transferred to Chile
H20 – Launched 1918, transferred to Chile

Group 3

Group 3 was the largest group, and was constructed in 1917–1919 in Britain, shipyard space having been granted to the project and more boats needed following the seizure of those building in the United States. They were built by Vickers, Cammell Laird, Armstrong Whitworth and William Beardmore at several locations, and most of the boats enjoyed long careers in the Royal Navy.

H21 – Launched 1918
H22 – Launched 1918
H23 – Launched 1918
H24 – Launched 1918
H25 – Launched 1918
H26 – Launched 1918
H28 – Launched 1918
H29 – Launched 1918. Sank in dockyard accident 1926
H30 – Launched 1918
H31 – Launched 1919. Mined and sunk 1941
H32 – Launched 1919
H33 – Launched 1919
H34 – Launched 1919
- Numbers H35-H40 not used.
H41 – Launched 1918. Wrecked in collision 1920
H42 – Launched 1919. Wrecked in collision 1922
H43 – Launched 1919
H44 – Launched 1920
- Numbers H45 and H46 cancelled.
H47 – Launched 1919. Wrecked in collision 1929
H48 – Launched 1919
H49 – Launched 1919. Sunk by German surface units 1940
H50 – Launched 1920
H51 – Launched 1919
H52 – Launched 1919
H53 and H54 cancelled.

Notes

↑ Britain 6pdr / 8cwt [2.244"/40 (57 mm)] QF Marks I and II

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British H class submarines.

Holland 602 type submarine

Royal Canadian Navy CH class	CH-14 CH-15

Chilean Navy Chilean H class	H1 ⁄ Guacolda H2 ⁄ Tegualda H3 ⁄ Rucumilla H4 ⁄ Guale H5 ⁄ Quidora H6 ⁄ Fresia

Regia Marina Italian H class	H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8

Imperial Russian and Soviet Navies American Holland class	AG-11 AG-12 AG-13 / AG-16 AG-14 AG-15 AG-21 AG-22 AG-23 AG-24 AG-25 AG-26 AG-27

Royal Navy British H class	H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17 H18 H19 H20 H21 H22 H23 H24 H25 H26 H27 H28 H29 H30 H31 H32 H33 H34 H41 H42 H43 H44 H47 H48 H49 H50 H51 H52

United States Navy United States H class	H-1 H-2 H-3 H-4 H-5 H-6 H-7 H-8 H-9

British naval ship classes of the First World War

Aircraft/Seaplane carriers	Empress^S^V Riviera^S^V Engadine^S^V Ark Royal^S Ben-my-Chree^S^V Campania^S^V Raven II^S^V Anne^S^V Vindex^S^V Manxman^S^V Furious^M Pegasus^S^V Nairana^S^V Argus^S^V Vindictive^S^V

Dreadnought battleships	Dreadnought^S Bellerophon St Vincent Neptune^S Colossus Orion King George V Erin^S Agincourt^S Iron Duke Canada^S Queen Elizabeth Revenge

Pre-dreadnought battleships	Royal Sovereign Majestic Canopus Formidable Duncan King Edward VII Swiftsure Lord Nelson

Battlecruisers	Invincible Indefatigable Lion Queen Mary^S Tiger^S Renown Courageous Admiral^S^C Incomparable^X

Armoured cruisers	Cressy Drake Monmouth Devonshire Duke of Edinburgh Warrior Minotaur

Heavy cruisers	Hawkins

Light cruisers	Town^G Arethusa C^{G, C} Danae^C Emerald^A

Protected cruisers	Apollo Astraea Eclipse Blake Pearl Edgar Powerful Diadem Arrogant Pelorus Highflyer Challenger Topaze

Scout cruisers	Adventure Forward Pathfinder Sentinel Boadicea Blonde Active

Destroyer flotilla leaders	Swift^S Faulknor Marksman Parker Admiralty (or Scott)^C Thornycroft (or Shakespeare)^C

Destroyers	A^G B^G C^G D^G E^G F Cricket^G G H I K L Admiralty M Hawthorn M Thornycroft M Yarrow M Yarrow Later M R^G S^{G, C} Talisman V and W^{G, C}

Monitors	Marshal Ney Abercrombie Lord Clive Humber Gorgon M15 M29 Erebus

Minesweepers	Flower Racecourse Hunt 24^C

Gunboats	Fly Insect

Submarines	A B C D E F G H^C J K L^C M^C R^C Swordfish^S V

A All completed after the war C One or more completed after the war G Grouping of several classes M converted from Courageous class S Single ship of class V Conversions X Cancelled

British naval ship classes of the Second World War

Aircraft carriers	Courageous Argus Hermes Eagle Ark Royal Illustrious Unicorn Implacable Colossus Majestic^C Audacious^C Malta^X Centaur^C

Escort carriers	Archer^AV Audacity^V Avenger^AV Attacker^A Ruler^A Activity^V Pretoria Castle^V Nairana^V

Battleships	Queen Elizabeth Revenge Nelson King George V Lion^X Vanguard^C

Battlecruisers	Renown Hood

Heavy cruisers	Hawkins County York

Light cruisers	C Danae Emerald Leander Arethusa Town Dido Crown Colony Minotaur

Minelayers	Adventure Abdiel Plover Linnet Agamemnon^V Menestheus^V Port Napier^V Port Quebec^V Southern Prince^V Teviot Bank^V

Destroyer leaders	Shakespeare Scott

Destroyers	R S V & W Town^A Ambuscade Amazon A & B C & D E & F G & H I Tribal J, K & N Hunt L & M O & P Q & R S & T U & V W & Z C Battle Weapon^C G^X Daring^C,P

Frigates	River Captain^A Colony^A Loch Bay

Corvettes	Flower Castle

Sloops	24 Bridgewater Hastings Banff^A Shoreham Grimsby Kingfisher Bittern Egret Black Swan

Minesweepers	Hunt Halcyon Bangor Auk^A Algerine Cybele

Submarines	H L Odin Parthian Rainbow S River Grampus T U P611 V Amphion X XE

Coastal	Harbour Defence Motor Launch Fairmile B motor launch Motor Torpedo Boat Motor Gun Boat Steam Gun Boat

Other	Trawlers Isles Portuguese Tree Monitors Erebus Roberts Seaplane carriers Pegasus Albatross Merchant aircraft carriers Fighter catapult ships Armed merchant cruisers Ocean boarding vessels

A American built X Cancelled C Completed after the war C,P Laid down and completed after the war V Conversions

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