Submarine class K (Royal Navy)

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K class
Royal Navy
HMS K15
General data
Ship type :
Navy :
Builders :
Units:
  • 18th
Boats of the class

K1 , K2 , K3 , K4 , K5 , K6 , K7 , K8 , K9 , K10 , K11 , K12 , K13 , K14 , K15 , K16 , K17 , K26

Technical data
K1 to K17
Crew:
  • 59 men
    • 6 officers
    • 53 teams
Displacement :
  • over water: 1980  ts
  • under water: 2566 ts
Length :
  • 103 m
Width:
  • 8.08 m
Draft :
  • 6.38 m
Drive :
Speed :
  • over water: 24 kn (44  km / h )
  • under water: 8 kn (15 km / h)
Fuel supply:
Driving range:
  • surfaced at 24 kn:
    • 800 NM (1480 km)
  • surfaced at 10 kn:
    • 12500 NM (23000 km)
  • submerged with batteries at 8 kn:
    • 8 NM (15 km)
  • submerged with batteries at 4 kn:
    • 40 NM (74 km)
Diving depth :
  • 50 m to 60 m
Armament
Torpedo tubes :
  • 8 × 18 ″ (457 mm)
  • 8 reserve torpedoes
Artillery :

The K-Class was a steam turbine-driven class of U-cruisers of the British Royal Navy in the First World War . Because of their frequent accidents, the warships were colloquially referred to by British sailors as the calamity class (meaning: disaster or misfortune class ).

Building history

The British Admiralty had been interested in a submarine since 1912 that, with a required surface speed of at least 21  kn (39  km / h ), was fast enough to accompany the surface forces of the fleet. However, the first drafts failed.

In January 1915, the J-class was commissioned. The boats were equipped with three 12-cylinder diesel engines, but did not achieve the required values ​​with 19 knots (35 km / h).

In April 1915, Vickers suggested the use of steam turbines to the chief of the submarines, Commodore Hall. With steam turbines, significantly higher outputs could be achieved than with diesel engines of the time. The Vickers design could travel at speeds of up to 24 kn (44 km / h) over water and thus meet the requirements. The naval leadership accepted the proposal and commissioned the construction of 21 units at a price of £ 340,000  each . 17 boats were built between 1915 and 1918.

Instead of the orders K18 to K21 , four M-class boats were later ordered. Three of these monitors armed with an oversized 12  inch (305 mm) gun were built; the last one was not completed.

The K-Class has been further developed and improved. In 1917 the British government ordered six upgraded submarines. The K26 , which went into service in 1923, was the only boat built in the second batch. The other five orders were canceled.

Constructive features

K1 to K17

The most important requirement of the submersible was a high speed above the water. Therefore, two steam turbines were chosen as the main drive. The steam pressure was generated in two oil-fired steam boilers . The turbines had an output of 10,500  hp (7800  kW ) and drove two propellers . This construction allowed high speeds above the water, but also required enormous fuel consumption, which limited the range at full power to 1,500 km. At a more economical speed of 10 kn (19 km / h), the submarines could travel up to 23,000 km.

Over water, the K-class boats were probably the fastest submarines of all time. The fast German Type IX boats in World War II only reached up to 18.2 kn (34 km / h). German test vehicles with Walter drives were also slower over water. Modern submarines are optimized for high underwater speeds and surfaced relatively slowly. Even the Soviet nuclear submarines of the Alfa-class , the knots with up to 45 (83 km / h), the fastest submarines ever had, drove over water only 14 knots (26 km / h).

In the planning phase, a third propeller was planned, which a diesel engine should drive during the cruise . The four electric motors should only drive the two main propellers when they are submerged. The third propeller was omitted in the boats built. The diesel engine was combined with an electric generator . The accumulators were charged with the electrical energy and the electric motors were driven during a slow march across the water.

The submarines were armed with a total of ten torpedo tubes with an inner diameter of 18 inches (457 mm). Four reloadable torpedo tubes were built into the bow. The boats carried up to eight reserve torpedoes. Four more pipes were mounted on the side. In addition, there were two pipes in a pivoting double carriage on the deck. They were supposed to be used for night operations above the water, but were later dismantled because they were quickly damaged in rough seas. The artillery armament consisted of a 3-inch (76.2 mm) anti-aircraft gun and two 4-inch (101 mm) deck guns .

The two-hulled boats had a very good buoyancy reserve of 32.5%. Due to the drive concept, the regular submersion process took around five minutes. Twelve large hatches and hundreds of valves had to be closed pressure-tight and the steam drive shut down. This even gave the commander enough time to inspect the deck and check the hatches for leaks while diving. The Abtauchrekord introduced the K8 3 minutes 25 seconds.

K26

The K26 was slightly larger than its predecessor and could hold up to 300  tons. Bring fuel with you. The range at maximum speed has been increased by almost 50% to over 2200 km. The torpedo armament was also stronger with 10 partially larger tubes. In the bow there were four reloadable 18 inch torpedo tubes. Six 21 inch (533 mm) tubes were mounted on the side. In addition, the boat dived faster than its predecessor and was able to dive 26 m deeper.

Fundamental problems of the design

The K-class boats were difficult to maneuver, very large and complicated for their time, but also modern and heavily armed. They got a very bad reputation because of many serious accidents, some of which were due to structural weaknesses.

The boats tended to unintentionally dive quickly and uncontrollably over the bow at high speeds. In use, however, the residual pressure of the steam boiler was sufficient to maintain the high speed for a short time even after the unintentional submergence or the extinguishing of the fire. As a result, the boats sometimes submerged too quickly and often fell below the safe maximum diving depth of 50 m before they could be intercepted. The length of the boats and the low maximum diving depth also had the effect that the pressure hull was subjected to dangerously inhomogeneous loads if the dive was too steep. With a diving angle of only 10 °, there was a difference in depth between bow and stern of 18 m. At 30 ° it was almost 50 m. This meant that the stern was still on the surface and the bow had already reached the safety limit of 50 m, which was all the more dangerous since the eight internal bulkheads were only tested for pressure differences corresponding to 20 m water depth difference . The designers were able to reduce the unwanted dynamic downforce by completely redesigning the bow by adding an additional floodable ballast tank, but never completely eliminating it.

The burners required relatively large exhaust pipes. The steam boilers quickly overheated, which is why very large fans had to be installed for cooling. This led to difficulties similar to those that the French had not been able to completely solve at Narval 15 years earlier . When the swell was too rough, seawater hit the intake and exhaust air ducts of the K-Class boats and partially extinguished the fire. The seal latches often jammed and water entered the pressure hull while diving. After the K-Class, conventional steam-powered submarines that were dependent on the outside air were no longer built anywhere in the world. Steam was only used again as a means of propulsion for submarines during the testing of propulsion concepts that were independent of the outside air, such as the German Walter and the French MESMA propulsion . The Pakistani Navy has operated at least one MESMA-powered Agosta-class boat since the late 1990s . The nuclear submarines introduced in the 1950s also use steam turbines.

The deployment concept itself was much more problematic than the constructive weaknesses. As naval submarines, the boats should operate closely with fast and large surface units such as destroyers , battlecruisers or even battleships . They should travel along the battle line just like conventional warships. Due to the low silhouette of a submarine, it is difficult to see for friends and foes alike. This fact is actually one of the main advantages of a submarine. On the other hand, the tower of a submarine is much lower than the navigating bridge of a surface ship, which means that a submarine commander has a very limited field of vision. In addition, the submarines were very difficult to steer due to their great length, which, in connection with the high speed above water, had fatal consequences. As a result of these fundamental problems, collisions often occurred.

The engineers were able to partially solve or at least reduce the technical deficiencies. The operational concept of the Admiralty, which basically originated from the time of the sailing ships Horatio Nelsons , turned out to be a complete failure. Similar to the land fronts of the First World War, the theories of military strategists lagged far behind the technical possibilities of their time.

Mission history

The submarines could not achieve any success in the war. All losses are the result of misfortunes. Not a single boat was lost to enemy action. The history of the “kalamity class” is largely a list of accidents.

The first completed unit was the K3 . During longer test drives in 1916, various technical problems were discovered and partially resolved through modifications. During a test dive in December 1916, in which the future King George VI. was on board as a visitor, the boat submerged uncontrollably, hit the bottom at a depth of 45 m and bored deep into the mud, while the stern protruded several meters out of the water with idling screws. Only after 20 minutes did the submarine escape from its helpless position and emerge unscathed.

The K13 sank on January 19, 1917, before it was commissioned, during a test dive in Gare Loch . Several hatches could not be adequately sealed when diving. Despite the extensive rescue measures that followed, only 48 crew members were rescued. 32 men were killed. The hull was raised and floated again. The boat was given the new name K22 . The "misfortune number 13", unpopular with seafarers, was no longer awarded.

In the same month there was an explosion and fire on the K2 during her first diving test.

On November 18, 1917, K1 , K3 , K4 and K7 operated together with the light cruiser HMS Blonde off the Danish coast. When the association tried to avoid three British cruisers, K1 and K4 collided . The incapable of maneuvering K1 had to be scuttled to prevent possible German access. The damaged K4 was able to return home.

Late in the evening of January 31, 1918, the worst incident in the history of the disaster-struck class of submarines occurred in the Firth of Forth . Within 75 minutes, several submarines collided with each other and with surface units. In the mass accident, K4 and K17 fell . The K6 , K7 , K14 , K22 and the light cruiser HMS Fearless suffered significant damage. 105 British sailors were killed. Although not a single enemy ship was involved, the dramatic events of that night are called battle of the Isle of May ( Battle of May Iceland called).

The K5 was lost on January 20, 1921 during a fleet maneuver in the Bay of Biscay with the entire crew under unexplained circumstances. The most likely explanation is that the submarine lost its trim, fell below its depth of destruction, and was crushed.

The last loss was the K15 . The submarine sank on June 25, 1921 at its berth in the Portsmouth naval base . As a result of a drop in pressure in the hydraulics , several hatches leaked, allowing water to penetrate the pressure hull. This was not the last accident in the K-Class. In 1924 the K2 and K12 collided in the port of Portland.

The remaining submarines from the first batch were scrapped by 1926.

The K26 , which went into service in 1923, was the only completed boat in the second batch. In 1924 the new building carried out a sea voyage via Gibraltar , Malta , through the Suez Canal , via Colombo to Singapore and back to England, which was noticed by the interested British public . The boat was spared the "calamities" of its predecessors.

The tonnage of the warship exceeded the maximum dimensions for submarines negotiated in the London Naval Conference of 1930 , which is why the K26 was scrapped in Malta in 1931. The modern and expensive sonar system of the boat was transferred to the submarine L26 .

Boats of the class

In the list, in addition to those built, all planned boats including the M-class boats are given. Only the 18 boats HMS K1 to HMS K17 and HMS K26 were built as K-Class . The HMS K22 is the renamed HMS K13 . Three boats belong to the M-class . Another M-class boat was not completed. Construction of the remaining five units was canceled.

boat Shipyard Keel laying Launch Commissioning comment
HMS K1 Portsmouth Dockyard November 1, 1915 November 14, 1916 April 1, 1917 self-sunk after collision with K4 on November 17, 1917; Crew rescued
HMS K2 Portsmouth Dockyard November 13, 1915 October 14, 1916 February 1, 1917 Sold for scrapping in 1926
HMS K3 Vickers May 21, 1915 May 20, 1916 September 22, 1916 Sold for scrapping in 1921
HMS K4 Vickers June 28, 1915 July 15, 1916 January 1, 1917 sank without survivors after colliding with K6 on January 31, 1918
HMS K5 Portsmouth Dockyard November 13, 1915 December 16, 1916 June 1, 1917 Sunk in 1921 with the entire crew under unexplained circumstances.
HMS K6 Devonport Dockyard November 8, 1915 May 31, 1916 February 1, 1917 Sold for scrapping in 1926
HMS K7 Devonport Dockyard November 8, 1915 May 31, 1916 February 1, 1917 Sold for scrapping in 1921
HMS K8 Vickers September 22, 1915 October 10, 1916 March 6, 1917 Sold for scrapping in 1923
HMS K9 Vickers June 28, 1915 November 8, 1916 May 9, 1917 Decommissioned in 1921; later scrapped
HMS K10 Vickers June 28, 1915 December 27, 1916 May 26, 1917 Sold for scrapping in 1921; Sunk in tow in 1922
HMS K11 Armstrong Whitworth October 1, 1915 August 16, 1916 February 1, 1917 Sold for scrapping in 1921
HMS K12 Armstrong Whitworth October 1, 1915 February 23, 1917 August 1, 1917 Scrapped in 1926
HMS K13 Fairfield's October 1, 1915 November 11, 1916 decreased in test drives; later raised and put into service as K22 ; Scrapped in 1926
HMS K14 Fairfield's November 1, 1915 February 8, 1917 May 22, 1917 Scrapped in 1925
HMS K15 Scott's April 19, 1916 October 31, 1917 April 30, 1918 sunk in Portsmouth on June 25, 1921; lifted and sold for scrapping in 1924
HMS K16 Beardmore's June 1, 1916 November 5, 1917 April 13, 1918 Decommissioned in 1920; Sold for scrapping in 1924
HMS K17 Vickers June 1, 1916 April 10, 1917 September 20, 1917 sunk on January 31, 1918 after colliding with the light cruiser HMS Fearless ; 48 dead
HMS K18 Vickers July 1, 1916 July 9, 1917 April 17, 1918 Construction contract changed; as HMS M1 built
HMS K19 Vickers July 13, 1916 October 19, 1918 February 14, 1920 Construction contract changed; as HMS M2 built
HMS K20 Armstrong Whitworth 4th December 1916 October 19, 1918 July 9, 1920 Construction contract changed; as HMS M3 built
HMS K21 Armstrong Whitworth December 1, 1916 July 20, 1919 Construction contract changed; planned as HMS M4 but not completed
HMS K22 Fairfield's October 1, 1915 November 11, 1916 October 18, 1917 originally K13 and sunk; renamed to K22 after repair ; Scrapped in 1926
HMS K23 Armstrong Whitworth not completed
HMS K24 Armstrong Whitworth not completed
HMS K25 Armstrong Whitworth not completed
HMS K26 Vickers June 1, 1918 August 26, 1919 June 28, 1923 Scrapped in 1931
HMS K27 Vickers not completed
HMS K28 Vickers not completed

See also

literature

  • Robert Hutchinson: KAMPF UNDER WASSER - Submarines from 1776 to today , Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart, 1st edition 2006, ISBN 3-613-02585-X
  • Anthony Preston: The history of the submarines , Karl Müller Verlag, Erlangen, German edition 1998, ISBN 3-86070-697-7

Web links

Commons : British K Class Submarines  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files