A 1 submarine

The full index of our ship stamp archive
Post Reply
aukepalmhof
Posts: 7771
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

A 1 submarine

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:49 pm

Built as a submarine for the Royal Navy by Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
19 February 1902 laid down.
1902 Launched, and named A 1.
Displacement surfaced 165 tons, length overall 100ft.
Powered by a 450hp petrol engine, 80 hp electric motor, speed 11.5 knots surfaced, 7.0 knots submerged.
Bunker capacity 7 tons.
Range 500 miles by 10 knots surfaced, 30 miles by 5 knots submerged.
Armament 1 – 18 inch bow torpedo tube.
Crew 2 officers and 9 ratings.

The A 1 was the first all British submarine, mainly designed by Captain Bacon.
She was ready in the autumn of 1903, but by delays including engine trouble and an explosion. A pocket of hydrogen gas ignited, but was it not enough to destroy the submarine, although 6 of the crew were injured.
At last was she commissioned placed under the command of Lt. L.C.O Mansergh.
After passing Lands End on her maiden voyage to Portsmouth, she developed engine trouble during bad weather. She was taken under tow. Becase of the weather she was rolling badly, and seawater entered the battery room. The A 1 filled with chlorine gas and the crew had to abandon the vessel.
The A 1 was towed to Falmouth for repair, thereafter she was towed to Portsmouth.
On arrival in Portsmouth she was moored alongside the HMS LATONA in a remot part of the harbour, so if she blew up, it would cause minimal damage.
During the last day of a fleet exercises off the Isle of Wight, the A 1 was send out to attack the HMS JUNO near the Nab Tower light.
As she closed in on her target she did not see an outgoing liner the BERWICK CASTLE, and the crew of the liner did not see her periscope. As the ship passed over her it struck the conning tower and the submarine sank with the loss of her full crew on 18th March 1904.
The captain of the liner thought that he had been struck by a practice torpedo and continued his voyage without stopping.
It was the first British submarine disaster. The conning tower did not have a second hatch so when the tower was holed the water flooded into the submarine.
After this accident all submarines have been fitted with a second hatch leading from the control room to the conning tower.

After she sank bubbles of air rose to the surface, and the exact position was known, but salvage due to bad weather was delayed. Some of the salvage vessels got wires slung under the vessel but when they took the strain the wires broke.
The conning tower and hatch were cemented in, and the cracks in the tower repaired.

She was eventually salvaged on 18th April 1904 by the Neptune Salvage Company of Stockholm. She was raised by high-pressure air being blown into the in the top of the submarine, and the sea-water being forced out through a hole in the bottom of the vessel.

23 July 1904 recommissioned after repairs .
August 1911 sunk when being used for target practice.

St Kitts 2001 $1.40 sg?, scott? And also in the margin of the MS.

Source: The British Submarine by Commander F.W. Lipscomb. Various web-sites.
Attachments
tmpFF.jpg
Last edited by Anonymous on Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:49 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Reason: Improvement in the wording

Post Reply