“E” Class.
(Completed 1912–14.)
E’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18.
These fine ocean-going submarines are the latest additions to the British Flotillas. They have a submerged displacement of 800 tons, are 176 feet long and 22 ½ feet in beam. The heavy-oil engines of nearly 2,000 H.-P. give them a surface speed of over 16 knots, while the electric engines of 800 H.-P. drive them at a maximum speed of 10 knots an hour when submerged. Their surface cruising range is 5,000 miles at economical speed, and the submerged endurance 140 knots at 8 knots an hour. In point of armament the “E’s” are far more powerful than their predecessors, being fitted with four tubes and carrying six of the largest and most powerful Whitehead torpedoes. They are also equipped with two 3-inch quick-firing guns on high-angle disappearing mountings for defence against air-craft and hostile torpedo-boats and destroyers. They have wireless telegraphic apparatus; and, like the vessels of the “B,” “C” and “D” classes, have armoured conning towers and decks. Three tall panoramic periscopes are fitted, and their high superstructures and increased buoyancy when travelling on the surface enable them to keep the sea in almost any weather.