British Submarines Building.
At the commencement of the great war there were 22 British submarines in course of construction at the various shipbuilding works and naval dockyards. Up to 1909 Messrs. Vickers Ltd., had constructed all the British submarines, but in that year the vessels C.17 and C.18 were laid down at Chatham Dockyard. Since then several other boats have been constructed there, and of those now in hand some are being built by Messrs. Vickers Ltd. at Barrow, others at Messrs. Scott’s shipbuilding yards at Greenock, and a few by Messrs. Armstrong, Whitworth and Co. Ltd. at Newcastle-on-Tyne, and at H.M. Dockyard at Chatham.
Hitherto, British submarines, although divided into classes—each of which has shown a marked improvement on the preceding class—have been all of one type—the “Improved Holland.” Among the vessels being constructed at the opening of hostilities they were, however, no less than three different types. Those being built at Barrow and Chatham were of the original design with modern improvements, but the submarines under construction at Greenock were of the Laurenti, or Italian type, and those at Newcastle-on-Tyne of the Laubeuf, or French type. In addition to this wise departure from previous practice, two of the new vessels have been given the names of Nautilus and Swordfish.
The haze of war has obscured these vessels, and it is impossible to say definitely which of them have taken their place in the active flotillas, and further the necessity for observing the very strictest secrecy regarding new types of warships at a time like the present makes it advisable to give here only the briefest particulars and not to discuss too freely the peculiarities of their design or their probable capabilities.
“F” Class.
There are several vessels of this class now being constructed. They are the latest improvement of the original Holland design and are sea-going submarines of wide range, high speed and great fighting power. The F.1, which was built at Chatham Dockyard, has a submerged displacement of 1,500 tons. Heavy-oil engines of about 5,000 H.-P. give her a maximum speed of 20 knots an hour on the surface, and electric motors of 2,000 H.-P. drive her at 12 knots when submerged. The armament consists of six torpedo tubes, ten torpedoes, and two quick-firing, high-angle guns.
“V” Class. “W” Class. “S” Class.
Nautilus and Swordfish.
These three classes include the vessels of entirely different design to those now forming the British flotillas. The “V,” or Vickers’ type, of which four were under construction at the beginning of the war, are large sea-going submarines with a submerged displacement of over 1,000 tons, and a probable surface speed of 20 knots. The “W” Class, of which four are being built at Elswick, comprise vessels of the French Laubeuf type. The “S” Class, building at Greenock, and four in number, are of the Italian, or F.I.A.T.—Laurenti type. The two named vessels—Nautilus and Swordfish—are large sea-going submarines of wide range and high speed. Their submerged displacement is about 1,000 tons, and their speed 20 knots on the surface and 12 knots when submerged. The armament is six tubes, with eight torpedoes, and two quick-firing guns. The complement of all these large submarines is about 25 officers and men.