In 1901, Vickers, Sons and Maxim built their first submarine for the Royal Navy - Holland I. Ninety-eight years later, the shipyard's 309th Royal Navy submarine - HMS Vengeance - was commissioned. Comparing the two vessels, it is plain to see why that 'damned un-English weapon' has developed into the main striking power of the Fleet.
Underhand, unfair and 'damned un-English' was the popular view in the country when, on 2nd October, 1901, the Royal Navy's Submarine Service came into being with the launch of HM Submarine Boat No.1 which became known as Holland 1. Such was the low regard for the submarine as a practical weapon that the 'Naval and Military Record' stated:
