The second was demonstrated at the Spithead Review in 1888 and bought on the spot by the Tsar of Russia but was wrecked on the Jutland Coast on her delivery trip. However, when the Admiralty first determined to use steam propulsion for their 1913 K Class design and when the advent of nuclear power put steam propulsion back into submarines again in 1959, Barrow shipyard could surely reflect: 'So what's new? We did it as long ago as 1886.'
HOW RN SUBMARINES HAVE GROWN!
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:
'It is understood that no ceremony will take place at the forthcoming launch of the first British submarine at Barrow-in-Furness. The Admiralty regard these boats as wholly in the nature of an experiment and, like all other experiments conducted from time to time, this one will be carried out with every privacy'.
There were many setbacks in the early days and tragic losses. But steadily the Royal Navy's confidence, experience and knowledge grew and by 1914 the submarine service was formidable, effective and efficient.
In the quest for speed, endurance and fighting efficiency, many submarines were fitted with a vast array of additional contraptions and appendages. Some were fitted with funnels and looked like small destroyers; one was given a huge hangar complete with aircraft; another was equipped with a massive 12-inch gun; and yet another had two twin 5.2-inch gun turrets. In short, the Royal Navy spent considerable effort making the submarine more effective as a surface vessel, using its submersible capability mainly to transit secretly.
Only after the Second World War were concentrated efforts made to fit the submarine for its true role - to operate continuously beneath the waves. A variety of experiments were carried out; one result was the snort mast - yet another piece of strange equipment, but one which gave the submarine enormously increased submerged endurance.
Eventually the era of nuclear propulsion dawned, which at last freed the submarine from any dependence on the earth's natural atmosphere. Total undetectability became a reality.
Thus, from the undistinguished beginnings of the Holland Class 'submersibles', which had a submerged endurance of only 20 miles at 5 knots, the Royal Navy now has true submarines - vessels that can circumnavigate the globe without surfacing.
HOW THEY HAVE GROWN: HOLLAND 1 (1901) AND HMS VENGEANCE (1999)
HOLLAND I HMS VENGEANCE
Length Overall 63ft 10in 492ft
Breadth 11ft 10in 39ft 4in
Displacement,
surface 113 tons
submerged 122 tons 15900 tonnes
Max Diving Depth 100 feet In excess of 300 feet
Speed,
surface 7.4 knots
submerged 6 knots In excess of 25 knots
Endurance
submerged 20 nautical miles 40+ circumnavigations of the globe
at 5 knots before refuelling after 9-10 years.
Armament One 18-inch bow tube Four reloadable 21-inch bow tubes
(3 torpedoes carried) Sixteen Trident II D5 missile tubes
Main Machinery One 160hp petrol engine One nuclear pressurized water-cooled
One 74hp main motor reactor providing steam for geared
turbines.
Complement,
design 2 officers 5 ratings 2 crews each of 21 officers 115 ratings
It is highly complex modern submarines such as the Vanguard Class that are proof of the faith John P Holland and his contemporaries had in the potential of the submarine - although even their expectations could never have envisaged such advanced technology under the waves.
It has never been consistent with the principles of Barrow shipyard or the Royal Navy to rest content with past or present-day successes. Forward thinking and design are constantly in hand by both parties. The latest Astute Class now building at Barrow will be almost twice the displacement of the submarines they will replace and have a nuclear reactor core-for-life which will not require to be refuelled throughout its designed service life.
What role can BAE SYSTEMS Marine play in the design and construction of future submarines? It will probably come as no surprise to learn that staff from Barrow have already been represented on the Ministry of Defence's Integrated Project Team for the next generation Future Attack Submarine (FASM). Whatever requirements are eventually determined for these and future submarine classes, BAE SYSTEMS Marine at Barrow will be ready to accept the challenge.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following sources of reference are acknowledged:
1 BR 3043
The Development of HM Submarines from Holland No.1 (1901) to Porpoise (1930)
