100 YEARS OF BARROW-BUILT RN SUBMARINES, 1901-2001
POST-WAR SUBMARINES, 1955-2000
EXPERIMENTAL EXPLORER CLASS 1955-68
As early as 1911, Germany was conducting laboratory experiments with closed-cycle propulsion systems that did not breathe air, hoping that it would be possible to build a true submarine, one that was designed to stay submerged, as opposed to a submersible boat. By the start of the Second World War, research had gathered momentum and, in 1940, following the trials of a prototype hydrogen peroxide-driven submarine - the little V80 - a number of experimental boats were built.
In 1946, one such experimental boat, the U-Boat 1407, which has been scuttled at the German collapse, was salvaged and, after a long delay, commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Meteorite. Her recovery led to a British development programme which resulted in two 1120-ton submarines, Explorer and Excalibur, being constructed at Barrow. Built for speed trials only, they were purely experimental, unarmed submarines. Their high-test hydrogen peroxide engines were basically steam turbines, with steam being supplied from the heat generated by the interaction of high-test hydrogen peroxide (HTP), a catalyst and diesel oil.
HMS Explorer had so many teething troubles that her first captain never took her to sea. However, when she eventually made an appearance, in 1958, she was impressively fast, achieving submerged speeds of 25 knots. Her retractable superstructure fittings aided the streamlined hull form.
Provisionally accepted from Vickers in March 1958, HMS Excalibur was built at a cost of £1 142 000.
Both Explorer and Excalibur were fitted with the latest submarine escape arrangements, including the one-man chamber, and equipped with the most modern escape breathing apparatus for use by the ship's company in the event of an emergency.
Explorer and Excalibur were, not unnaturally, known as the 'blonde' submarines, because of their peroxide fuel, and they served a useful purpose inasmuch as they gave the Royal Navy's anti-submarine forces some valuable practice against fast targets. Their main use, however, was to prove that the HTP system did not represent the way forward for RN submarine development. Indeed, HTP proved difficult to the point of being dangerous, and there was more than one contemporary report of explosions in the two submarines, and at least one instance when the entire crew was forced to stand on the casing to avoid the noxious fumes which had suddenly filled the boat. 'I think the best thing we can do with peroxide is to try to get it adopted by potential enemies', said one RN submariner.
Commander Christopher Russell, who captained HMS Explorer - which was known locally as 'Exploder' because of the huge fireballs from her exhausts when starting up - recalls the dangers of working with HTP:
'The high-test peroxide was a very volatile substance and was carried in special bags outside the pressure hull. Occasionally, there would be a 'whoomph' as one of them exploded. Looking into the engine room, which was unmanned when we were under way, one could see flames dancing along the top of the combustion chamber. We did not look upon her as being dangerous. The crew took the bangs and fires as a matter of course...and fire drill became a very practised affair.'
The development of the hydrogen peroxide engine did not go well, and a lot of steam went out of the project, in quite a literal sense. When the Americans succeeded in designing a nuclear reactor suitable for fitting in submarines, a new era began and the HTP project was abandoned. Neither Explorer nor her sister Excalibur had much contribution to make in these circumstances, and they were scrapped in 1969/70.
PATROL SUBMARINES
Submarines with diesel-electric power units had an important role to play in anti-submarine warfare and against surface ships. Their underwater endurance was not as great as that of nuclear submarines, but they were fast, silent and difficult to detect. The Royal Navy Patrol Submarine Fleet from 1955 onwards consisted of the Porpoise and Oberon Classes.
PORPOISE CLASS 1955
Designed in the early 1950s as replacements for the A boats, the Porpoise Class were the first post-war-built operational submarines to be accepted into service. As with the earlier minelayer submarines of the same class name, ordered in the 1930 Admiralty Programme, whether by accident or design, the first-of-class Porpoise, Narwhal and Rorqual were also built at Barrow. Of the other five submarines of the class, Finwhale, Grampus and Sealion were built at Cammell Lairds and Cachalot and Walrus at Scotts'.
Porpoise Class submarines were fitted with two Admiralty Standard Range 16-cylinder diesel generator sets. Together these supplied 3300 bhp, providing a surface speed of 12 knots. The submerged speed of 17 knots was attained from two massive main batteries which drove the propulsion motors, developing 5000 hp.
Having beautifully clean welded hulls and a high yet silent underwater speed, these submarines were among the best conventional boats in the world for their day. Long patrol endurance was a primary design requirement of the Porpoise Class, and the snort equipment was designed to give maximum snort charging facilities and to operate in rough sea conditions in any part of the world. When required, oxygen replenishment and carbon dioxide and hydrogen eliminators made it possible for the class to remain totally submerged for several days without 'snorting'.
When snorting, these submarines remained submerged for as long as six weeks. They were fitted with apparatus to distil freshwater from sea-water for drinking purposes, and this, together with stowage capacity for large quantities of stores and provisions, enabled them to remain independently operational for months without any outside support. With this ability to stay at sea for such long periods, habitability standards had to be of the highest quality, and an air conditioning plant, which provided drying and either heating or cooling of the air as appropriate for arctic or tropical service, was an important installation in the Porpoise Class.
Of the last exponents of the class, the Barrow built Porpoise was sunk as a target on 20th October 1985, whilst Rorqual was broken up in the same year, Sealion and Walrus were sold in 1987 and Finwhale was broken up in the same year.
OBERON CLASS
Between 1959 and 1964, thirteen Oberon Class submarines were constructed for the Royal Navy, three of which - Olympus, Orpheus and Osiris - were built at Barrow. Although they had the same dimensions, displacement and machinery as the Porpoise Class, the Oberons incorporated some important developments, such as improved detection equipment and the ability to fire homing torpedoes. They earned a reputation as the classic RN conventional submarine over an era which spanned 30 years of service.
Perhaps the most radical change that occurred with the introduction of the Oberon Class was the fact that, for the first time in British submarines, plastic was used in the superstructure construction - before and abaft the bridge, in most units, the superstructure is mainly glassfibre laminate. In addition, the superstructure of the second ship, the Vickers-built Orpheus, was made of aluminium. She was ultimately designated for alongside training at HMS Dolphin in 1987. Olympus sailed to Canada in 1989 to become an alongside training boat. Remaining boats of the class with the exception of Otus underwent the Triton modernization programme which involved an electronic surveillance measures fit and the capability to guide two torpedoes simultaneously. Otus was not designated for modernization but was used to trial the fitting of Sub Harpoon missiles to future RN submarines. They would eventually be installed in the successor to Oberon - the Upholder Class SSK, the last conventional submarines to be operated by the Royal Navy in the 20th century.
Having acquired an enviable reputation for reliability and quietness, a total of 14 Oberons were sold to foreign buyers from 1962 and were regarded as the best conventional submarines available. Of these, six were sold to Australia, three to Canada, three built at Vickers Barrow for Brazil and two to Chile. The first Brazilian boat remained in service until 1996 and the last was reported to be in service to year 2000. Plans are under discussion in 2001 to bring Olympus back to Barrow as the star exhibit in a proposed new Submarine Heritage Centre.
540 CLASS
Under a contract signed in 1972, three Type 540 medium tonnage submarines to the design of a German consortium IKL/HDW were built at Vickers Barrow for the Israeli Navy under a veil of secrecy enforced on the company in the sensitive political climate of that era. They were launched without ceremony in 1975, 1976 and 1977 and commissioned in 1977. Named Gal, Tanin and Rahav, they were recently reported to be in service 'until year 2000'.
MAIN PARTICULARS EXPLORER CLASS PORPOISE AND OBERON CLASSES
