descriptions - for a three-man increase in the complement: this increase meant that the L boats had a 38-man crew, but even so, they carried only one 12ft 6in collapsible lifeboat.
The L Class were the first submarines to carry some of the normal fuel stowage in external tanks. Although only about 20 tons of fuel was carried in two lightly-constructed tanks, this started the practice, which was developed in the 1920s, of carrying a large amount of fuel externally.
The main engines of the class were two 12-cylinder diesels, giving a total of 2400 bhp at 380 rev/min. Some authorities quote 2600 bhp, but this was the bench test power of the engines. L Class submarines carried 336 cells in three battery tanks, grouped to allow working at 220 volts in series and 110
