The Mayor of
Barrow-in-Furness, Councillor
David Pidduck, and the Borough
Council, have pleasure in sponsoring
the painting of Submarine Torpedo
Boat Number 1 (HOLLAND CLASS)
- the first Submarine built for
the Royal Navy at Barrow. This was
the start of the long connection
between Barrow, it's people and
the Royal Navy's Submarine Service.
Technical
Data
Yard
No:
280
The first
submarine to be built for the
Royal Navy. Built under license
from the Electric Boat Company
of Groton U.S.A. to a design
by John Philip Holland.
Surfaced:
Single 4 cylinder Otto petrol
engine, driving a single shaft.
160 bhp = 7 knots. Submerged:
Single electric motor. 70hp =
6knots.
Endurance:
500
nautical miles at 7 knots.
Armaments:
1
fourteen-inch torpedo tube forward.
Complement:
7.
Historical
Data
Employed in coastal and exercises for
her entire career. Sold for scrap in 1913.
Fortunately, whilst undertow to the scrapyard
she sank off Plymouth, where she
lay undiscovered until 1981. Number
1 was salvaged in 1982, taken to the
R.N. Submarine Museum at Gosport,
where she is now on public display.
The
Officer in the right hand side of
the painting.
The officer standing in the right
hand side of the painting is Captain
Reginald Bacon Royal Navy,
who was the first Inspecting Officer
of Submarines for the Admiralty.
Captain Bacon was to
become so frustrated due to problems
with the
design documents
for the Hollands, that he
later set up a design team using
Naval Architects from Vickers
Sons and Maxim. This design
team put together the Royal Navy's
first built submarine class, known
as the "A" class.
The
Gentleman on the left hand side of
the painting.
This is
the designer of the Holland
Class of submarines, Mr. John
Philip Holland. He was an
American school teacher of Irish
descent.