Submarine Heritage Centre - Art Gallery

Submarine Heritage Centre

Registered Address:

53 Red Oak Avenue

Barrow-in-Furness

Cumbria, LA13 OLJ, UK

Tel: 01229 820993

Fax: 01229 772407

| Sponsorship Comments | Technical Data | Historical Data |

Sponsorship Comments

Commissioned by Cameron and Beryl Douglas and their Grandsons, Thomas Dent and James Irwin. "In tribute to the Shipwrights - past and present".

Technical Data

Builder:

Vickers Armstrong Limited

Pennant Number:

N71

Yard Number:

672

Ordered:

01.09.1930

Launched:

26.01.1932

Completed:

14.09.1932

Dimensions (in feet):

Length: 345 ft. Beam: 28 ft. Draught: 18 ft 11".

Machinery:

Two 10 cylinder diesel engines: 7,500bhp. Two electric motors 2,500bhp Twin shafts.

Speed:

Surfaced 22.5 knots, Submerged 10 knots.

Endurance:

12,000 nautical miles at 8 knots surfaced.

Armaments:

6 x 21 inch bow torpedo tubes, 12 torpedoes carried. 1 x 4 inch QF gun. 120 rounds carried.

Complement:

61.

Cost:

£400,745

Notes:

Thames was the first diesel boat to exceed 22 knots.

Others in Class

Historical Data

A further attempt to develop a fleet submarine similar to the K-boats, but with diesel engines for propulsion. These submarines, were by the standards of the day very comfortable, but lightly armed for their displacement.

The original intention was for a class of twenty boats, but a change of thinking on submarine construction, and the very high cost of these boats restricted the class to just three boats.

World War II

Thames

1939 - 2nd Submarine Flotilla based at Dundee - Scotland.
1940 - July 23rd struck a mine and sank of Norway.

Clyde and Severn

1939 - At Free Town, Siera Leone.
1940 - 2nd Submarine Flotilla based at Dundee - Scotland.
1941 - Mediterranean - Alexandria. Employed as cargo carriers for the besieged island of Malta (George Cross). September 1941, Clyde carried a total of 1,200 tons of supplies.
1944 - Sent to the Eastern Fleet.

All three submarines were badly underused during the Norwegian Campaign - they were to large.

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