The Submarine Heritage Centre - Holland Class 1901

Sponsorship Comments

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.

Holland Class Technical Facts:

- 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.
- Ordered: December 1900.
- Laid down: February 4th.1901.
- Launched: October 2nd 1901.
- Commissioned: February 2nd 1903.
- Dimensions: Length: 63 feet 3 inches. Diameter: 11 feet 8 inches.
- Displacement: Surface 104 tons, Submerged 120 tons.
- Machinery: 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 Facts:

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.

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