The Submarine Heritage Centre - Nautilus

Sponsorship Comments

This painting was sponsored by Mr. David Cole who served his time as an electrical apprentice in the shipyard in Barrow from 1976 to 1980. Mr.Cole. comments;

“This painting is dedicated to my parents Bill and Joan Cole, my dad served in submarines during the Cold War from 1966 to 1987, on his retirement from the Royal Navy he worked in the Barrow shipyard for a further 15 years”.

“My mother worked in the Barrow shipyard for most of her working life and worked at many different types of jobs in the yard, she took early retirement in 1995”.

Nautilus Technical Facts:

- Builder: Vickers Limited.
- Pennant Number: N.1.
- Yard Number: 436.
- Ordered: 1913.
- Launched: 16th December 1914.
- Completed: October 1917.
- Cost: £203,850
- Dimensions (in feet): Length: 242.5 ft, Diameter: 26 ft, Draught: 16 ft.
- Displacement: Surfaced: 1,270 tons, Submerged: 1,694 tons.
- Machinery: Surface: Twin 12 cylinder Fiat diesel engines. 3,700 hp. Submerged: Two electric motors 1,000. hp.
- Speed: Surface: 17 knots, Submerged: 10 knots.
- Range: 5,000 nautical miles at 10 knots.
- Armaments: 2 x 21 inch bow torpedo tubes. 4 x 18 inch beam torpedo tubes. 2 x 18 inch stern torpedo tubes. Gun: 1 x 3 inch High Angle.
- Complement: 42.

Historical Facts:

Nautilus was the first Royal Navy submarine to be given a name. Originally the name for a destroyer (1910), renamed the Grampus 16th December 1913.

A one off experimental boat, designed by Vickers Limited for the Admiralty, for long range patrols in all weather conditions. She was twice the size of any existing submarine.

The long construction time was due to the Admiralty stopping work on the boat, due to delays with the engines. Italy having entered the Great War – if only briefly – on the side of Central Powers. This allowed work to be carried out on more urgent submarine construction.

Having been completed in 1917, Nautilus suffered considerable teething troubles; as a consequence she never became an operational boat. She was moved to Portsmouth in 1918, where she ended her days as a charging boat for other submarines.

On 9th June 1922 she was sold for breaking up at Cashmere, Newport.

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