The Submarine Heritage Centre - "R" Class

Sponsorship Comments

This painting was sponsored by Mr. Tommy Snaith and his wife, this in memory of both their fathers who served in the British armed forces during the Second World War.

Specifications of "R" Class:

A class of ten submarines, of which Vickers built two, R7 (Yard Number 549) and R8 (Yard Number 550) during 1918.

- Yard Number: R7 – 549, R8 – 550.
- Dimensions (in feet): Length: 163.75 ft. Breadth: 15.25 ft, Draught: 14.5 ft.
- Displacement: Surfaced: 410 tons. Submerged: 503 tons.
- Propulsion: Surfaced: Single 8 cylinder diesel engine by H.M.Dockyrd Chatham = 240 bhp. Submerged: Two electric motors on a single shaft = 1200 bhp. Single electric motor on the shaft for slow speeds.
- Speed: Surfaced: 9.5 knots. Submerged: 15 knots.
- Fuel: 13.5 tons
- Endurance: Surfaced: 2,000 nautical miles @ 8 knots. Submerged: 15 nautical miles @ 15 knots or 240 nautical miles @ 4 knots.
- Armaments: 6 x 18 inch bow torpedo tubes. 12 reloads carried.
- Notes: The R class submarines were the first in the Royal navy to be fitted with six torpedo tubes forward.

Historical Facts:

This splendid design was the original hunter killer submarine, designed to seek out and sink enemy submarines. They were completed very late during WWI, and only one actually carried out an attack on a U-boat, firing a full salvo of six torpedoes – and missed.

These boats were streamlined, having no external ballast tanks, casing or gun. The hull tapered away finally to the stern, where the available space only allowed for a single propeller shaft. Designed as they were for a high underwater speed, their machinery arrangements caused manoeuvrability problems whilst running on the surface, but the large rudder and fine hull form gave them a good underwater performance.

The majority of the class of eight had been scrapped by 1923, although the last, R4 did survive as a fast underwater target at the Portland anti-submarine school until 1934. In hindsight, the failure to develop this concept was very short-sighted given future events.


Artists Words

Main Picture

Water Colour. Diving trials of submarine R8 off the Cumbrian coast with the mountain Black Coombe in the background to the left.

R7 is acting as guard ship along with a destroyer of the period – H.M.S. Phoenix. and overhead is the airship R80.

H.M.S. Phoenix was built in the Vickers Shipyard as part of the 1910/1911 programme. The reason for her building was that Vickers wished to retain their surface warship skills as the Shipyard had embarked on a major submarine build programme at that time.

The airship R80 was the first British airship to be streamlined. Designed by Barnes Wallace and built by Vickers at Walney island. This airship first flew on the 19 th July 1920 and was dismantled in 1925.

The events shown in this painting are fictitious, however they have been incorporated to show that all three units have their own individual niche in history. They also demonstrate that the Barrow shipyard was at the forefront of technology even then.


Back to R Class page...
Back to Home page...