Themes

Article Highlights

• Introduction

• Acceptance of submarines

• Holland I

• British designed submarines

• 'Overseas' submarines

Holland I

The Navy's first submarine was HM Submarine Torpedo Boat Number 1, also known as Holland I, laid down amidst great secrecy in January 1901 at the Vickers' yard in Barrow-in-Furness. Her launch was on 2nd October 1901.

Cartoon of Holland submarine, 1909 (RNSM)

A crew of nine manned the submarine, including the Captain (Lieutenant), Second Captain (Sub Lieutenant), Diving Coxswain (Petty Officer), Torpedo Instructor (Petty Officer), Chief Engineering Artificer, Leading Stoker, Stoker, Leading Seaman and Able Seaman.

Discover more about the Navy's first Diving Coxswain

The boat was extremely primitive and her crew had to cope with an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous environment. All the boat's tanks and machinery were contained within the pressure hull, so conditions inside the submarine were very cramped for the crew. Even so, none of the five Holland boats were lost or suffered any fatalities during their naval service.

Holland I took part in various sea trials during 1902 and 1903 in places such as the Irish Sea. There were numerous dummy attacks by the Holland boats on HMS Hazard and other target ships. Holland I had a single 14 inch torpedo tube and it made its first successful torpedo attack on HMS Hazard on 9th March 1903. It made its first successful attack on a moving target, again HMS Hazard, by May. These trials proved that the submarine could remain undetected to within 1000 yards of a ship, the distance needed in order to fire its torpedoes.

Read letters from the trials of Holland I

Holland I survived a programme of anti-submarine experiments conducted by the Navy's Torpedo School during the autumn of 1903. They attempted to use underwater explosives against the submarine, but the failure of these experiments convinced Captain Bacon and the Board of Admiralty that submarines were able to effectively withstand such attacks.

Various trials and training exercises used the Holland boats for several more years. The hulk of Holland I finally sold as scrap in October 1913. Although, she sprang a leak whilst under tow and foundered off the southwest coast of England.

Holland 1 being lifted by crane at the yard of Vickers Son and Maxim Ltd at Barrow, 1901 (RNSM)