 HMSA1 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSA1 |
| Builder | Vickers,Barrow-in-Furness |
| Laid down | 19 February 1902 |
| Launched | 9 July 1902 |
| Completed | 27 July 1903 |
| Fate | Lost, 1911 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | A-classsubmarine |
| Type | Submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 103.25 ft (31.47 m) |
| Beam | 11.9 ft (3.6 m) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Complement | 11 (2 officers and 9 ratings) |
| Armament | 2 ×18 in (450 mm)torpedo tubes (bow, fourtorpedoes)[1] |
HMSA1 was theRoyal Navy's first British-designedsubmarine, and their first to suffer fatal casualties.
She was the lead ship of the first BritishA-class submarines and the only one to have a singlebowtorpedo tube. She was actually sunk twice: first in 1904 when she became the first submarine casualty, with the loss of all hands; however, she was recovered, but sank again in 1911, this time when she was unmanned. The wreck was discovered in 1989 and was designated under theProtection of Wrecks Act in 1998.[2] The wreck is a Protected Wreck managed byHistoric England.
She was an enlarged and improvedHolland-class submarine–40 ft (12 m) longer than the Royal Navy's five "Holland"-type boats. Subsequent A-class boats were even larger and differed from her in several respects.[3]
Like all members of her class, she was built atVickers,Barrow-in-Furness. She waslaid down on 19 February 1902 andlaunched on 9 July 1902.[4][5]
Before she left the yard she suffered from a hydrogen explosion.[6] Later while under tow toPortsmouth to join with the rest of the navy's submarines, seawater managed to reach her batteries, which gave off chlorine gas, forcing the evacuation of the vessel.[6]
She was accidentally sunk in theSolent on 18 March 1904 whilst carrying out a practice attack on theprotected cruiserHMS Juno by being struck on thestarboard side of theconning tower by a mail steamer, SSBerwick Castle, which wasen route fromSouthampton toHamburg. She sank in only 39 ft (12 m) of water, but the boat flooded and the entire crew was drowned.[7] One consequence was that all subsequent Royal Navy submarines were equipped with a watertight hatch at the bottom of the conning tower.[8]
She was raised on 18 April 1904 and repaired and re-entered service. Following apetrolexplosion in August 1910, she was converted to a testbed for theAdmiralty's Anti-Submarine Committee. She was lost a year later when running submerged but unmanned underautomatic pilot. Although the position of her sinking was known at the time, all efforts to locate her were fruitless. It was not until 1989 that the wreck was discovered by a local fisherman atBracklesham Bay, approximately 5 mi (8.0 km) away.[9] It is thought that she was only partially flooded when she sank, and the resulting partial buoyancy meant that the wreck moved in the strong local currents. The wreck was designated under theProtection of Wrecks Act on 26 November 1998[10] and redesignated to extend the area covered on 5 October 2004.[11]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1904 | |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1910 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1911 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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50°44′33″N0°55′17″W / 50.7425°N 0.9213°W /50.7425; -0.9213
