Q HISTORY


were welded and did not leak (at least not externally), but some leaks into the vessel itself were reported where the tanks had been riveted to the hull. The abolition of the stern torpedo tubes to


make room for the larger engines meant the class only had six 21-inch bow tubes, and a total of 12 torpedoes was carried. Initially the vessels carried a 4.7-inch gun, but later these were changed to 4-inch OF guns with 120 rounds of ammunition. The submarines were never used with the


surface fl eet as intended, but saw service in the North Sea and Mediterranean in World War II, fulfi lling roles which other submarines of the same period could carry out, at half the initial capital cost. Thames had a short war. Stationed in Malta


32


before the war, she was recalled in August 1939 and assigned to the 2nd submarine fl otilla with the Home Fleet. From there she undertook interception patrols looking for U-boats, blockade runners and surface raiders. After refi tting in the winter of 1939/40 she was active in the Norwegian campaign, and torpedoed and sank one of the torpedo boats sent to escort the damaged German battleship Gneisenau. Thames was lost on active service in September 1940, probably after being struck by a German mine. Severn was also based in Malta at the


outbreak of war, but was transferred to West Africa, based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, to act as a convoy escort against surface raiders. In March 1940 Severn returned to home waters and was deployed on interception patrols in the North Sea, involving searching for U-boats, surface raiders and blockade runners. In May 1941 Severn was transferred to Gibraltar with the 8th Submarine Flotilla. During this time, she was one of a number of submarines ordered to track Bismarck before her eventual sinking. Later she joined the Eastern Fleet where she took part in interception patrols in the Indian Ocean, a role she stayed in until hostilities with Japan ceased. On VJ Day she was in Ceylon, where she was decommissioned and sold for scrap in 1946. Like her two sister vessels, Clyde was also


based in the Mediterranean at Malta when war broke out. Like Severn she was transferred to West Africa stationed at Freetown to act as a convoy escort. In January 1940, she was also transferred to the North Sea searching for U-boats, surface raiders and blockade runners. In June 1940, she spotted and torpedoed the German battleship Gneisenau, hitting her in the bow and forcing the vessel to return to Trondheim for repair. Clyde then took on a similar role in the Bay of Biscay until 1941,


Future o


e orders f r K


s for K-Class v


s vessels w e c


s were cancelled o


when she was transferred to Gibraltar. It was during this time that Clyde achieved fame by helping the besieged island of Malta. One of the vessel’s battery compartments was converted into a cargo hold, and she undertook nine trips to Malta delivering essential supplies. In January 1944, she was assigned to the Eastern Fleet, joining the 2nd Submarine Flotilla at Trincomalee. In 1945 she recorded a number of ‘kills’ against Japanese vessels, and then having completed 36 operational patrols she was moved to Mombasa for repairs. These continued until the end of hostilities,


upon which she moved to the Reserve Fleet. Finally, she was sold for scrapping in Durban, South Africa, in July 1946. Although the River Class vessels were


successful operating as normal submarines, it became evident that the ‘fl eet’ concept was fundamentally fl awed, and that submarines on the surface would not be able to keep up with capital ships, which by the end of the war were easily capable of 30 knots. After the River Class the emphasis switched to maximizing submerged speed, and indeed modern submarines are now faster underwater than on the surface. Without the need to surface to recharge batteries, this is clearly the right way for design to move with modern nuclear submarines, which can attain speeds over 30 knots underwater. The hull design for a diesel submarine will always be a compromise between a surface hull, essential for when batteries are being charged, and a submerged hull when running under electric power. The ideal hull shapes are quite different for these two roles.


d once it w s r


e it was realised t e d


d the design w s fl


n was fl awed At the same time that the River Class was


ordered, a class of 12 small patrol submarines was ordered, and these were the forerunners of the S-Class submarines which were highly effective during the war. In many ways, the River Class was a victim


of its own design compromises. To keep up with the fl eet called for a higher power/weight ratio than for a normal submarine, this leading to thinner hull plates and therefore limited dive depth. Also, the larger more powerful engines ate into space normally used for torpedo tubes. It wasn’t just the Royal Navy which faced


these dilemmas. The US Navy’s Gato Class faced similar problems. To obtain the speed required they were initially fi tted with Hooven-Owens-Rentschler double-acting diesel engines, which gave around twice the power for the same weight as a conventional diesel. However, they proved a nightmare in operation and were quickly replaced by GM-Winton diesels of conventional design. Similarly to the River Class, the dive limit of 300ft – resulting from a lightweight hull – quickly became a serious limitation. The era of the Royal Navy’s fl eet submarine


was fi nally over.


VESSEL SPECIFICATION – RIVER CLASS SUBMARINES


Length : 105.2m Beam : 8.65m Draft : 4.2m Surface displacement : 2,200 tons Submerged displacement : 2,720 tons Ballast load : 520 tons


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