 A view from the bridge of HMS H5.
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | H5 |
| Builder | Canadian Vickers, Montreal |
| Laid down | 11th January 1915 |
| Launched | 1 April 1915 |
| Commissioned | 10 June 1915 |
| Fate | Sunk, 2 March 1918 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | H-class submarine |
| Displacement |
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| Length | 150 ft 3 in (45.80 m) |
| Beam | 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Complement | 22 |
| Armament |
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HMS H5 was a British H-class submarine of the Royal Navy that served in the First World War. The boat, which was launched on 1 April 1915, was lost after being rammed by a British merchant ship off Caernarfon Bay in March 1918. It had been mistaken as a German U-boat and sank with the loss of all hands.[1]
Like all pre-H11 British H-class submarines, H5 had a displacement of 364 long tons (370 t) at the surface and 434 long tons (441 t) while submerged.[2] It had a total length of 150 feet 3 inches (45.8 m), a beam of 15 feet 4 inches (4.67 m), and a draught of 12 feet (3.7 m).[3] It contained a diesel engines providing a total power of 480 horsepower (360 kW) and two electric motors each providing 320 horsepower (240 kW) power.[3] The use of its electric motors made the submarine travel at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). It would normally carry 16.4 long tons (16.7 t) of fuel and had a maximum capacity of 18 long tons (18 t).[4]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) and a submerged speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). British H-class submarines had ranges of 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi).[2] H5 was fitted with a 6 pounds (2.7 kg) Hotchkiss quick-firing gun (6-pounder) and four 18 inches (460 mm) torpedo tubes. Its torpedo tubes were fitted to the bow and the submarine carried eight 18 inches (460 mm) torpedoes.[2] She is a Holland 602 type submarine but was designed to meet Royal Navy specifications. Her complement was twenty-two crew members.[2]
On 14 July 1916 H5 spotted the SM U-51 leaving the Ems and torpedoed her. U-51 sank with the loss of 34 of her crew; four men survived.[5]
HMS H5 was sunk after being rammed by the British merchantman Rutherglen when mistaken for a German U-boat on 2 March 1918. All on board perished including a US Navy observer, Lieutenant Earle Wayne Freed Childs from the American submarine AL-2. He became the first US submariner to lose his life in the First World War. All on board are commemorated on Panel 29 at Royal Navy Submarine Museum. The wreck's site is designated as a controlled site under the Protection of Military Remains Act. In 2010, a plaque commemorating the 26 crew was dedicated on Armed Forces Day in Holyhead.[6]
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1918 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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