HMS A11

HMS A11 was an A-class submarine built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. After surviving World War I, she was sold for scrap in 1920.

A group of A-class submarines
History
United Kingdom
Name	A11
Builder	Vickers, Sons & Maxim Ltd. Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down	1903
Launched	8 March 1905
Commissioned	11 July 1905
Fate	Scrapped, May 1920
General characteristics
Class and type	A-class submarine
Displacement	190 long tons (193 t) surfaced 206 long tons (209 t) submerged
Length	105 ft (32.0 m)
Beam	12 ft 9 in (3.9 m)
Draught	10 ft 8 in (3.3 m)
Installed power	600 bhp (450 kW) (petrol engine) 150 hp (110 kW) (electric motor)
Propulsion	1 × 16-cylinder Wolseley petrol engine 1 × electric motor
Speed	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) surfaced 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) submerged
Range	500 nautical miles (930 km; 580 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
Complement	2 officers and 9 ratings
Armament	2 × 18-inch (45 cm) torpedo tubes

Design and description

A11 was a member of the first British class of submarines, although slightly larger, faster and more heavily armed than the lead ship, HMS A1. The submarine had a length of 105 feet 1 inch (32.0 m) overall, a beam of 12 feet 9 inches (3.9 m) and a mean draft of 10 feet 8 inches (3.3 m). They displaced 190 long tons (190 t) on the surface and 206 long tons (209 t) submerged. The A-class submarines had a crew of 2 officers and 9 ratings.^[1]

For surface running, the boats were powered by a single 16-cylinder 600-brake-horsepower (447 kW) Wolseley petrol engine that drove one propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a 150-horsepower (112 kW) electric motor. They could reach 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) on the surface and 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph) underwater.^[1] On the surface, A11 had a range of 500 nautical miles (930 km; 580 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged the boat had a range of 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).^[2]

The boats were armed with two 18-inch (45 cm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They could carry a pair of reload torpedoes, but generally did not as doing so that they had to compensate for their weight by removing an equal weight of fuel.^[3]

Construction and career

A11 was ordered as part of the 1903–04 Naval Programme from Vickers.^[4] She was laid down at their shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in 1903, launched on 8 March 1905 and completed on 11 July 1905.^[2]

On 7 September 1910 A11 collided with a barge when leaving Portsmouth Harbour. The barge was sunk, although her two crew were rescued, and A11's bow was slightly damaged.^[5] In February 1913, A11 was one of three submarines based at Lamlash on the Isle of Arran off the west coast of Scotland.^[6]

Notes

1. Gardiner & Gray, p. 86
2. Akermann, p. 120
3. Harrison, Chapter 27
4. Harrison, Chapter 3
5. "Naval Matters—Past and Prospective: Portsmouth Dockyard". The Marine Engineer and Naval Architect. Vol. 33. October 1910. p. 98.
6. "Fleets and Squadrons in Commission at Home and Abroad: Submarines". The Navy List. March 1913. p. 269d. Retrieved 24 February 2021 – via National Library of Scotland.

References

• Akermann, Paul (2002). Encyclopaedia of British Submarines 1901–1955 (reprint of the 1989 ed.). Penzance, Cornwall: Periscope Publishing. ISBN 1-904381-05-7.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Gardiner, Robert & Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
• Harrison, A. N. (January 1979). "The Development of HM Submarines From Holland No. 1 (1901) to Porpoise (1930) (BR3043)". RN Subs. Retrieved 27 September 2022.

External links

• MaritimeQuest HMS A-11 Pages