The A-class was designed by Vickers as an improvement on the previous American designed Holland-class submarines, and were the first class of British-designed submarines.[1] Four submarines, A1–A4, were ordered as part of the 1902–1903 construction programme for the Royal Navy, with a further nine (A5–A13) ordered under the 1903–1904 programme.[2] The design of the submarines was revised between the prototype boat, A1, and the other three submarines of the first order, and again for the submarines of the 1903–04 programme, with this batch being fitted with a second torpedo tube.[1]
A5 was 105 feet 0+1⁄2 inch (32.0 m) long overall, with a beam of 12 feet 8+3⁄4 inches (3.9 m) and a draught of 10 feet 1 inch (3.1 m) when surfaced. Displacement was about 190 long tons (190 t) surfaced and 205–207 long tons (208–210 t) submerged. A 550 horsepower (410 kW) 16-cylinder Wolsey petrol engine powered the submarine on the surface, driving the submarine's single propeller shaft, while submerged propulsion was via a 150 horsepower (110 kW) electric motor, giving a speed of 11.5 knots (13.2 mph; 21.3 km/h) on the surface and 7 knots (8.1 mph; 13 km/h) dived. Armament was two 18 inch (45.7 cm) torpedo tubes in the ship's bow. Four torpedoes were carried.[1]
Immediately after commissioning she and her tenderHMS Hazard travelled to Queenstown, (now Cobh) Ireland. On 16 February 1905 at 10:05 whilst tied up alongside Hazard an explosion occurred on board, with a second explosion about 30 minutes later. Five of the crew were killed by the explosion. The captain, Lieutenant H J G Good, and the other four crew members survived.[4]
An enquiry into the accident concluded that petrol fumes had been ignited by an electrical spark, with the second explosion caused by smouldering debris from the first event.[4]
She was returned to Barrow-in-Furness the following month for repairs and returned to service in the Home Fleet in October. She was used for training until paid off for disposal in December 1915 and was finally broken up in Portsmouth in 1920.
Memorial
The Irish Naval Service donated a granite block with a brass plaque giving details of the A5 tragedy, and this was unveiled in March 2000.
^Harrison, A. N. (2018) [1979, London: Ministry of Defence]. "Chapter 3: The Spindle Hull Types - Holland, A, B and C Classes". BR3043: The Development of British Submarines: From Holland No. 1 (1901) to HMS Porpoise (1930). RN Subs: Website of the Barrow Submariners Association. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
^Harrison, A. N. (2018) [1979, London: Ministry of Defence]. "Appendix I: List of RN Submarines in the 1901 to 1936 Programmes"(PDF). BR3043: The Development of British Submarines: From Holland No. 1 (1901) to HMS Porpoise (1930). RN Subs: Website of the Barrow Submariners Association. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
