C Class Submarines Group Two

This Class represented the final development of the original Holland Class. There was an increase in size but little else changed, still no interior bulkheads and still inferior living conditions. This Class was also the last to be equipped with petrol engines, also the first British submarines to be designed with forward hydroplanes (this only applied to the boats in Group Two of the Class).

With the introduction of the 'C' class the monopoly of submarine building by Vickers was broken with six of the class being being built by the Naval Dockyard at Chatham.

With the exception of C26, C27 and C38, which had been sent to Hong Kong in 1910, this class served in Home waters until the outbreak of the Great War (1914-1918). They were used extensively throughout the war operating from the East coast ports or Dover.

Four of this class saw service in the Baltic, having been transported by sea to Murmansk and by barge and train to Lapvik where they were reassembled. All these boats suffered the same fate of being scuttled, 3 to save falling into the hands of the Revolutionary Russians and 1 having run aground.

20 Built

Submarine	Builder	Built
C21 - C32 C35 - C38	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness	1908 - 1910
C19 - C20 C33 - C34	HM Dockyard, Chatham	1908 - 1909

Technical Information

Displacement (tons):	290 sf 321 sm
Length (ft):	143 oa
Breadth (ft)	13.5 oa
Draught/Height (ft):	11.5
Machinery:	600 hp petrol engine. 200 hp electric motor
Speed (kts):	12 sf 6.5 sm
Oil Supply (tons):	15.5 (Petrol)
Armament:	2 x 18 inch tubes (bow) Reloads: na
Range:	740 nm at 12 knts sf 1000 nm at 8.7 knts sm
Complement:	2 officers and 14 ratings.
sm = submerged, sf = surfaced, oa = overall, hp = horsepower, na = not available.

Type:	C Class	Group Two
Pennant No.:	I.49
Laid Down:	1st June 1908	H.M. Dockyard, Chatham.
Commissioned:	9th November 1909	Lt. H. J. Hearn.
Commander:	1909 1912 1916 1917 1918	Lt. H. J. Hearn. Lt. H. R. Marrack. Lt. A. C. M. Bennett. Lt. A. G. Cunard. Lt. A. L. Pears.
Complement:	16	2 Officers, 14 Ratings.
Service Career:	1910 1912 1914 1915 1916 1917 1917 1917	7th Section - HMS Vulcan - Dundee. 7th Flotilla - HMS Vulcan - Dundee. 10th Flotilla - HMS Alecto - Tyne. 7th Flotilla - HMS Vulcan - Leith. 4th Flotilla - HMS Arrogant - Dover. 5th Flotilla - HMS Arrogant - Dover. 9th Flotilla - HMS Maidstone - Harwich. 3rd Flotilla - HMS Hebe - Immingham.
Fate:	Sold 2nd February 1920.

Type:	C Class	Group Two
Pennant No.:	I.55
Laid Down:	27th February 1908	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	28th May 1909	Lt. Bell.
Commander:	-----	Lt. Bell.
Complement:	16	2 Officers, 14 Ratings.
Service Career:	Strafed by German seaplanes on 6th July 1918 off Harwich. The seaplanes opened fire on C.25 with machine guns killing the commanding officer and the other three crew on the bridge. On diving they found that they could not shut the lower conning tower hatch as it was jammed by the leg of one of the bodies on the bridge. Another two crew were killed trying to free the hatch before the first lieutenant sawed the leg off. Another submarine came to her assistance (E.51), but she had to dive when more aircraft appeared and joined in the attack. Both boats were eventually saved by the arrival of a destroyer (HMS Lurcher) and C.25 was towed to Harwich.
Fate:	Sold 5th December 1921.

Type:	C Class	Group Two
Pennant No.:	I.56
Laid Down:	14th February 1908.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	28th May 1909.	Not known at present.
Commander:	1916 1917	Tod. Downie.
Complement:	16	2 Officers, 14 Ratings.
Service Career:	1915 - Baltic Flotilla. 1916 - Baltic Flotilla. 1917 - Baltic Flotilla. 1917 - Baltic Flotilla.	Dvina, Revel (Tallin), Estonia. Dvina, Revel (Tallin), Estonia. Dvina, Revel (Tallin), Estonia. Pamyat Azova, Helsingfors, Finland.
	This boat, along with three other 'C's, was sent to the Baltic to reinforce the 'E' class boats which were operating there. They were towed to Archangel and then made their way down the White Sea Canal on lighters to Kronstadt, where they carried out short patrols in the Gulf of Riga.
Fate:	Scuttled in the Baltic (Helsingfors Bay), to avoid capture on 4th April 1918.

Type:	C Class	Group Two
Pennant No.:	I.57
Laid Down:	4th June 1908.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	14th August 1909.	Lt. Cdr. Dobson.
Commander:	1915 1916 1917	Lt. Cdr. Dobson. D. Sealy. D. Sealy.
Complement:	16	2 Officers, 14 Ratings.
Service Career:	1915 - Leith. 1915 - Baltic Flotilla. 1916 - Baltic Flotilla. 1917 - Baltic Flotilla. 1917 - Baltic Flotilla.	H.M.S. Vulcan. Dvina, Revel (Tallin), Estonia. Dvina, Revel (Tallin), Estonia. Dvina, Revel (Tallin), Estonia. Pamyat Azova, Helsingfors, Finland.
	This boat, along with three other 'C's, was sent to the Baltic to reinforce the 'E' class boats which were operating there. They were towed to Archangel and then made their way down the White Sea Canal on lighters to Kronstadt, where they carried out short patrols in the Gulf of Riga. This boat was also involved in one of the more unusual submarine operations. It was decided to tow a 'C' class submarine submerged, behind a trawler, submarine and trawler being linked by telephone whose cable ran down the towing wire. The idea being, if a U-boat was sighted the tow would be slipped and the 'C' class would take up position and hopefully torpedo the U-boat. This method did prove successful on more than one occasion. C.27 torpedoed U-23 by this method whilst being towed by the Princess Louise. Mishaps too, see C.29. Credited with sinking 1 (one) merchant ship, tonnage unknown, whilst in the Baltic. Attacked and damaged the transport Indianola, 1917.
Fate:	Scuttled in the Baltic (Helsingfors Bay), to avoid capture on 5th April 1918.

Type:	C Class	Group Two
Pennant No.:	I.58
Laid Down:	6th March 1908.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	14th August 1909.	Not known at present.
Commander:	-----	Not known at present.
Complement:	16	2 Officers, 14 Ratings.
Service Career:	Not known at present.

Fate:	Sold 25th August 1921.

C Class

Coastal Submarine

20 Built

Technical Information