Holland Class

The official title for this class was HM Submarine Torpedo Boat, followed by a number, but in general they were referred to as Holland-1 etc. The 'Holland Class' was the first submarine to enter service with the Royal Navy. They had a complement of 2 officers and 5 ratings, often another rating was carried for training purposes. These submarines were petrol driven which proved to be rather hazardous. There were no interior bulkheads in these boats, very little ventilation and even less in the way of accommodation. No sleeping facilities or toilets, this consisted of a bucket which was emptied on surfacing.

There were 5 of this class built under licence by Vickers of Barrow-in-Furness. The first was Holland1 and although the first to be built she was the last to enter service in the February of 1903.

Although by todays standards these boats were of a very basic design, lessons were learned and difficulties overcome, they were efficient, easily controlled when dived and no crew members were lost. Due to their low profile they were at their best in calm seas. On the whole they were a success.

When all the Hollands were in service they were based at Portsmouth with the submarine tender 'Hazard'.

Various fates befell the Hollands, from sinking enroute to the breakers, to being used as targets. The fates of each individual submarine will be recorded at a later date as the information becomes available. 

The 'Hollands' were fitted with three vertical tubes which were required to ventilate the boat and battery as well as providing additional fresh air for the engine. They had a very low freeboard (four feet from hatch to waterline) which restricted operations to coastal waters and then only in calm conditions. The eventual solution to this was to raise the upper hatch by constructing a conning tower.

The periscope was fitted behind the hatch and had to be braced by wire as it lacked sufficient strength to stand unsupported. The main problem with the periscope was that when looking forward, the object in view was seen upright; when looking on the beam the object was seen on its side and when looking astern the object was seen inverted. The magnetic compass had to be housed in a binnacle on the upper deck as it could not be kept within the all-steel hull of the submarine. When the submarine was dived, the compass was viewed via a small periscope with the compass card illuminated by an electric bulb.

The diving procedure was very slow in these boats, it took anything from 2 to 10 minutes to take a boat from the surface to periscope depth. The design of the 'Hollands' (spindle-hull) was not ideal, however: It had poor longitudinal stability and a low reserve of buoyancy, and was liable to plunge in a swell.

5 Built

Submarine	Builder	Built
Holland 1-Holland 5	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness	1901 - 1903

Technical Information

Displacement (tons):	110 sf 122 sm
Length (ft):	63 feet 10 inches oa
Breadth (ft)	11.75 oa
Draught/Height (ft):	9 feet 11 inches.
Machinery:	160 hp Otto petrol engine 74 hp electric motor
Speed (kts):	8.0 sf 7.0 sm
Fuel Supply (tons):	2.2
Armament:	1 x 14 inch tube (bow) Reloads: 2
Range:	250 miles at 8 kts sf. 20 miles at 7 kts  sm.
Complement:	2 officers and 5 ratings, one additional carried for training purposes
sm = submerged, sf = surfaced, oa = overall, hp = horsepower, na = not available.

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H.M. Submarine Holland 1

Type:	Holland Class
Pennant No.:	None Allocated.
Laid Down:	4th February 1901.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	2nd Februry 1903.	Lt. F.D. Arnold Forster
Commander:	March 1903 1904 ????	Lt. L. Bertram Evans. Lt. A. Quicke. R. W. Blacklock.
Complement:	8	2 Officers, 6 Ratings (additional one carried  for training).
Service Career:	Peacetime.	H.M.S. Hazard, Portsmouth H.M.S. Thames, Portsmouth.
Fate:	Although the first of the class to be  laid down Holland-1 was the last of the Hollands to enter service.   She joined the remainder at Portsmouth. Holland-1 was  sold in 1913 and sank whilst under tow off Plymouth. She was raised in September of 1982 and can now be viewed at the Submarine Museum at  Gosport.

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H.M. Submarine Holland 2
This picture courtesy of Stephen Johnson

Type:	Holland Class
Pennant No.:	None Allocated.
Laid Down:	4th February 1901	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	1st August 1902	Lt. C.R. Sharp
Commander:	-----	Lt. C.R. Sharp
Complement:	16	2 Officers, 14 Ratings.
Service Career:	Peacetime	H.M.S. Hazard, Portsmouth.
Fate:	Holland-2 was the only one of this class to have a conning tower constructed, this was fitted in 1905. She was sold 7th October 1913.

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H.M. Submarine Holland 3



Lt Max Horton 1906

Type:	Holland Class
Pennant No.:	None Allocated.
Laid Down:	4th February 1901	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	1st August 1902.	Lt. Little
Commander:	1902	Lt. Little
Complement:	8	2 Officers, 6 Ratings (additional one carried for training).
Service Career:	Peacetime	H.M.S. Hazard, Portsmouth
Fate:	Sank during experiments in 1911. Sold 7th October 1913.

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H.M. Submarine Holland 4

Type:	Holland Class
Pennant No.:	None Allocated.
Laid Down:	1902	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	2nd August 1903.	Lt. J. Inglis
Commander:	1903	Lt. Little
Complement:	8	2 Officers, 6 Ratings (additional one carried for training).
Service Career:	Peacetime	H.M.S. Hazard, Portsmouth H.M.S. Thames, Portsmouth.
Fate:	Foundered 3rd September 1912.   Was raised and used as a target in 1914.

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Holland-5.
A rather undignified shot, having run aground in 1910.

Type:	Holland Class
Pennant No.:	None Allocated.
Laid Down:	1902	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	19th January 1903	Not known at present.
Commander:	-----	Not known at present.
Complement:	8	2 Officers, 6 Ratings (additional one carried for training).
Service Career:	Peacetime	H.M.S. Hazard, Portsmouth H.M.S. Thames, Portsmouth
Fate:	Sank whilst being towed to the breakers yard in 1912.

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