HMCS CH-14

Last updated

CH-14 and CH-15 HS-22592.jpg
CH-14 (left) and CH-15 (right) in drydock.
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameH14
OrderedDecember 1914
Launched3 July 1915
Fatetransferred to Canada 1919
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svgCanada
NameCH-14
AcquiredJune 1919
Commissioned1 April 1921
Decommissioned30 June 1922
FateScrapped in 1927
General characteristics
Class and type H-class submarine
Displacement
  • 364 long tons (370 t) (surfaced)
  • 434 long tons (441 t) (submerged)
Length45.8 m (150 ft 3 in) o/a
Beam4.6 m (15 ft 1 in)
Draught3.68 m (12 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
  • Twin-shift, 480 hp (360 kW) Vickers diesel,
  • 2 × 620 hp (460 kW) electric motors
Speed
  • 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) (surfaced)
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) (submerged)
Range1,600 nmi (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
Endurance16 long tons (16 t) of diesel fuel
Test depth200 m (660 ft)
Complement22
Armament

HMCS CH-14 was an H-class submarine originally ordered for the Royal Navy as H14 during the First World War. Constructed in the United States during their neutrality, the submarine was withheld from the Royal Navy until after the US entry into the war. Entering service at the very end of the war, the submarine saw no action and was laid up at Bermuda following the cessation of hostilities. The submarine was gifted to Canada in 1919 and was in service with the Royal Canadian Navy from 1921 to 1922 as CH-14. The submarine was sold for scrap and broken up in 1927.

Contents

Design and description

Ordered as part of the War Emergency Programme from Bethlehem Steel of the United States, the H class were constructed at two shipyards, Canadian Vickers in Montreal and the Fore River Yard in Quincy, Massachusetts based on the US H-class design. [1] [2] The boats displaced 364 long tons (370 t) while surfaced and 434 long tons (441 t) submerged. They were 45.8 metres (150 ft 3 in) long overall with a beam of 4.6 metres (15 ft 1 in) and a draught of 3.68 metres (12 ft 1 in). [1] They had a complement of 4 officers and 18 ratings. [1] [3]

The submarines were powered by a twin-shift, 480 horsepower (360 kW) Vickers diesel and two 620 hp (460 kW) electric motors. This gave the boats a maximum surfaced speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) and a submerged speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). [1] They had a fuel capacity of 16 long tons (16 t) of diesel fuel. [4] This gave them a range of 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) at 10 knots while surfaced. [1] The H class had a designed diving depth of 200 metres (660 ft). [5] The submarines were armed with four 18 inch (450 mm) tubes in the bow for the six torpedoes they carried. [1] [3]

Operational history

Royal Navy service

HMS H14 was ordered in December 1914 from Bethlehem Steel, constructed at the Fore River Yard in Quincy, Massachusetts, and completed in December 1915. [6] Due to the neutrality of the United States at the time, the submarines were constructed in secret and the vessel's launch date was not recorded. The intention was to construct the submarines and deliver them unarmed to Canada, where their armament would be installed. [1] When the American government discovered the construction, they impounded H14 and her nine completed sister boats, only releasing them following their own declaration of war two years later. [7] During their internement, six of the ten completed submarines were ceded to Chile, leaving four at the Fore River Shipyard. Following the US entry into the war, the remaining four submarines were to sail to the United Kingdom by March 1918. [7]

On 29 March, H14 got underway with three of her sister boats for the United Kingdom, [8] via Bermuda. On 15 April, H14 departed Bermuda for the Azores in a group that consisted of some 40 Allied ships led by USS Salem. Shortly after leaving port, H14 collided with the oiler Arethusa, necessitating a return to Bermuda. H14 was towed back to Bermuda by Conestoga on 18 April. [9] The vessel returned to Boston with serious defects. [8]

After repairs, H14 and sister boat H15 sailed for the United Kingdom, departing the United States on 9 November. [10] [11] The war ended while in transit and the two subs were ordered to Bermuda where they were laid up. [12] The two subs were placed in reserve there until December 1918 when Canada agreed to their transfer from the Royal Navy. [13]

Royal Canadian Navy service

H14 and H15 were officially transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy on 7 February 1919. [14] Taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia in May 1919, H14 lay in a state of disrepair until April 1920 when the Royal Canadian Navy decided to refit and commission the submarine. [13] [15] The H class was used to replace the CC-class submarines. [16] The two submarines were commissioned at Halifax on 21 April 1922. [3] CH-14 became operational in August and with her sister boat, made a series of port visits around the Maritimes. During the winter months of 1921–22, the two submarines sailed to Bermuda for training exercises. [17] Due to budget cuts, plans were made to get rid of the H-class submarines and CH-14 was paid off on 30 June 1922. [18] In 1923, the Royal Canadian Navy began planning to reactivate the submarines. However, this proved too costly and instead the submarine was sold for scrap in 1927. [3] [19]

Related Research Articles

HMCS <i>Victoria</i> (SSK 876)

HMCS Victoria is a long-range hunter-killer (SSK) submarine of the Royal Canadian Navy, the lead ship of her class. She is named after the city of Victoria, British Columbia. She was purchased from the Royal Navy, and is the former HMS Unseen (S41). The class was also renamed from the Upholder class.

HMCS <i>Onondaga</i>

HMCS Onondaga (S73) is an Oberon-class submarine that served in the Royal Canadian Navy and later the Canadian Forces. Built in the mid-1960s, Onondaga operated primarily with the Maritime Forces Atlantic until her decommissioning in 2000 as the last Canadian Oberon.

HMCS <i>Okanagan</i>

HMCS Okanagan (S74) was an Oberon-class submarine that served in the Canadian Forces (CF). She entered service in 1968 and spent the majority of her career on the east coast. The ship was paid off in 1998 and sold for scrap in 2011.

HMCS <i>Ojibwa</i>

HMCS Ojibwa is an Oberon-class submarine that served in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and later the Canadian Forces Maritime Command (MARCOM). Originally intended for service with the British Royal Navy as HMS Onyx, the submarine was transferred to Canadian ownership before completion, and entered RCN service in 1965. Ojibwa operated primarily with Maritime Forces Atlantic until her decommissioning in 1998. In 2010, Ojibwa was laid up at CFB Halifax awaiting disposal, with the Elgin Military Museum planning to preserve her as a museum vessel. The submarine was towed to Port Burwell, Ontario in 2012, and was opened to the public in 2013. She is now the new focal point of a planned Museum of Naval History to be built alongside.

CC-class submarine

The CC-class submarine was the first class of submarines used by the Royal Canadian Navy. Designed as diesel-electric submarines for use as coastal defence, they were originally purchased by the province of British Columbia from a shipbuilder in Seattle, Washington, which had built the submarines for the Chilean Navy. Acquired by Canada they saw no battle while in service during the First World War and were paid off in 1920. They were the first Canadian warships to pass through the Panama Canal. Both ships were discarded in 1925.

HMCS <i>CC-2</i>

HMCS CC-2 was a CC-class submarine used by the Royal Canadian Navy. The ship was launched in 1913 in Seattle, Washington as the submarine Antofagasta for Chile. This deal fell through and the boat, along with HMCS CC-1, was offered to British Columbia's premier Sir Richard McBride, just nine days before the United Kingdom's declaration of war in 1914. On 4 August 1914, the day war was declared, the boat departed at night for handover to British Columbia authorities near Victoria, British Columbia. The Dominion Government of Canada later ratified the sale although there was a Parliamentary investigation of the cost of both boats, over twice the annual budget for the entire Royal Canadian Navy in 1913–14. CC-2 served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1914 to 1920, when the submarine was discarded and broken up in 1925.

HMCS <i>CC-1</i>

HMCS CC-1 was a CC-class submarine used by the Royal Canadian Navy. Acquired by British Columbia at the outbreak of the First World War, the ship had been initially built for Chile as Iquique. However, after a dispute with the shipyard, Chile refused the submarine and the shipyard owners sold the vessel to Canada instead. Renamed CC-1 in Canadian service, the vessel was commissioned in 1914 and remained active through the war. Following the war, the submarine was laid up and was discarded in 1920.

HMCS <i>CH-15</i>

HMCS CH-15 was a H-class submarine originally ordered for the Royal Navy as H15 during the First World War. Constructed in the United States during their neutrality, the submarine was withheld from the Royal Navy until after the US entry into the war. Entering service at the very end of the war, the submarine saw no action and was laid up at Bermuda following the cessation of hostilities. The British government gave the submarine to Canada in 1919, and it was in service with the Royal Canadian Navy from 1921 to 1922 as CH-15. The submarine was sold for scrap and broken up in 1927.

HMCS <i>Messines</i> Battle-class naval trawler of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Messines was one of twelve Battle-class naval trawlers constructed for and used by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the First World War. Following the war the ship was transferred to the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries and converted into a lightvessel. Re-designated Lightship No. 3, the vessel was sold for scrap and broken up in 1962.

HMCS <i>Festubert</i>

HMCS Festubert was one of twelve Battle-class naval trawlers constructed for and used by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the First World War. Following the war, Festubert remained in Canadian service as a training ship until 1934. Reactivated for the Second World War, the ship was used as a gate vessel in the defence of Halifax, Nova Scotia and re-designated Gate Vessel 17. Following the war, the trawler was sold for commercial use and renamed Inverleigh. Inverleigh was scuttled off Burgeo, Newfoundland on 30 June 1971.

HMCS <i>Vimy</i> Battle class navy trawler

HMCS Vimy was one of twelve Battle-class naval trawlers constructed for and used by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the First World War. Following the war the ship was transferred to the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries and converted into a lightvessel. Re-designated Lightship No. 5, the vessel remained in Canadian government service until being possibly broken up for scrap in 1958.

HMCS <i>St. Julien</i>

HMCS St Julien was one of twelve Battle-class naval trawlers constructed for and used by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the First World War. Following the war the ship was transferred to the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries and converted into a lightvessel. Re-designated Lightship No. 22, the ship remained as such until 1958. The ship was sold for commercial use and renamed Centennial and was in service until 1978.

HMCS <i>St. Eloi</i>

HMCS St. Eloi was one of twelve Battle-class naval trawlers constructed for and used by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) during the First World War. Following the war the ship was transferred to the Canadian Department of Marine and Fisheries and converted into a lightvessel. Re-designated Lightship No. 20, the vessel returned to RCN service in 1940 to become the gate vessel Gate Vessel 12 during the Second World War. After the war, the trawler returned to government service and was discarded in 1962.

HMS <i>Olympus</i> (S12) Submarine of the Royal Navy

HMS Olympus was an Oberon-class submarine that served in the Royal Navy, and later in the Canadian Forces as a submarine trainer.

HMCS <i>Battleford</i> Flower-class corvette

HMCS Battleford was a Flower-class corvette of the Royal Canadian Navy launched on 15 April 1940 and commissioned on 31 July 1941 during the Second World War. The corvette served primarily in the Battle of the Atlantic, escorting convoys of merchant ships. After the war she was sold to the Venezuelan Navy and renamed Libertad. Libertad was wrecked on 12 April 1949.

HMCS <i>Wentworth</i> (K331)

HMCS Wentworth was a River-class frigate that served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She served primarily as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was named in honour of the town of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. She could not be named HMCS Dartmouth for fear of confusion with HMS Dartmouth, and so was named after a famous early resident, Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor Sir John Wentworth. Her name is often mistakenly associated with Wentworth County, Ontario, in honour of the city of Hamilton.

HMCS <i>Waskesiu</i> River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy

HMCS Waskesiu was a River-class frigate of the Royal Canadian Navy. The frigate served as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War. It was the first frigate constructed and commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy. Following the war, the vessel was sold to India where it was renamed Hooghly. Named after the town of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, there was already a warship named "Prince Albert". The Royal Canadian Navy then named the ship after the town closest to Prince Albert National Park.

HMCS Georgian was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Primarily used as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the St. Lawrence, the minesweeper had the misfortune of mistakenly sinking the British submarine HMS P514 off the coast of Newfoundland. Georgian also saw service in European waters, taking part in the invasion of Normandy. Following the war the ship was discarded and sold for scrap.

HMCS Mahone was a Bangor-class minesweeper constructed for the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. Entering service in 1941, the ship took part in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the Saint Lawrence as a convoy escort. Following the war, the minesweeper was decommissioned and placed in reserve. Reacquired during the Korean War, Mahone was never recommissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy and was instead sold to the Turkish Navy in 1958. Renamed Beylerbeyi, the minesweeper remained in service until 1972 when she was discarded.

HMCS Lockeport was a Bangor-class minesweeper initially constructed for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Loaned to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1942, the minesweeper saw service on both coasts of Canada as a patrol vessel and convoy escort. Returned to the Royal Navy in 1945, Lockeport was discarded in 1948.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gardiner and Gray, p. 92
  2. ↑ Jane's Fighting Ships of World War I, p. 99
  3. 1 2 3 4 Macpherson and Barrie, p. 16
  4. ↑ Cocker, pp. 40–41
  5. ↑ Ferguson, p. 55
  6. ↑ Perkins, J. D. (1999). "Electric Boat Company Holland Patent Submarines: Building History and Technical Details for Canadian CC-Boats and the Original H-CLASS" . Retrieved 29 October 2007.
  7. 1 2 Perkins (1989), pp. 187–188
  8. 1 2 Perkins (1989), p. 188
  9. ↑ Cressman, Robert J. (6 December 2005). "Bridgeport". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . United States Navy . Retrieved 29 October 2007.)
  10. ↑ Perkins (1989), p. 191
  11. ↑ Ferguson, p. 98
  12. ↑ Perkins (1989), p. 194
  13. 1 2 Perkins (1989), p. 203
  14. ↑ Ferguson, p. 104
  15. ↑ Ferguson, p. 105
  16. ↑ German, p. 42
  17. ↑ Perkins (1989), p. 208
  18. ↑ Ferguson, p. 107
  19. ↑ Ferguson, p. 208

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.