HMS C3

	C3 at Southsea, UK, circa. 1917
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS C3
Builder	Vickers, Barrow
Laid down	13 November 1905
Launched	3 October 1906
Commissioned	23 February 1906
Fate	Packed with explosives and rammed into the viaduct at Zeebrugge, Belgium, destroying the boat, 23 April 1918. Later scrapped.
General characteristics
Class and type	C-class submarine
Displacement	287 long tons (292 t) surfaced; 316 long tons (321 t) submerged;
Length	142 ft 3 in (43.4 m)
Beam	13 ft 7 in (4.1 m)
Draught	11 ft 6 in (3.5 m)
Installed power	600 bhp (450 kW) petrol ; 300 hp (220 kW) electric;
Propulsion	1 × 16-cylinder Vickers petrol engine; 1 × electric motor ;
Speed	12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced; 7 kn (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged;
Range	910 nmi (1,690 km; 1,050 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface
Test depth	100 feet (30.5 m)
Complement	2 officers and 14 ratings
Armament	2 × 18 in (450 mm) bow torpedo tubes

Last updated October 18, 2024

HMS C3 was one of 38 C-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The boat was used to demolish a viaduct during the Zeebrugge Raid in 1918.

Design and description

The C class was essentially a repeat of the preceding B class, albeit with better performance underwater. The submarine had a length of 142 feet 3 inches (43.4 m) overall, a beam of 13 feet 7 inches (4.1 m) and a mean draft of 11 feet 6 inches (3.5 m). They displaced 287 long tons (292 t) on the surface and 316 long tons (321 t) submerged. The C-class submarines had a crew of two officers and fourteen ratings.^[1]

For surface running, the boats were powered by a single 16-cylinder 600- brake-horsepower (447 kW) Vickers petrol engine that drove one propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a 300-horsepower (224 kW) electric motor.^[1] They could reach 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface and 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) underwater. On the surface, the C class had a range of 910 nautical miles (1,690 km; 1,050 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 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 they would have to remove an equal weight of fuel in compensation.^[3]

Construction and career

C3 was built by Vickers at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, laid down on 13 November 1905 and was commissioned on 23 February 1906. The obsolete C3 was packed full of explosives for her last mission, which was to destroy a viaduct connecting the mole to the shore during the Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April 1918. Her commanding officer, Richard Douglas Sandford, received the Victoria Cross for the successful action.

Notes

1 2 Gardiner & Gray, p. 87
↑ Harrison, Chapter 3
↑ Harrison, Chapter 27

Related Research Articles

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HMS C38 was one of 38 C-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The boat survived the First World War and was sold for scrap in 1919.

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HMS C28 was one of 38 C-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The boat survived the First World War and was sold for scrap in 1921.

HMS C30 was one of 38 C-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The boat survived the First World War and was sold for scrap in 1921.

HMS C35 was one of 38 C-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.

HMS C32 was one of 38 C-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The boat ran aground in the Baltic in 1917 and had to be destroyed to prevent her capture.

HMS L12 was a L-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War I. She was one of five boats in the class to be fitted as a minelayer. The boat survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1932.

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 C-3 Pages

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[gg9-1] 1 2 Gardiner & Gray, p. 87

[2] Harrison, Chapter 3

[3] Harrison, Chapter 27

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e British C-class submarines
C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31 C32 C33 C34 C35 C36 C37 C38
Preceded by: B class Followed by: D class
List of submarines of the Royal Navy List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1918
Shipwrecks	1 Apr: HMS Falcon 3 Apr: AG-11, AG-12, AG-16, HMS E1, HMS E9 4 Apr: HMS Bittern, HMS C26, HMS E8 5 Apr: HMS C27, HMS C35 7 Apr: Rye 8 Apr: HMS E19 10 Apr: Benedetto Cairoli, Faulx 11 Apr: USS Mary B. Garner, UB-33 17 Apr: UB-82 19 Apr: UB-78 21 Apr: UB-71 22 Apr: Prinz August Wilhelm, UB-55 23 Apr: HMS Brilliant, HMS C3, HMS Sirius, HMS Thetis 25 Apr: U-104 29 Apr: Priarial 30 Apr: UB-85
Other incidents	10 Apr: Mangini, Giacinto Carini 11 Apr: HMS King Alfred, SMS Rheinland 23 Apr: Brussels
1917 1918 1919 March 1918 May 1918