HMS H6

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NLMS O8.jpg
HNLMS O 8
History
Naval ensign of the United Kingdom.svgUnited Kingdom
NameHMS H6
Builder Canadian Vickers, Montreal
Laid down1914 [1]
Launched12 May 1915 [1]
Commissioned10 June 1915 [1]
FateSold to the Netherlands on 4 May 1917
Flag of the Netherlands.svgNetherlands
NameHNLMS O 8
Acquired4 May 1917 [2]
Commissioned7 May 1917 [3]
FateScuttled by Dutch forces following German invasion of the Netherlands during Second World War. Later refloated by Germany on 14 May 1940
War ensign of Germany (1938-1945).svg Nazi Germany
NameUD-1
Commissioned21 November 1940 [1]
Decommissioned23 November 1943 [1]
FateScuttled in Kiel Harbour following Allied advance on 3 May 1945 [1]
General characteristics (as built)
Class & type H-class submarine
Displacement
  • 364 long tons (370 t) surfaced
  • 434 long tons (441 t) submerged
Length150 ft 3 in (45.80 m)
Beam15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged
Range
  • 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km; 1,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 130 nautical miles (240 km; 150 mi) at 2 knots (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) submerged
Complement22
Armament
Service record as UD-1 [1]
Part of:
Identification codes: M 28 540
Commanders:
  • K.Kapt. Hermann Rigele [4]
  • 21 November 1940 – 3 May 1941
  • Kptlt. Friedrich Schäfer [5]
  • 4 May – 2 November 1941
  • Franz Venier [6]
  • 3 November 1941 – 14 December 1942
  • Kptlt. Wolfgang Ketelsen [7]
  • 15 December 1942 – 17 May 1943
  • Oblt.z.S. Friedrich Weidner [8]
  • 18 May – 28 November 1943
Operations: None
Victories: None

HMS H6 was a British H-class submarine of the Royal Navy built by Canadian Vickers & Co. during World War I.

Contents

Design

She had a displacement of 364 long tons (370 t) at the surface and 434 long tons (441 t) while submerged. Her total length was 150 feet 3 inches (45.8 m), with a beam of 15 feet 4 inches (4.7 m) and a draught of 12 feet (3.7 m).

Her two diesel engines provided a total power of 480 horsepower (360 kW) and her two electric motors provided 320 horsepower (240 kW) power which gave the submarine a maximum surface speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) and a submerged speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). She would normally carry 16.4 long tons (16.7 t) of fuel and had a maximum capacity of 18 long tons (18 t) [9] and a range of 1,600 nautical miles (2,963 km; 1,841 mi). The boat was armed with a 6-pounder (2.7 kg) Hotchkiss quick-firing gun and four 18-inch (457 mm) bow torpedo tubes with six 18-inch (457 mm) torpedoes carried. The complement was twenty-two crew members.

History

She was completed on 10 June 1915 and was commissioned by the Royal Navy the same year. However, her service in the Royal Navy was short. On 19 January 1916, she ran aground near the Dutch island of Schiermonnikoog, after which she was interned by the Royal Netherlands Navy. [10] On 4 May 1917, an agreement was reached to sell H6 to the Netherlands.

Dutch service

The Royal Netherlands Navy renamed H6 to HNLMS O 8 and refitted her, with knowledge gained from the interned German submarine UC-8. After UC-8 was bought from Germany O 8 was equipped with UC-8's Zeiss periscope. During maintenance in October 1921, O 8 partly sank in the harbour at Den Helder. [2] Because only minor damage was sustained, she was repaired and continued in service. In the summer of 1925, O 8 together with the other Dutch vessels HNLMS K XI, HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck, HNLMS Marten Harpertszoon Tromp, HNLMS Z 3 and HNLMS Z 5 were part of an exercise in the Baltic Sea.

During the German attack on the Netherlands at the start of the Second World War, O 8 was still in Dutch service. At the time she was undergoing maintenance and as a result could not escape during the invasion. [11] Instead it was decided to scuttle her. [12]

German service

After the surrender of the Netherlands, the German forces were able raise O 8 and found her almost fully intact. [13]

Germany took O 8 into service as UD-1 and transferred her from Den Helder to Kiel. In Kiel, she was used as training ship to train crews for the German U-boats. Because of her age, she was decommissioned on 23 November 1943. On 3 May 1945, she was scuttled again in the harbour at Kiel. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Helgason, Guðmundur. "Foreign U-boats UD-1". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 Jalhay (1982), p. 107.
  3. ↑ von Münching (1978), p. 33.
  4. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hermann Rigele". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Friedrich Schäfer". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Franz Venier". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  7. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Wolfgang Ketelsen". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Friedrich Weidner". Uboat.net. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  9. ↑ J. D. Perkins (1999). "Building History and Technical Details for Canadian CC-Boats and the Original H-CLASS". Electric Boat Company Holland Patent Submarines. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  10. ↑ "Indringers" (PDF). Klaar Voor Onderwater (in Dutch). No. 26. Den Helder: Onderzeedienst Reünistenvereniging. March 1989. pp. 6–8.
  11. ↑ de Bles, Boven and Homburg (2006), p. 95.
  12. ↑ Jalhay (1982), p. 29.
  13. ↑ Bezemer, K.W.L.; Zij vochten op de zeven zeeën; Uitgeversmaatschappij W. de Haan N.V.; 1954
  14. ↑ Dutchsubmarines.com O 8

Bibliography

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