HMS R7

	R-class submarine
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS R7
Builder	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down	1 November 1917
Launched	14 May 1918
Commissioned	29 June 1918
Fate	Sold, 21 February 1923
General characteristics
Class and type	R-class submarine
Displacement	410 long tons (417 t) surfaced; 503 long tons (511 t) submerged;
Length	163 ft 9 in (49.91 m)
Beam	15 ft 3 in (4.65 m)
Draught	11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Installed power	240 bhp (180 kW) (diesel); 1,200 hp (890 kW) (electric);
Propulsion	1 × diesel engine ; 1 × electric motor ;
Speed	9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) surfaced; 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) submerged;
Range	2,400 nmi (4,400 km; 2,800 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) surfaced; 60 nmi (110 km; 69 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged
Test depth	150 feet (45.7 m)
Complement	2 officers and 20 ratings
Sensors and ; processing systems	Bow hydrophone array
Armament	6 × bow 18-inch (45 cm) torpedo tubes

Last updated January 21, 2023

HMS R7 was one of 10 R-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1923.

Design and description

The R-class submarine was designed to meet an Admiralty requirement for a specialised hunter-killer submarine with an emphasis on submerged performance. The boats had a length of 163 feet 9 inches (49.9 m) overall, a beam of 15 feet 3 inches (4.6 m) and a mean draft of 11 feet 6 inches (3.5 m). They displaced 410 long tons (420 t) on the surface and 503 long tons (511 t) submerged. The R-class submarines had a crew of 2 officers and 20 ratings.^[1] They had a diving depth of 150 feet (45.7 m).^[2]

For surface running, the boats were powered by a single eight-cylinder ^[3]240- brake-horsepower (179 kW) diesel engine that drove the single propeller shaft. When submerged it was driven by a 1,200-horsepower (895 kW) electric motor. They could reach 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) on the surface and 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) underwater. On the surface, the R class had a range of 2,400 nautical miles (4,400 km; 2,800 mi) at 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) and 60 nmi (110 km; 69 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged.^[4]

The boats were armed with six 18-inch (45 cm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They carried six reload torpedoes for a grand total of a dozen torpedoes. They were equipped with an array of five hydrophones in the bow to allow them to locate and engage targets while submerged.^[4]

Construction and career

HMS R7 was laid down on 1 November 1917 by Vickers Limited at Barrow-in-Furness, launched on 14 May 1918 and commissioned on 29 June. She came too late to see any combat in World War I, like most of the other R class submarines. In the Navy List for November 1918, she was based at Donegal. R7 was sold on 21 February 1923 to E. Suren.

Notes

↑ Gardiner & Gray, p. 93
↑ Harrison, Chapter 19
↑ Harrison, Chapter 25
1 2 Harrison, Chapter 10

Related Research Articles

HMS A12 was an A-class submarine built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. After surviving World War I, she was sold for scrap in 1920.

HMS A10 was an A-class submarine built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. After surviving World War I, she was sold for scrap in 1919.

HMS R1 was one of 10 R-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1923.

HMS R2 was one of 10 R-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1923.

HMS R3 was one of 10 R-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1923.

HMS R4 was one of 10 R-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1934.

HMS R8 was one of 10 R-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1923.

HMS R9 was one of 10 R-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1923.

HMS R10 was one of 10 R-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1929.

HMS R11 was one of 10 R-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1923.

HMS R12 was one of 10 R-class submarines built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1923.

HMS C25 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 C37 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.

HMS C36 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.

HMS C34 was one of 38 C-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The boat was sunk by a German submarine in 1917.

HMS L52 was a late-model L-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1935.

HMS L56 was a late-model L-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. The boat was not completed before the end of the war and was sold for scrap in 1938.

HMS L9 was an L-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War I. The boat survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1927.

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.

HMS L9 was a L-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War I. The boat was completed after the war and was sold for scrap in 1936.

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.

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.

[gg9-1] Gardiner & Gray, p. 93

[2] Harrison, Chapter 19

[3] Harrison, Chapter 25

[h0-4] 1 2 Harrison, Chapter 10

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t e British R-class submarines
R1 R2 R3 R4 R5^X R6^X R7 R8 R9 R10 R11 R12
Preceded by: M class Followed by: HMS X1
X Cancelled
List of submarines of the Royal Navy List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy