HMS Rainbow (N16)

	HMS Rainbow at sea, bow and stern images
History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Rainbow
Ordered	28 January 1929
Builder	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down	24 July 1929
Launched	14 May 1930
Commissioned	18 January 1932
Identification	Pennant number: N16
Fate	Believed sunk on 4 October 1940
General characteristics
Class and type	Rainbow-class submarine
Displacement	1,763 long tons (1,791 t) surfaced; 2,030 long tons (2,060 t) submerged;
Length	287 ft (87 m)
Beam	30 ft (9.1 m)
Draught	16 ft (4.9 m)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric ; 2 × Admiralty diesel engines, 4,640 hp; 2 × electric motors, 1,635 hp; 2 shafts;
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) surfaced; 8.6 knots (15.9 km/h; 9.9 mph) submerged;
Complement	53
Armament	8 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern); 1 × QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX deck gun ;

Last updated October 17, 2024

HMS Rainbow was a Rainbow-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s.

Design and description

The Rainbow-class submarines were designed as improved versions of the Parthian class and were intended for long-range operations in the Far East. The submarines had a length of 287 feet 2 inches (87.5 m) overall, a beam of 29 feet 10 inches (9.1 m) and a mean draft of 13 feet 10 inches (4.2 m). They displaced 1,772 long tons (1,800 t) on the surface and 2,030 long tons (2,060 t) submerged. The Rainbow-class submarines had a crew of 56 officers and ratings. They had a diving depth of 300 feet (91.4 m).^[1]

For surface running, the boats were powered by two 2,200- brake-horsepower (1,641 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 660-horsepower (492 kW) electric motor. They could reach 17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) on the surface and 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) underwater. On the surface, the boats had a range of 7,050 nautical miles (13,060 km; 8,110 mi) at 9.2 knots (17.0 km/h; 10.6 mph) and 62 nmi (115 km; 71 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged.^[1]

The boats were armed with six 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow and two more in the stern. They carried six reload torpedoes for a grand total of fourteen torpedoes. They were also armed with a QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX deck gun.^[2]

Construction and career

Rainbow ran aground in the English Channel off Ventnor, Isle of Wight, on 22 January 1932. She was refloated later the same day.^[3]

Rainbow served in the Far East until 1940, when she moved to the Mediterranean. She left for a patrol off Calabria on 23 September 1940 ^[4] and was due to be back in Alexandria on 16 October, she was last heard from on 25 September. She is believed to have been sunk on 4 October in a collision with the Italian merchant ship Antonietta Costa , which reported striking a submerged object at 03:30, followed by a huge underwater explosion while sailing in convoy from Albania on that date.^[5]

Until 1988 it was believed that Rainbow had been sunk by the Enrico Toti, but eventually it was determined that HMS Triad (N53) was the submarine that Enrico Toti sank.^[4]

Notes

1 2 Bagnasco, pp. 106–07
↑ Chesneau, p. 49
↑ "Submarine ashore near Ventnor". The Times. No. 46038. London. 23 January 1932. col B, p. 7.
1 2 Brian Izzard (November 2009). Gamp VC. Haynes Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-84425-725-6.
↑ "HMS Rainbow (N 16)". uboat.net. Retrieved 13 August 2015.

Related Research Articles

Enrico Toti was one of four Balilla-class submarines built for the Regia Marina during the late 1920s. The boat played a minor role in the Spanish Civil War of 1936–1939 supporting the Spanish Nationalists. She was the only Italian submarine to have sunk a Royal Navy submarine during the Second World War.

The Rainbow-class submarine or R class was a quartet of patrol submarines built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s.

HMS Saga was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold to Portugal.

HMS Scythian was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1960.

HMS Sea Scout was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1965.

HMS Selene was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1961.

HMS Seneschal was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1965.

HMS Sentinel was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She was not completed until after the war and was sold for scrap in 1962.

HMS Solent was a S-class submarine built by Cammell Laird and launched on 8 June 1944 of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She spent most of her career in the Pacific Far East, often in company with her sister ship, HMS Sleuth. Together they sank fifteen Japanese sailing vessels and the Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Wa 3. She survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1961.

HMS Surf was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1948.

HMS Sleuth was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1958.

HMS Spur was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold to Portugal in 1948.

HMS Spearhead was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold to Portugal. She was scrapped in 1967.

HMS Supreme was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1950.

HMS Spirit was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1950.

HMS Spark was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1950.

HMS Stoic was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1950.

HMS Sturdy was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1958.

HMS Subtle was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1959.

HMS Regulus (N88) was a Rainbow-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the 1930s.

References

Akermann, Paul (2002). Encyclopaedia of British Submarines 1901–1955 (reprint of the 1989 ed.). Penzance, Cornwall: Periscope Publishing. ISBN 1-904381-05-7.
Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
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.
Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
McCartney, Innes (2006). British Submarines 1939–1945. New Vanguard. Vol. 129. Oxford, UK: Osprey. ISBN 1-84603-007-2.

External links

Chatham-built submarines: HM Submarine Rainbow Archived 29 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
HMS Rainbow at the Barrow Submariners Association

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.

[b7-1] 1 2 Bagnasco, pp. 106–07

[gg9-2] Chesneau, p. 49

[Times230132a-3] "Submarine ashore near Ventnor". The Times. No. 46038. London. 23 January 1932. col B, p. 7.

[GAMP-4] 1 2 Brian Izzard (November 2009). Gamp VC. Haynes Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-84425-725-6.

[5] "HMS Rainbow (N 16)". uboat.net. Retrieved 13 August 2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e Rainbow-class submarines
Rainbow Regent Regulus Rover Royalist^X Rupert^X
Preceded by: Parthian class Followed by: S class
X Cancelled
List of submarines of the Royal Navy List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1932
Shipwrecks	26 Jan: HMS M2 12 Mar: Reindeer I 19 May: Georges Philippar 7 Jul: Prométhée 22 Jul: Johanna Smith 26 Jul: Niobe 4 Aug: Hai Kan No. 4 14 Sep: HMAS Encounter 27 Sep: Nevada 14 Oct: Monte Nevoso 14 Nov: Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft December (unknown date): Pieter Corneliszoon Hooft Unknown date: HMAS Yarra
Other incidents	22 Jan: HMS Rainbow 30 Jan: President Roosevelt, Roma 8 Feb: USS Whipple 10 Feb: I-54, I-55 21 Feb: Nordland 28 Feb: USCGC Acushnet 13 Mar: Prince David 20 Apr: Hougomont 11 May: Berengaria 14 May: Lochearn 15 May: Georges Philippar 8 Jun: Mulbera 14 Jun: Hyūga, I-4 4 Aug: Otranto 8 Aug: Western World August (unknown date): Duke of Lancaster 3 Sep: Quersee 23 Sep: Challenger 1 Oct: Lawhill 6 Oct: Cap Arcona 11 Oct: Mulbera 17 Oct: Brulin 22 Dec: Navemar, ARP Tacuary 24 Dec: ARP Tacuary
1931 1933

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in October 1940
Shipwrecks	2 Oct: Berillo 3 Oct: HMS Lady of the Isles 4 Oct: HMS Rainbow 11 Oct: HMT Warwick Deeping 13 Oct: Foca 15 Oct: HMS Triad, Thistlegarth 17 Oct: Aenos, HMS Dundalk, Languedoc, Scoresby 18 Oct: Beatus, Creekirk, Durbo, Empire Miniver, Fiscus, HMS H49 19 Oct: Assyrian, HMCS Bras d'Or, Empire Brigade, Snefjeld, Soesterberg, HMS Venetia 20 Oct: Lafolè 22 Oct: HMCS Margaree 24 Oct: Adolf Vinnen 25 Oct: Blairspey 28 Oct: Empress of Britain, Malygin 30 Oct: HMS Sturdy, U-32
Other incidents	5 Oct: Melbourne Star 14 Oct: HMS Cheshire 16 Oct: HMS Ashanti, HMS Fame 17 Oct: Gasfire 18 Oct: Blairspey, Carsbreck 19 Oct: Blairspey 22 Oct: Port Fairy 24 Oct: Eider 27 Oct: Conister
1939 1940 1941 September 1940 November 1940

History
HMS Rainbow at sea, bow and stern images
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Rainbow
Ordered	28 January 1929
Builder	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down	24 July 1929
Launched	14 May 1930
Commissioned	18 January 1932
Identification	Pennant number: N16
Fate	Believed sunk on 4 October 1940
General characteristics
Class and type	Rainbow-class submarine
Displacement	1,763 long tons (1,791 t) surfaced 2,030 long tons (2,060 t) submerged
Length	287 ft (87 m)
Beam	30 ft (9.1 m)
Draught	16 ft (4.9 m)
Propulsion	Diesel-electric 2 × Admiralty diesel engines, 4,640 hp 2 × electric motors, 1,635 hp 2 shafts
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph) surfaced 8.6 knots (15.9 km/h; 9.9 mph) submerged
Complement	53
Armament	8 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern) 1 × QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX deck gun