HMS A3

Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship characteristics

HMS A3 was an Template:Sclass2 submarine built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She sank in 1912. The wreck is a Protected Wreck managed by Historic England.

Design and description

A3 was a member of the first British class of submarines, although slightly larger, faster and more heavily armed than the lead ship, Template:HMS. The submarine had a length of Template:Convert overall, a beam of Template:Convert and a mean draft of Template:Convert. They displaced Template:Convert on the surface and Template:Convert submerged. The A-class submarines had a crew of 2 officers and 9 ratings.Template:Sfn

For surface running, the boats were powered by a single 16-cylinder Template:Convert Wolseley petrol engine that drove one propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a Template:Convert electric motor. They could reach Template:Convert on the surface and Template:Convert underwater. On the surface, A3 had a range of Template:Convert at Template:Convert;Template:Sfn the boat had a range of Template:Convert at Template:Convert submerged.Template:Sfn

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 doing so that they had to compensate for their weight by an equivalent weight of fuel.Template:Sfn

Construction and career

File:Submarine A3. Sunk at Spithead by collision with HMS 'Hazard', with the loss of 14 lives. Feb. 2nd 1912.jpg

Submarine A3. Sunk at Spithead by collision with HMS Hazard, with the loss of 14 lives, 2 February 1912

A3 was laid down by Vickers, Sons & Maxim as Yard No.295 at Barrow-in-Furness on 6 November 1902 and was launched on 9 May 1903.<ref name="SSRT">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was commissioned on 13 July 1904.<ref name="SSRT" /> She primarily served as a coastal defense and training submarine in her over seven years of service.

On 2 February 1912, A3, along with several other submarines dispatched from the port of Gosport, conducted training exercises on target ships in the Solent.Template:Sfn Whilst attacking the depot ship Template:HMS, the semi-submerged A3 accidentally collided with its target Template:Convert southwest of the East Princessa Buoy in the eastern Solent.<ref name="DN03021912">Template:Cite news</ref> Its rudder and propeller were both disabled, and the holed submarine sank immediately with all 14 hands lost.Template:Sfn The King sent his immediate condolences to the families of the lost seamen.<ref name="DN03021912" />

The submarine was raised from the bottom on 11 March and was brought into the south lock of Portsmouth dockyard the following day, slung below a salvage lighter; the lock was pumped dry so that the 14 bodies could be recovered and the damages surveyed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After being towed from Portsmouth to Portland Naval Dockyard, the wreck was towed offshore into Weymouth Bay and, after some technical experiments on the hull, it was sunk as a gunnery target by shells from Template:HMS on 17 May 1912.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In July 2016 the wreck of A3 was officially designated as a protected site.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

References

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External links

• MaritimeQuest HMS A3 Pages
• 'Submarine losses 1904 to present day' - Royal Navy Submarine Museum Template:Webarchive
• "HMS A3" National Heritage List for England