HMS A9 was an 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.
A9 was a member of the first British class of submarines, although slightly larger, faster and more heavily armed than the lead ship, . The submarine had a length of 105feet overall, a beam of 12feet and a mean draft of 10feet. They displaced 190LT on the surface and 206LT submerged. The A-class submarines had a crew of 2 officers and 9 ratings.[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by a single 16-cylinder 6000NaN0 Wolseley petrol engine that drove one propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a 150hp electric motor. They could reach 11kn on the surface and underwater.[1] On the surface, A9 had a range of 500nmi at ; submerged the boat had a range of 30nmi at .[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 doing so that they had to compensate for their weight by an equivalent weight of fuel.[3]
A9 was ordered as part of the 1903–04 Naval Programme from at Vickers.[4] She was laid down at the shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in 1903, launched on 8 February 1905 and completed on 8 May 1905.[2]
On July 15, 1908 under the command of Lieutenant Clifford Warren, HMS A9 was part of a flotilla of seven Royal Navy submarines making passage from Portland to Dover accompanied by the Apollo-class cruiser HMS Aeolus.[5]
When passing abeam Folkstone it was noticed that HMS A9 was having difficulty keeping station within the formation and assistance was sent from Aeolus. Due to a technical malfunction of a valve a leak of carbon monoxide had occurred within the submarine, which rendered the six-man crew unconscious. Second in command Lieutenant Eric Groves made several attempts to enter the hull and initiate a rescue but was subsequently overcome by the fumes.[6]
With the use of wet cloths to cover his face a further attempt was made. This proved to be successful and Lt. Groves managed to cut the fuel supply to the submarine's engines, but in turn also fell unconscious.[7]
However by doing so a rescue party from HMS Aeolus were able to enter the hull and effect the extraction of the sailors, including Lt. Groves who was found slumped over the engine. Lieutenant Groves continued to suffer from the effects of carbon monoxide and was subsequently medically discharged from the navy.[8]
A memorial plaque commemorating the endeavours of Lt. Groves is displayed at St. Maughold Church, Isle of Man.[9]