The C-class boats of the 1907–08 and subsequent Naval Programmes were modified to improve their speed, both above and below the surface. The submarine had a length of 142feet overall, a beam of 13feet and a mean draft of 11feet. They displaced 290LT on the surface and 320LT submerged. The C-class submarines had a crew of two officers and fourteen ratings.[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by a single 12-cylinder[2] 6000NaN0 Vickers petrol engine that drove one propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a 300hp electric motor.[1] They could reach 13kn on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the C class had a range of 910nmi at .[3]
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 they would have to remove an equal weight of fuel in compensation.[4]
C19 was laid down on 1 June 1908 by Vickers at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, launched on 20 March 1909, and completed on 9 November. During World War I, the boat was generally used for coastal defence and training in home waters. C19 was sold for scrap on 2 February 1920.