HMS H42 explained

HMS H42 was a British H class submarine that sank with the loss of all 24 of its crew after an accidental collision in 1922.^[1] The sub was built by Armstrong Whitworth, Newcastle Upon Tyne. She was laid down in September 1917 and was commissioned on 1 May 1919.

On 23 March 1922, under the command of Royal Navy Lieutenant Douglas Staley, H42 was practising torpedo attacks against British destroyers steaming off Europa Point, Gibraltar,^[2] when she surfaced unexpectedly only 30 ^[3] or 120^[4] yards (27 or 110 metres)  - sources differ  - ahead of the destroyer . Versatile, making 20 knots, went to full speed astern on her engines and put her helm over hard to port, but had not yet begun to answer her helm when she rammed H42 abaft the conning tower, almost slicing the submarine in half. H42 sank with the loss of all hands. An investigation found H42 at fault for surfacing where she did against instructions.^{[4] [5]}

Design

Like all post-H20 British H-class submarines, H42 had a displacement of 423LT at the surface and 510LT while submerged.^[6] It had a total length of 171feet,^[7] a beam of 15feet, and a draught of . It contained a diesel engines providing a total power of and two electric motors each providing power.^[8] The use of its electric motors made the submarine travel at 11kn. It would normally carry 16.4LT of fuel and had a maximum capacity of 18LT.^[9]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 13kn and a submerged speed of 10.5kn. Post-H20 British H-class submarines had ranges of 2985nmi at speeds of 7.5kn when surfaced.^{[6] [8]} H42 was fitted with an anti-aircraft gun and four torpedo tubes. Its torpedo tubes were fitted to the bows and the submarine was loaded with eight torpedoes.^[6] It is a Holland 602 type submarine but was designed to meet Royal Navy specifications. Its complement was twenty-two crew members.^[6]

Bibliography

• Book: Hutchinson . Robert . Jane's submarines : war beneath the waves from 1776 to the present day . 2001 . HarperCollins . London . 9780007105588.
• Richardson, Alexander and Archibald Hurd. (editors). Brassey's Naval and Shipping Annual 1923. London, William Clowes, 1923.

Notes and References

1. "Submersible Sunk; 24 Lost— British H-42 Rammed by Destroyer Versatile During Maneuvers", The Washington Post, March 24, 1922, p. 1
2. https://www.navy-net.co.uk/community/threads/remembrance-sunday-h42-is-still-on-patrol.58404/ Navy Net: Remembrance Sunday: H42 is Still On Patrol
3. "Struck at Right Angles— H 42 Rises 30 Yards Ahead of Destroyer", The Manchester Guardian, March 24, 1922, p. 9; Eyres Monsell, the Lord of the Admiralty, read a telegram to the House of Commons that was received from the Gibraltar command saying "The only further details yet known are as follows: H 42 came to the surface thirty or forty yards ahead of Versatile, which was steaming twenty knots and rammed the submarine about the conning tower at right angles." It is possible that the speculation on modern websites of "120 yards" is based on a misinterpretation of 120 feet (or 40 yards).
4. Web site: H42. rnsubs.co.uk . 28 September 2022 .
5. Richardson and Hurd 1923, p.31.
6. Book: Gardiner . Robert . Gray . Robert . Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921 . 1985 . Conway Maritime Press . London . 0-85177-245-5 . 92.
7. Book: Derek Walters. The History of the British 'U' Class Submarine. 2004. Casemate Publishers. 978-1-84415-131-8. 2–.
8. Retrieved from Naval-History on 20 August 2015.
9. Web site: Building History and Technical Details for Canadian CC-Boats and the Original H-CLASS. Electric Boat Company Holland Patent Submarines. J. D. Perkins. 1999. 20 August 2015.