Description
Ordered in December 1917, the R-class were designed to be faster underwater than on the surface, achieving a submerged speed of 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) versus a surfaced speed of 9 knots (17 km/h). They were well-streamlined, having no external ballast tanks, casing, or deck gun, and a streamlined spindle-shaped hull of circular cross-section (not reproduced until the Los Angeles-class) which tapered sharply towards the stern and allowed only for a single screw. The bulbous bow contained five sensitive hydrophones and the lightened conning tower was also well-streamlined.
Thirty-five percent of the space inside the pressure hull was occupied by machinery. A single 8-cylinder 480 hp Diesel engine was installed for surface propulsion, while high underwater speed was given by two large electric motors arranged one behind the other to drive the single propeller shaft, and powered by a 200-cell battery of the same type fitted to J-class submarines. The large battery was, however, sufficient for only about an hour at full power. In addition, the engine took a full day to charge the batteries, using half its power. Charging was therefore undertaken in harbour, using a supply of electricity from the shore or from special battery charging vessels.
Despite being designed for maximum underwater performance, the R-class submarines were extremely difficult to control submerged, especially at high speeds. Surfaced, they had poor seakeeping and were slow. Minor modifications were made to R4, the only submarine of the class to survive into the 1930s, which made it more manageable on the surface, but reduced its submerged speed to a maximum 13 kn (24 km/h; 15 mph).
Read more about this topic: British R Class Submarine
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