HMS E23
HMS E23 was an E-class submarine built by Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 28 September 1914 and was commissioned on 6 December 1915. E23 torpedoed the German dreadnought SMS Westfalen (18,900 tons), holing her off Terschelling on 19 August 1916. E23 was sold on 6 September 1922 in Sunderland.[1]
 E-class submarine (HMS E20) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name: | HMS E23 |
| Builder: | Vickers, Barrow |
| Laid down: | 28 September 1914 |
| Launched: | 28 September 1915 |
| Commissioned: | 6 December 1915 |
| Fate: | Sold, 6 September 1922 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | E-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 181 ft (55 m) |
| Beam: | 15 ft (4.6 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: |
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| Complement: | 3 officers, 28 ratings |
| Crew: | 30 |
| Armament: |
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Design
Like all post-E8 British E-class submarines, E23 had a displacement of 662 tonnes (730 short tons) at the surface and 807 tonnes (890 short tons) while submerged. She had a total length of 180 feet (55 m)[2] and a beam length of 22 feet 8.5 inches (6.922 m). She was powered by two 800 horsepower (600 kW) Vickers eight-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines and two 420 horsepower (310 kW) electric motors.[3][4] The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) and a submerged speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). British E-class submarines had fuel capacities of 50 tonnes (55 short tons) of diesel and ranges of 3,255 miles (5,238 km; 2,829 nmi) when travelling at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[2] E23 was capable of operating submerged for five hours when travelling at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).
E23 was armed with a 12-pounder 76 mm (3.0 in) QF gun, mounted forward of the conning tower. She had five 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, two in the bow, one either side amidships, and one in the stern; a total of ten torpedoes were carried.[3]
E-class submarines had wireless systems with 1 kilowatt (1.3 hp) power ratings; in some submarines, these were later upgraded to 3 kilowatts (4.0 hp) systems by removing a midship torpedo tube. Their maximum design depth was 100 feet (30 m) although in service some reached depths of below 200 feet (61 m). Some submarines contained Fessenden oscillator systems.[2]
Crew
Her complement was three officers and 28 men.[2]
References
- Hutchinson, Robert, Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day
- Innes McCartney; Tony Bryan (20 February 2013). British Submarines of World War I. Osprey Publishing. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-1-4728-0035-0.
- Akerman, P. (1989). Encyclopaedia of British submarines 1901–1955. p.150. Maritime Books. ISBN 1-904381-05-7
- "E Class". Chatham Submarines. Retrieved 20 August 2015.