CH14 1919
| Name | No | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comp | Fate |
| CH14 (ex-H14) | Fore River, Quincy, USA | 1915 | 3.7.1915 | 12.1915 // 6.1919 | sold 1925 | ||
| CH15 (ex-H15) | Fore River, Quincy, USA | 1915 | 16.7.1915 | 12.1915 // 6.1919 | sold 1925 |
|
Displacement standard, t |
|
|
Displacement normal, t |
364 / 434 |
|
Length, m |
45.8 |
|
Breadth, m |
4.68 |
|
Draught, m |
3.81 |
|
No of shafts |
2 |
|
Machinery |
2 NLSE diesels / 2 electric motors |
|
Power, h. p. |
480 / 620 |
|
Max speed, kts |
13 / 11 |
|
Fuel, t |
diesel oil 16 |
| Endurance, nm(kts) | 1600(10) / 130(2) |
|
Armament |
4 - 450 TT (bow, 6) |
|
Complement |
22 |
| Diving depth operational, m | 30 |
Project history: In addition to the purchase of guns and armour for monitors, in November 1914 the Admiralty gave a contract to Bethlehem Steel to supply material for ten submarines similar to the US Navy's 'H' class. To get around the neutrality laws the boats were to be assembled by Canadian Vickers in Montreal, and a further ten were to be delivered 'after the war'. In fact the second batch were built at Bethlehem's Fore River yard, and were to be delivered unarmed to Canadian Vickers. The first ten boats were completed in May-June 1915, and their crossing of the Atlantic established a new record for submarines. The second batch was, however, subject to close scrutiny by the US Government, and it was made clear to the British that the boats could not be delivered, and they were held up until the United States entered the War in April 1917. In the meantime Bethlehem Steel had managed to send their engines, motors and other fittings to England for installation in the Vickers-built H 21 class, so completion lagged far behind the first batch. As the entire batch were built in secrecy, launch dates were not logged in Admiralty records, and many details remain obscure. They were single-hulled, and had a small reserve of surface stability as a result, much like the 'B' and 'C class. Nevertheless they gave good service. After America's entry into the war H11-20 were released but the Admiralty wished to compensate Chile for the ships requisitioned in 1914-15, and instructed the builders to deliver six of them to Chile. Operational diving depth was 30m, maximal 90m.
Modernizations: None.
Naval service: No significant events.
© Ivan Gogin, 2015