Name HMS A2 Beam 12 ft 9 in (3.9 m) Launched 15 April 1903 Draft 3.25 m | Class and type A-class submarine Draught 10 ft 8 in (3.3 m) Length 32 m | |
Fate Sold for scrap, 22 October 1925 Displacement 190 long tons (193 t) surfaced
206 long tons (209 t) submerged Builders Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness | ||
HMS A2 was an A-class submarine built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century.
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Design and description
A2 was a member of the first British class of submarines, although slightly larger, faster and more heavily armed than the lead ship, HMS A1. The submarine had a length of 105 feet 1 inch (32.0 m) overall, a beam of 12 feet 9 inches (3.9 m) and a mean draft of 10 feet 8 inches (3.3 m). They displaced 190 long tons (190 t) on the surface and 206 long tons (209 t) submerged. The A-class submarines had a crew of 2 officers and 11 ratings.
For surface running, the boats were powered by a single 16-cylinder 450-brake-horsepower (336 kW) Wolseley petrol engine that drove one propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a 150-horsepower (112 kW) electric motor. They could reach 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) on the surface and 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) underwater. On the surface, A2 had a range of 320 nautical miles (590 km; 370 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph); submerged the boat had a range of 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).
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 doing so that they had to compensate for their weight by an equivalent weight of fuel.
Construction and career
Like all boats in her class, she was built at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness. She was launched on 15 April 1903. During World War I, A2 served on harbour service at Portsmouth. She flooded after running aground in Bomb Ketch Lake, Portsmouth harbour in January 1920 and was sold for scrap to H. G. Pound of Portsmouth on 22 October 1925.