Name HMS B10 Fate Sunk 9 August 1916 Beam 12 ft 7 in (3.8 m) Length 43 m Builder Vickers Limited | Completed 28 April 1906 Class and type B-class submarine Launched 23 March 1906 Test depth 30 m | |
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Displacement 287 long tons (292 t) surfaced
316 long tons (321 t) submerged | ||
HMS B10 was one of 11 B-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. .
Contents
Design and description
The B class was an enlarged and improved version of the preceding A class. The submarine had a length of 142 feet 3 inches (43.4 m) overall, a beam of 12 feet 7 inches (3.8 m) and a mean draft of 11 feet 2 inches (3.4 m). They displaced 287 long tons (292 t) on the surface and 316 long tons (321 t) submerged. The B-class submarines had a crew of two officers and thirteen ratings.
For surface running, the boats were powered by a single 16-cylinder 600-brake-horsepower (447 kW) Vickers petrol engine that drove one propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a 180-horsepower (134 kW) electric motor. They could reach 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface and 6.5 knots (12.0 km/h; 7.5 mph) underwater. On the surface, the B class had a range of 1,000 nautical miles (1,900 km; 1,200 mi) at 8.7 knots (16.1 km/h; 10.0 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 they would have to remove an equal weight of fuel in compensation.
Construction and career
B10 was built by Vickers at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, launched 23 March 1906 and completed 28 April 1906. The boat was deployed to the Mediterranean soon after the outbreak of World War I. Due to the lack of spare parts this group of submarines were not used after September 1915.
On 9 August 1916 B10 was sunk by aircraft of the Austrian Naval Air Service (Kaiserliche und Königliche Seeflugwesen) while under repair at Venice. She was lost as she was tied up after taking part in the blockade of Pula alongside the Italian cruiser Marco Polo, which was acting as a depot ship. B10 was the first submarine to be sunk by an aircraft.
An attempt to repair the bomb damage was abandoned after a welding torch ignited a fuel tank resulting in further damage. The submarine was then sold to be broken up.