Name HMS C17 Commissioned 13 May 1909 Construction started 11 March 1907 Length 43 m Draft 3.51 m | Laid down 11 March 1907 Class and type C-class submarine Launched 13 August 1908 Test depth 30 m Builder Chatham Dockyard | |
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Fate Sold for scrap, 20th Nov. 1919 Displacement 287 long tons (292 t) surfaced
316 long tons (321 t) submerged | ||
HMS C17 was one of 38 C-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The boat survived the First World War and was sold for scrap in 1919.
Contents
Design and description
The C class was essentially a repeat of the preceding B class, albeit with better performance underwater. The submarine had a length of 142 feet 3 inches (43.4 m) overall, a beam of 13 feet 7 inches (4.1 m) and a mean draft of 11 feet 6 inches (3.5 m). They displaced 287 long tons (292 t) on the surface and 316 long tons (321 t) submerged. The C-class submarines had a crew of two officers and fourteen 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 300-horsepower (224 kW) electric motor. They could reach 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface and 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) underwater. On the surface, the C class had a range of 910 nautical miles (1,690 km; 1,050 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 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
C17 was built by Vickers at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, laid down on 11 March 1907 and was commissioned on 13 May 1909. The boat collided with C16 in the North Sea, south of Cromer, Norfolk on 14 July 1909, and in May 1917 she collided with the destroyer Lurcher and sank. She was repaired, but was sold for scrap on 20 November 1919.