Name HMS E22 Commissioned 8 November 1915 Length 55 m | Laid down 27 August 1914 Construction started 27 August 1914 | |
Fate Sunk by torpedo, 25 April 1916 Builders Vickers Limited, Barrow-in-Furness | ||
HMS E22 was a British E class submarine built by Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 27 August 1914 and was commissioned on 8 November 1915.
Contents
Design
Like all post-E8 British E-class submarines, E22 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) 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. 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). E21 was capable of operating submerged for five hours when travelling at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).
E22 was armed with five 18 inches (460 mm) torpedo tubes, two in the bow, one either side amidships, and one in the stern; a total of 10 torpedoes were carried.
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.
Crew
Her complement was three officers and 28 men.
Service history
E22 was involved in experiments in the North Sea to intercept Zeppelins on 24 April 1916. E22 carried two Sopwith Schneider seaplane scouts on her casing. The boat would then submerge in calm waters and the planes would float on the surface. They would then take off and then return to the East coast of England in Felixstowe. The trials were not repeated. E22 was torpedoed by the German U-boat UB-18 off Great Yarmouth in the North Sea on 25 April 1916. There were two survivors, ERA F.S. Buckingham and Signalman William Harrod, taken prisoner by the U-Boat.