Name HMS L9 Commissioned 27 May 1918 Length 73 m Test depth 46 m | Laid down October 1916 Class and type L-class submarine Construction started October 1916 Draft 4.04 m | |
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Fate Sold for scrapping, 30 June 1927 Displacement 914 long tons (929 t) surfaced
1,089 long tons (1,106 t) submerged Builder William Denny and Brothers | ||
HMS L9 was a L-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War I. The boat survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1927.
Contents
Design and description
L9 and its successors were enlarged to accommodate 21-inch (53.3 cm) torpedoes and more fuel. The submarine had a length of 238 feet 7 inches (72.7 m) overall, a beam of 23 feet 6 inches (7.2 m) and a mean draft of 13 feet 3 inches (4.0 m). They displaced 914 long tons (929 t) on the surface and 1,089 long tons (1,106 t) submerged. The L-class submarines had a crew of 38 officers and ratings.
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 12-cylinder Vickers 1,200-brake-horsepower (895 kW) diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 600-horsepower (447 kW) electric motor. They could reach 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph) on the surface and 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph) underwater. On the surface, the L class had a range of 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).
The boats were armed with four 21-inch torpedo tubes in the bow and two 18-inch (45 cm) in broadside mounts. They carried four reload torpedoes for the 21-inch tubes for a grand total of ten torpedoes of all sizes. They were also armed with a 4-inch (102 mm) deck gun.
Construction and career
HMS L9 was laid down in October 1916 by William Denny and Brothers at their Dumbarton shipyard, launched on 29 January 1918, and completed on 27 May. The boat was sunk during a typhoon in Hong Kong harbour on 18 August 1923. She was salvaged on 6 September 1923 and then recommissioned. L9 was sold in Hong Kong on 30 June 1927.