HM Submarine D5

THE ATTACK ON YARMOUTH

OF NOTE ... THE WRECK OF THE D5 IS PROTECTED UNDER THE PROTECTION OF MILITARY REMAINS ACT 1986

Position ... 52 36 322 N / 002 01 610 E

Builder ... Vickers, Barrow

Built ... 1912

Lost ... 3rd November 1914

Dimensions ... 51.1 x 6.3 x 3.5 mtrs

Displacement ... Surface 495 tons / submerged 620 tons

Diving depth ... 100 feet

Speed ... Surface 14.5 knots / Submerged 9 knots

Propellers ... x2 / blades x3 / diameter 5 feet 3 inches

Armament ... x2 Bow 18 inch torpedo tubes / x1 stern 18 inch torpedo tube, x1 deck gun (quick fire, disappearing)

Endurance ... Surface 2500 miles at 11.5 knots / Submerged 70 miles at 5 knots

Engines ... 2 x 6 cylinder diesel, 2 x 875 hp / 2x electric motors, 2 x 277 hp

Owner ... British Royal Navy

Captain ... Lt Cdr Godfrey Herbert

Lost ... 3rd November 1914

Cause ... Mine

Depth ... 22 mtrs

Casualties ... 21

Survivors ... 5

D Class overview (Total of 8 built between 1907 and 1912) 6 at Barrow / 2 at Chatham.

The D Class design was approved by the Admiralty in 1906, with the D1 being the prototype for the first diesel driven British Naval submarine. Prior to the D Class British submarines had been driven by petrol engines. The C Class being the final vessels built that incorporated petrol engines. With the introduction of twin screws the D Class was afforded better maneuverability over its predecessors. Prior to the D Class all British subs had been built with just one screw. The D 4 was the first British sub to be fitted with a deck gun, this being on a retractable mounting that was located within the vessels superstructure forward of the conning tower. Another innovation was the use of saddle tanks to hold the main ballast water. There were other additional features in the D Class design that were in turn new to British submarines, these including being fitted with a wireless system and a stern torpedo tube. Due to the endurance of the D Class, this being far greater than previous British subs, the D Class was considered the first proper longe range patrol sub of the navy. This in turn was taken full advantage of , with patrols extending as far as the Heligoland Bight.

Below ... Drawing of a D Class submarine showing basic external layout. Note the quick fire disappearing gun hatch forward of the conning tower

Loss of the D5 and the attack on Yarmouth

On the 3rd November 1914 an Imperial German Navy battlecruiser squadron under the command of Admiral Franz Von Hipper shelled the town of Yarmouth. Little damage was done to the town as most of the shells hit the beach. In addition the attacking squadron also laid mines off both Yarmouth and Lowestoft. The Royal Naval submarines E10, D3 and D5 were in the harbour at Yarmouth at the time of the attack and were in turn sent out to challenge the attacking force. At 08.30 the D5 hit one of the mines laid by the German light cruiser Stralsund and was in turn destroyed. Of the crew of 26 only 5 members of the D5's crew survived.

Discovery and identification of the D5

The position at the head of this page was originally listed by the UK Hydrographics Office as being that of the steamer Perth. Dives on the site by Dive 125 and Wessex Archaeology subsequently showed it to be that of the D5. In 2015 the D5 was described by Wessex Archaeology during a site survey for Historic England as being in fairly good condition with the pressure hull mostly intact. Most of the deck features were missing, this including the conning tower and deck casing. Aft of where the conning tower would have been located there is no sign of the hull, ie aft section. To date it is not known if this section of the D5 was blown off when the submarine hit the mine and is located away from the forward section, or if it is buried in the sand?

LINK TO THE SURVEY REPORT BY WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY

Casualties / Name / Rank / Age