HMS E26

HMS E26 was a British E class submarine built by William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir. She was, along with the future E25, one of a pair of submarines ordered by the Ottoman Navy on 29 April 1914, but was taken over by the Royal Navy and assigned the E26 name. She was laid down in November 1914, launched on 11 November 1915, and was commissioned on 3 October 1915.

History
United Kingdom
NameHMS E26
Ordered29 April 1914
BuilderWilliam Beardmore, Dalmuir
Laid downNovember 1914
Launched11 November 1915
Commissioned3 October 1915
FateLost, 3 July 1916
General characteristics
Class and typeE class submarine
Displacement
  • 662 long tons (673 t) surfaced
  • 807 long tons (820 t) submerged
Length181 ft (55 m)
Beam15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × 800 hp (597 kW) diesel
  • 2 × 420 hp (313 kW) electric
  • 2 screws
Speed
  • 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) surfaced
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged
Range
  • 3,000 nmi (5,600 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 65 nmi (120 km) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) surfaced
Complement31
Armament

HMS E26 was lost with all hands in the North Sea, probably in the vicinity of the eastern Ems, on or about 3 July 1916. Her wreck has been found by a group of Dutch divers in 2006.[1]

Design

Like all post-E8 British E-class submarines, E26 had a displacement of 662 long tons (673 t) at the surface and 807 long tons (820 t) while submerged. She had a total length of 180 feet (55 m)[2] and a beam 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.[3][4] 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 long tons (51 t) of diesel and ranges of 3,255 miles (5,238 km; 2,829 nmi) when travelling at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).[2] E26 was capable of operating submerged for five hours when travelling at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).

E26 was armed with a 12-pounder 76 mm (3.0 in) QF gun, mounted forward of the conning tower. She had five 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, two in the bow, one either side amidships, and one in the stern; a total of 10 torpedoes were carried.[3]

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.[2]

Crew

Her complement was three officers and 28 men.[2]

References
  1. Royal Naval Submarine Museum. Submarine losses 1904 to present day.  p.6 Archived 1 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  2. Innes McCartney; Tony Bryan (20 February 2013). British Submarines of World War I. Osprey Publishing. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-1-4728-0035-0.
  3. Akerman, P. (1989). Encyclopaedia of British submarines 1901–1955.  p.150. Maritime Books. ISBN 1-904381-05-7
  4. "E Class". Chatham Submarines. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.

Bibliography


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