"L" Class Submarine (1917)

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L-2 underway, perhaps on her trials.[1]

The Royal Navy's "L" Class Submarines were completed between November, 1917 and some well after the war.[2]

The boats were designed and produced as enlarged versions of the successful "E" class boats.[3]

Radio

By war's end, all boats of "E" class and later were given 3 kilowatt Poulsen wireless sets, affording ranges of 200 miles submarine-to-submarine, and 300-400 miles between shore stations and submarines. Reception of shore stations of 400 miles was common, and high power shore stations could be received over 500-600 miles.[4]

Torpedoes

L 1 Group:

  • six 18-in tubes (4 forward, 2 broadside), ten torpedoes

L 9 Group:

  • four 21-in bow, eight torpedoes
  • two 18-in broadside, two torpedoes

L 9 Group Minelayers:

  • four 21-in bow
  • 16 mines (only 14 in L 25)

L 50 Group:

  • six 21-in forward, 12 torpedoes

Guns

Though the plan incorporated a 3-in 20 cwt gun on a disappearing mounting,[5] but as built the armament seemed to vary.[6]

Initially, L 1:

  • one 3-in H.A. gun on disappearing mounting

Initially, L 2 to L 8:

  • unknown (varied)

Eventually, all L 1 Group

  • one 4-in

L 9 Group:

  • one 4-in gun on foredeck or on bridge (allegedly from L 12 onward, but one source indicates L 9)[7]

L 50 Group:

  • two 4-in Q.F. on bridge level

See Also

Footnotes

  1. The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 21. Plate 9.
  2. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. pp. 93, 94.
  3. The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 21. p. 6.
  4. The Technical History and Index, Vol. 3, Part 21. pp. 16-17.
  5. The Technical History and Index, Vol. 4, Part 28. p. 19.
  6. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. p. 91.
  7. Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. drawing on p. 93.

Bibliography

  • Gray, Randal (editor) (1985). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).


"L" Class Submarine
L 1 Group
  L 1 L 2 L 3 L 4  
  L 5 L 6 L 7 L 8  
L 9 Group
L 9 L 10 L 15 L 16 L 18
L 19 L 20 L 21 L 22 L 23
L 24 L 26 L 27 L 32 L 33
L 9 Group Minelayers
L 11 L 12 L 14 L 17 L 25
L 50 Group
L 52 L 53 L 54 L 55 L 56
  L 69 L 71  
<– "K" Class Submarines (UK) "M" Class –>