HMS C3
C3 at Southsea, UK, circa. 1917
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| History | |
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 United Kingdom
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| Name: | HMS C3 |
| Builder: | Vickers, Barrow |
| Laid down: | 13 November 1905 |
| Launched: | 3 October 1906 |
| Commissioned: | 23 February 1906 |
| Fate: | Packed with explosives and rammed into the viaduct at Zeebrugge, Belgium, destroying the boat, 23 April 1918. Later scrapped. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | C-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 142 ft 3 in (43.4 m) |
| Beam: | 13 ft 7 in (4.1 m) |
| Draught: | 11 ft 6 in (3.5 m) |
| Installed power: | |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: | 910 nmi (1,690 km; 1,050 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface |
| Test depth: | 100 feet (30.5 m) |
| Complement: | 2 officers and 14 ratings |
| Armament: | 2 × 18 in (450 mm) bow torpedo tubes |
HMS C3 was one of 38 C-class submarines built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. The boat was used to demolish a viaduct during the Zeebrugge Raid in 1918.
The C class was essentially a repeat of the preceding B class, albeit with better performance underwater. The submarine had a length of 142 feet 3 inches (43.4 m) overall, a beam of 13 feet 7 inches (4.1 m) and a mean draft of 11 feet 6 inches (3.5 m). They displaced 287 long tons (292 t) on the surface and 316 long tons (321 t) submerged. The C-class submarines had a crew of two officers and fourteen ratings.
For surface running, the boats were powered by a single 16-cylinder 600-brake-horsepower (447 kW) Vickers petrol engine that drove one propeller shaft. When submerged the propeller was driven by a 300-horsepower (224 kW) electric motor. They could reach 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) on the surface and 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) underwater. On the surface, the C class had a range of 910 nautical miles (1,690 km; 1,050 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).
The boats were armed with two 18-inch (45 cm) torpedo tubes in the bow. They could carry a pair of reload torpedoes, but generally did not as they would have to remove an equal weight of fuel in compensation.
C3 was built by Vickers at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard, laid down on 25 November 1905 and was commissioned on 23 February 1906. The obsolete C3 was packed full of explosives for her last mission to destroy a viaduct connecting the mole to the shore during the Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April 1918. Her commander, Richard Douglas Sandford, received the Victoria Cross for the successful action.
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