View source for HMS K13

{{Short description|British K Class submarine}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2016}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:The British Submarine K22 in Dry Dock at Rosyth- Winter Art.IWMART1359.jpg
|Ship caption=A painting of ''K22'', the former ''K13'', in drydock
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United Kingdom
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}}
|Ship name=HMS ''K13''
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered= August 1915
|Ship builder=[[Fairfield Shipbuilders]], [[Glasgow]]
|Ship laid down=
|Ship launched=11 November 1916
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate= Sold for scrapping 16 December 1926 in [[Sunderland, Tyne and Wear|Sunderland]]
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship captured=
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[British K class submarine|K-class submarine]]
|Ship type=
|Ship displacement=*1,980 [[ton]]s surfaced
* 2,566 tons submerged
|Ship length={{convert|339|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|26|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|20|ft|11|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=*Twin 10,500 [[horsepower|shp]] (7.8 MW) oil-fired Yarrow boilers each powering a Brown-Curtis or Parsons geared [[steam turbine]]s
* Twin 3-blade {{convert|7|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}  screws
* Four 1,440 [[horsepower|hp]] (1.1 MW) [[electric motor]]s.
* One 800 hp (600 kW) Vickers [[diesel generator]] for charging [[battery (electricity)|batteries]] on the surface.
|Ship speed=*{{convert|24|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
* {{convert|8|kn}}
|Ship range=*''Surfaced:''
* {{convert|800|nmi|lk=in}} at maximum speed
* {{convert|12500|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}}
* ''Submerged:''
* {{convert|8|nmi}} at {{convert|8|kn}}
* {{convert|40|nmi}} at {{convert|4|kn}}
|Ship test depth=
|Ship complement=59 (6 officers and 53 ratings)
|Ship armament=*4 × [[British 18 inch torpedo|18 inch (450 mm)]] beam torpedo tubes
* 4 × 18 in (450 mm) bow tubes, plus 8 spare torpedoes
* 2 × 4 in (102 mm) guns
* 1 × 3 in (76 mm) gun
* 2 × 18 in (450 mm) deck tubes originally fitted, but later removed
|Ship armour=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''HMS ''K13''''' was a steam-propelled [[First World War]] [[British K class submarine|K class]] [[submarine]] of the [[Royal Navy]]. She sank in a fatal accident during sea trials in early 1917 and was [[Marine salvage|salvaged]] and recommissioned as '''HMS ''K22'''''.
==Design and construction==
In early 1915, a requirement arose for a new type of fast submarines capable of operating with the [[Grand Fleet]], which would operate ahead of the fleet in conjunction with the fleet's cruisers and attack an enemy force before the battleships would engage. The submarines would need a speed of at least 21 knots on the surface in the rough waters of the [[North Sea]], with this being beyond the capability of conventional diesel-powered submarines.<ref>{{Harvnb|Whitman|2013|pp=28–29}}</ref><ref name="conway06p91">{{Harvnb|Gardiner|Gray|1985|p=91}}</ref> To meet this requirement, a 1913 design for a steam-powered submarine by the [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]]'s [[Director of Naval Construction]] was passed to [[Vickers]] for detailed design.<ref name="brownp125">{{Harvnb|Brown|2010|p=125}}</ref>
The submarines were {{convert|339|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} [[length overall|long overall]] and {{convert|328|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} [[length between perpendiculars|between perpendiculars]], with a [[Beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|26|ft|6+3/4|in|m|2|abbr=on}} and a surfaced [[Draft (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|17|ft|0|in|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="harchap8">{{harvnb|Harrison|1979|loc=Chapter 8}}</ref> [[Displacement (ship)|Displacement]] was {{convert|1980|LT|t|abbr=on}} on the surface and {{convert|2566|LT|t|abbr=on}} submerged.<ref name="conway06p91"/> Two [[Yarrow boiler|Yarrow water-tube boilers]] fed steam at {{convert|235|psi|kPa|abbr=on}} to two sets of Brown-Curtis [[Steam turbine#Impulse turbines|impulse steam turbines]] rated at {{convert|10500|shp|kW|abbr=on}} which drove two propeller shafts. This gave a design speed on the surface of {{convert|24|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}. Submerged, the submarine was propelled by four electric motors rated at {{convert|1440|bhp|kW|abbr=on}} which gave a design speed of {{convert|9–9.5|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} which corresponded to a sea speed of about {{convert|8|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}. An {{convert|800|bhp|kW|abbr=on}} auxiliary diesel engine was fitted to power the submarine on the surface when the steam plant was unavailable (for example when the submarine had just surfaced and steam was being raised). This engine drove a dynamo which powered the electric motors or charged the batteries.<ref name="conway06p91"/><ref name="harchap8app3">{{harvnb|Harrison|1979|loc=Chapter 8, Appendix IIIB}}</ref>
The steam engines required large openings in the pressure hull, with two funnels and four air intakes, which had to be closed off and made watertight before the submarine submerged. The funnels hinged into the submarine's superstructure and the openings by the funnels and air intakes sealed by electrically operated valves.<ref name="harchap8"/><ref>{{Harvnb|Whitman|2013|p=29}}</ref> The submarine had a range on the surface of {{convert|12500|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} (powered by the diesel engine) or {{convert|800|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} at full power. The submerged endurance was much less than expected, {{convert|8|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|8|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} and {{convert|30|nmi|mi km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="harchap8app3"/>
Ten [[British 18-inch torpedo|18 inch (450 mm)]] torpedo tubes were fitted, with four bow tubes, four beam tubes and two on a revolving mount on the superstructure, A total of 18 torpedoes were carried. Gun armament consisted of two 4 inch (102&nbsp;mm) guns and one 3-inch (76&nbsp;mm) anti-aircraft gun. Once in service, the ships proved to be very wet on the surface, with the bow tending to dig down, and one of the 4-inch guns and the revolving torpedo-tube mount was removed.<ref name="conway06p91"/> The normal crew was 59 officers and other ranks.<ref name="conway06p91"/>
''K13'' was one of 12 K-class submarines ordered in August 1915, following on from the first 2 ordered in June that year.<ref name="harchap8"/> She was [[Keel laying|laid down]] at [[Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Fairfield]]'s [[Govan]] shipyard in October 1915 as [[Yard number]] 522, and was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 11 November 1916.<ref name="hapappI">{{harvnb|Harrison|1979|loc=Appendix I, p. App I.9}}</ref><ref name="clyde">{{cite web|title=K.13 |work=Clyde Built Ships|publisher=Caledonian Maritime Research Trust|url=http://www.clydeships.co.uk/view.php?official_number=&imo=&builder=&builder_eng=&year_built=&launch_after=&launch_before=&role=&propulsion=&category=&owner=&port=&flag=&disposal=&lost=&ref=6489&vessel=K.13 |access-date=24 May 2020}}</ref>
==Accident==
On 29 January 1917, ''K13'' was undergoing final pre-acceptance trials in the [[Gareloch]], [[Dunbartonshire]], Scotland. During a dive in the morning, a small leak had been reported in the boiler rooms, so a second dive was programmed for the afternoon. All boiler room vents were opened to clear the boiler room of steam to aid searching for the leaks. At about 3:00 pm, the submarine went to diving stations, and after confirming that the engine room had been shut off, the submarine was dived.<ref name="mon34p166-7">{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 34|1933|pp=166–167}}</ref><ref name="kemp478">{{Harvnb|Kemp|1999|pp=48–48}}</ref> She had 80 people on board - 53 crew, 14 employees of the shipbuilders, five sub-contractors, five Admiralty officials, Joseph Duncan, a [[River Clyde]] pilot, Commander Francis Goodhart and engineering officer, Lieutenant Leslie Rideal, both from her sister ship [[HMS K14|''K14'']], which was still under construction.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hillhouse|1919|pp=3–4}}</ref>
As she dived, seawater was seen to be entering ''K13''{{'}}s  engine room, and the submarine's commanding officer, [[Lieutenant commander (Royal Navy)|Lieutenant-Commander]] [[Godfrey Herbert]] ordered watertight doors to be shut and [[ballast tank]]s to be blown to bring the submarine to the surface, and then the drop keels released. Despite this, the dive could not be stopped and the submarine was soon stuck fast on the bottom of the Gareloch.<ref name="mon34p167">{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 34|1933|p=167}}</ref><ref name="kemp478"/><ref>{{Harvnb|Hillhouse|1919|p=4}}</ref> The crew of {{HMS|E50||2}}, another submarine undergoing trials on the Gareloch, watched ''K13'' dive and became concerned that the dive did not "look right" and raised the alarm.<ref name="hillp6">{{Harvnb|Hillhouse|1919|p=6}}</ref>  Two men were seen on the surface by Annie MacIntyre, a maid in a hotel a mile or so away, but her report was ignored.<ref name="hillp17">{{Harvnb|Hillhouse|1919|p=17}}</ref>
[[File:Message capsule from hms k13.JPG|thumb|left|A message capsule sent up from the submarine]]
The first rescue vessel, the torpedo gunboat {{HMS|Gossamer|1890|2}} had started searching for ''K13'' using grapples by 23:00. Attempts to send divers down were delayed since ''Gossamer'' had a diving-suit but no diver, and when a diver arrived from Fairfields, he was nearly drowned when the suit, which had not been used for years, burst.<ref name="hillp6"/> Despite the lack of proper escape apparatus, Herbert, and the commander of ''K14'', Commander Goodhart, attempted an escape to the surface by using the space between the inner and outer hatches of the [[conning tower]] as an [[airlock]].<ref name="hillp810">{{Harvnb|Hillhouse|1919|pp=8–10}}</ref><ref name=USSubCasualties1966>{{cite report |title=Submarine Casualties Booklet |publisher=U.S. Naval Submarine School |year=1966 |page=G-5 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/8200 |access-date=2013-08-19 |archive-date=27 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727224438/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/8200 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> Herbert reached the surface alive, but Goodhart's body was later found trapped in the wheelhouse.<ref name="hillp810"/><ref name="mon34p167"/><ref name="kemp478"/>
Once at the surface, Herbert was able to co-ordinate rescue efforts, and later that afternoon an airline was connected, which allowed the ballast tanks to be blown and by midday on 31 January the bows had been brought to just above the surface and supported by a [[barge]] on each side. A hole was cut through her pressure hull, and at 22:00 the final survivor was rescued from the submarine.<ref>{{Harvnb|Hillhouse|1919|pp=11–17}}</ref> 32 people died in the accident and 48 were rescued.<ref name="hillp17"/><ref name="mon34p167-8">{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 34|1933|pp=167–168}}</ref> 31 bodies were expected to be still on the submarine, but only 29 were found, and it was concluded that the maid had indeed seen two people escaping from the engine room. They were later identified as Engineer-Lieutenant Arthur Lane and Fairfield foreman John Steel. Lane's body was recovered from the Clyde two months later, Steel's body was never found.<ref name="hillp17"/>
At 6 p.m. the following day, ''K13'' tore the bollards out of the barges and sank again, flooding through the hole.<ref name="hillp17"/> The submarine was finally salvaged on 15 March, repaired and recommissioned as HMS ''K22''.
The court of enquiry found that four of the 37&nbsp;inch (940&nbsp;mm) diameter ventilators had been left open during the dive, and that the indicator lever in the control room had actually showed them as open.<ref name="hillp15">{{Harvnb|Hillhouse|1919|p=15}}</ref><ref name="mon34p167-8"/> The engine room hatch was also found to be open.<ref name="hillp17"/>
==Subsequent service==
''K13'' was raised on 15 March 1917, and was subsequently refurbished and entered service under the name ''K22'',<ref name="clyde"/><ref name="kemp478"/> completing on 18 October 1917,<ref name="hapappI"/> joining the 13th Submarine Flotilla.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: I.—The Grand Fleet: Thirteenth Submarine Flotilla |magazine=The Navy List|date=October 1917 |page=12 |url=https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92176642 |access-date=24 May 2020 |via=[[National Library of Scotland]]}}</ref>
{{main|Battle of May Island}}
On the night of 31 January 1918, units of the Grand Fleet, including the 13th Submarine Flotilla (the flotilla leader {{HMS|Ithuriel|1916|2}} and the submarines {{HMS|K11||2}}, {{HMS|K12||2}}, {{HMS|K14||2}}, {{HMS|K17||2}} and ''K22'') and the 12th Submarine Flotilla (the light cruiser {{HMS|Fearless|1912|2}} and the submarines {{HMS|K3||2}}, {{HMS|K4||2}}, {{HMS|K6||2}} and {{HMS|K7||2}}) set out from [[Rosyth]] to take part in exercises. Despite the night being very dark, with occasional patches of fog, the ships were running without lights. When ''K14'' altered course to avoid a number of minesweepers ahead of her, her rudder jammed and she was rammed by ''K22''. The two disabled submarines were then overtaken by the heavier units of the fleet, and ''K22'' was struck by the battlecruiser {{HMS|Inflexible|1907|2}}, destroying the external ballast tanks on ''K22''{{'}}s starboard side. Despite the damage, both submarines remained afloat, with ''K22'' making her way back to port under her own power. On hearing distress signals from the two submarines, [[Commander (Royal Navy)|Commander]] E. Leir aboard ''Ithuriel'' decided to turn the Flotilla back to go to the assistance of ''K14'' and ''K22''. This put the flotilla on a collision course with the rest of the fleet, including the 12th Submarine Flotilla. On meeting the fleet, ''Ithuriel'' had to turn to avoid the battlecruiser {{HMAS|Australia|1911|2}}, which took the flotilla directly into the path of the 12th Flotilla. ''Fearless'' collided with ''K17'', which sank, then ''K4'', following ''Fearless'', pulled out of line and stopped to avoid hitting ''K17'' and ''Fearless'', and was herself hit by ''K6'', which cut ''K4'' in two, and ''K7''. Two submarines had been sunk with 103 killed.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kemp|1999|pp=64–65}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Whitman|2013|p=31}}</ref>
''K22'' remained part of the 13th Flotilla at the end of the war,<ref>{{cite web|title=Ships of the Royal Navy - Location/Action Date, 1914–1918: Part 2 - Admiralty "Pink Lists", 11 November 1918|url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishShips-Locations2PL1811.htm|publisher=Naval-History.net|access-date=24 May 2020}}</ref> and by March 1919 was part of the 3rd Submarine Flotilla.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands &c.: I.—The Grand Fleet: Submarines |magazine=The Navy List|date=March 1919 |page=12 |url=https://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/92419766 |access-date=24 May 2020 |via=[[National Library of Scotland]]}}</ref> She was sold for scrap on 16 December 1926.<ref>{{harvnb|Dittmar|Colledge|1972|p=89}}</ref>
==Memorials==
[[File:K13 memoral.jpg|thumb|The K13 Memorial at Carlingford, New South Wales]]
The war graves and a monument to those who lost their lives in the ''K13'' sinking was erected by the ship's company, of the submarine depot at [[Fort Blockhouse]], Gosport. It is to be found at the entrance to Faslane Cemetery, at the head of the [[Gare Loch]].
A memorial to the disaster was erected in [[Carlingford, New South Wales]], Australia, paid for by the widow of Charles Freestone, a leading [[telegraphist]] on ''K13'' who survived the accident to later emigrate and prosper in Australia. The memorial was unveiled on 10 September 1961 and has the inscription "This memorial has been created in memory of those officers and men of the Commonwealth who gave their lives in submarines while serving the cause of freedom." Set inside a pool of water surrounded by stone, it is composed of large (taller than a man) white letters saying "K13". There is a further memorial in [[Elder Park, Govan]], opposite the Fairfield shipyard.<ref>[https://www.theglasgowstory.com/image/?inum=TGSA00913 K13 Memorial {{!}} Mitchell Library, Glasgow Collection, Bulletin Photographs], The Glasgow Story</ref><ref>[https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/19565136.amp/ Tragic tale behind K13 submarine memorial in Glasgow's Elder Park], Ann Fotheringhay, Glasgow Times, 11 September 2021</ref>
==Citations==
{{reflist}}
==References==
* {{cite book |last=Brown |first=David K. |title=The Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906–1922 |year=2010 |location=Barnsley, UK |publisher= Seaforth Publishing |isbn=978-1-84832-085-7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Dittmar |first1=F. J. |last2=Colledge |first2=J. J. |title=British Warships 1914–1919 |year=1972 |publisher=Ian Allan |location=Shepperton |isbn=0-7110-0380-7}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Gardiner |editor1-first=Robert |editor2-last=Gray |editor2-first=Randal |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921 |year=1985 |location=London |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |isbn=0-85177-245-5}}
* {{cite web |last=Hillhouse |first=Percy A. |title=The Accident to "K13": Being an Address to The Greenock Association of Engineers and Shipbuilders |date=4 March 1919 |website=sonisitcs.com |url=https://www.sonistics.com/wp-content/uploads/K13-Accident-Percy-Hillhouse-Report.pdf |access-date=24 May 2020}}
* {{cite book |last=Kemp |first=Paul |title=The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century |year=1999 |location=Stroud |publisher=Sutton |isbn=0-7509-1567-6}}
* {{cite web |url=http://rnsubs.co.uk/dits-bits/br-3043.html |title=The Development of HM Submarines From Holland No. 1 (1901) to Porpoise (1930) (BR3043) |last=Harrison |first=A. N. |date=January 1979 |publisher=RN Subs |access-date=24 May 2020}}
* {{cite book |title=Monograph No. 34: Home Waters Part VIII: December 1916 to April 1917 |series=Naval Staff Monographs (Historical) |volume=XVIII |year=1933 |publisher=Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division |url=http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Naval-Staff-Monographs-Vol.XVIII_opt.pdf |ref={{harvid|Naval Staff Monograph No. 34|1933}}}}
* {{cite magazine |last=Whitman |first=Edward C. |title="K" for Katastrophe: K Class Submarines in the Royal Navy |magazine=Undersea Warfare |date=Winter 2013 |issue=49 |pages=28–33 |publisher=US Navy |url=https://www.public.navy.mil/subfor/underseawarfaremagazine/Issues/PDF/USW_Winter_2013.pdf |access-date=24 May 2020 |archive-date=31 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131172711/http://www.public.navy.mil/subfor/underseawarfaremagazine/Issues/PDF/USW_Winter_2013.pdf |url-status=dead }}
==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Everitt |first=Don |title=The K Boats |year=1963 |publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston |location=New York, NY |edition=1st |oclc=568817 |ref=none}}
==External links==
* [http://www.submarine-museum.co.uk/what-we-have/memorial-chapel/submarine-losses?start=6 'Submarine losses 1904 to present day' - Royal Navy Submarine Museum] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925133858/http://www.submarine-museum.co.uk/what-we-have/memorial-chapel/submarine-losses?start=6 |date=25 September 2015 }}
* [http://www.submarinesaustralia.org/ Submarines Association of Australia]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/yewenyi/198696624/ Picture of K13 Memorial in New South Wales, Australia]
* {{cite web |url=https://janmeecham.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/the-calamity-k-class-submarines-of-the-first-world-war/ |title=The calamity k-class submarines of the First World War |website=Roger (Jan) Meecham|date=17 April 2017|author=Jan Meecham |access-date= 4 November 2017}} Detailed account of the K-class submarines, and K-13 in particular.
{{British K class submarine}}
{{January 1917 shipwrecks}}
{{coord missing|Glasgow}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:K13}}
[[Category:British K-class submarines]]
[[Category:British submarine accidents]]
[[Category:1916 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built on the River Clyde]]
[[Category:1917 in Scotland]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Firth of Clyde]]
[[Category:1917 disasters in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1917]]
[[Category:Royal Navy ship names]]