HMSJ4
 HMASJ4in 1919
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSJ4 |
| Builder | HM Dockyard, Pembroke Dock |
| Launched | 2 February 1916 |
| Fate | Transferred to Australia, 25 March 1919 |
| Australia | |
| Name | HMASJ4 |
| Acquired | 25 March 1919 |
| Decommissioned | 12 July 1922 |
| Fate | Sunk 1927 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | British J class submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 275 ft (84 m) |
| Beam | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Draught | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 4,000 nmi (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Test depth | 300 ft (91 m) max[citation needed] |
| Complement | 44 personnel |
| Armament |
|
HMSJ4(laterHMASJ4) was aJ-classsubmarineoperated by theRoyal Navyand theRoyal Australian Navy.
Design and construction[edit]
The J class was designed by the Royal Navy in response to reported German submarines with surface speeds over 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).[1]They had a displacement of 1,210 tons surfaced, and 1,820 tons submerged.[1]Each submarine was 275 feet (84 m) in length overall, with a beam of 22 feet (6.7 m), and a draught of 14 feet (4.3 m).[1]The propulsion system was built around three propeller shafts; the J-class were the only triple-screwed submarines ever built by the British.[1]Propulsion came from three 12-cylinder diesel motors when on the surface, and electric motors when submerged.[1]Top speed was 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) on the surface (the fastest submarines in the world at the time of construction), and 9.5 knots (17.6 km/h; 10.9 mph) underwater.[1]Range was 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph).[1]
Armament consisted of six18 inch (450 mm)torpedo tubes (four forward, one on each beam), plus a 4-inch deck gun.[1]Originally, the gun was mounted on abreastworkfitted forward of the conning tower, but the breastwork was later extended to the bow and merged into the hull for streamlining, and the gun was relocated to a platform fitted to the front of theconning tower.[1]44 personnel were aboard.[1]
J4was built by HM Dockyard atPembrokeinWalesand launched on 2 February 1916.[2][3]
Operational history[edit]
After the war, theBritish Admiraltydecided that the best way to protect the Pacific region was with a force of submarines and cruisers.[1]To this end, they offered the six surviving submarines of the J-class to theRoyal Australian Navyas gifts.[1]J1and her sisters were commissioned into the RAN in April 1919, and sailed for Australia on 9 April, in the company of the cruisersSydneyandBrisbane,and the tenderPlatypus.[1]The flotilla reached Thursday Island on 29 June, and Sydney on 10 July.[1]Because of the submarines' condition after the long voyage, they were immediately taken out of service for refits.[1]
J1andJ4,plusPlatypus,sailed on 10 February 1920 forGeelong,where a submarine base was established.[1]Apart from local exercises and a 1921 visit to Tasmania, the submarines saw little use, and by June 1922, the cost of maintaining the boats and deteriorating economic conditions saw the six submarines decommissioned and marked for disposal.[1]
Fate[edit]
The submarine was paid off on 12 July 1922.J4was sold on 26 February 1924, but sank at her moorings atWilliamstown, Victoriaon 10 July 1924. She was raised and scuttled inship graveyardoffPort PhillipHeads.
The J4 wreck, also known as the "Shallow" or "90 foot Submarine", is submerged in 27 metres (89 ft) of water in the ship graveyard and is a popular dive site.[4][5][6][7]
Citations[edit]
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqBastock,Australia's Ships of War,p. 86
- ^"HMAS J4".Royal Australian Navy.Retrieved13 March2011.
- ^"J4 Submarine".Shipwreck dive sites.Department of Planning and Community Development. Archived fromthe originalon 7 March 2012.Retrieved13 March2011.
- ^"Shallow or 90 Foot Submarine"(PDF),Dive Information Sheet,Department of Planning and Community Development, archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 March 2011,retrieved13 March2011
- ^Victorian Ships' Graveyard Wrecks,archived fromthe originalon 23 April 2011,retrieved13 March2011
- ^Milowka, Agnes,Victoria's J Class Submarines,archived fromthe originalon 7 July 2011
- ^Arnott, Terry,WWI J Class Subs,Maritime Archaeology Association Of Victoria,archivedfrom the original on 29 September 2002
References[edit]
- Bastock, John (1975).Australia's Ships of War.Cremorne, NSW: Angus and Robertson.ISBN0207129274.OCLC2525523.
External links[edit]
- "J4 26m Submarine Dive Site".The Scuba Doctor.
