HMSH42

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMSH42
Builder	Armstrong Whitworth,Newcastle Upon Tyne
Laid down	September 1917
Launched	21 October 1918
Commissioned	1 May 1919
Fate	Sunk in collision 23 March 1922
General characteristics
Class and type	H classsubmarine
Displacement	423 long tons (430 t) surfaced; 510 long tons (518 t) submerged;
Length	171 ft 0 in (52.12 m)
Beam	15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
Propulsion	1 × 480 hp (358 kW)diesel engine; 2 × 620 hp (462 kW)electric motors;
Speed	11.5knots(21.3 km/h; 13.2 mph) surfaced; 9 knots (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged;
Range	2,985 nmi (5,528 km) at 7.5 kn (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) surfaced; 130 nmi (240 km) at 2 kn (3.7 km/h; 2.3 mph) submerged;
Complement	22
Armament	4 × 21 in (533 mm) bowtorpedo tubes; 8 ×21 inch torpedoes;

HMSH42was aBritish H class submarinethat sank with the loss of all 24 of its crew after an accidental collision in 1922.^[1]The sub was built byArmstrong Whitworth,Newcastle Upon Tyne.She was laid down in September 1917 and was commissioned on 1 May 1919.

On 23 March 1922, under the command of Royal Navy Lieutenant Douglas Staley,H42was practisingtorpedoattacks against British destroyers steaming offEuropa Point,Gibraltar,^[2]when she surfaced unexpectedly only 30^[3]or 120^[4]yards (27 or 110 metres) – sources differ – ahead of the destroyerHMSVersatile.Versatile,making 20knots,went to full speed astern on her engines and put her helm over hard to port, but had not yet begun to answer her helm when she rammedH42abaft theconning tower,almost slicing the submarine in half.H42sank with the loss of all hands. An investigation foundH42at fault for surfacing where she did against instructions.^[4]^[5]

Design

Like all post-H20British H-class submarines,H42had a displacement of 423 long tons (430 t) at the surface and 510 long tons (520 t) while submerged.^[6]It had a total length of 171 feet (52 m),^[7]a beam of 15 feet 4 inches (4.67 m), and a draught of 12 metres (39 ft).^[8]It contained a diesel engines providing a total power of 480 horsepower (360 kW) and two electric motors each providing 320 horsepower (240 kW) power.^[8]The use of its electric motors made the submarine travel at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). It would normally carry 16.4 long tons (16.7 t) of fuel and had a maximum capacity of 18 long tons (18 t).^[9]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) and a submerged speed of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph). Post-H20British H-class submarines had ranges of 2,985 nautical miles (5,528 km; 3,435 mi) at speeds of 7.5 knots (13.9 km/h; 8.6 mph) when surfaced.^[6]^[8]H42was fitted with ananti-aircraft gunand four 21 inches (530 mm)torpedo tubes.Its torpedo tubes were fitted to thebowsand the submarine was loaded with eight 21 inches (530 mm) torpedoes.^[6]It is aHolland 602 type submarinebut was designed to meet Royal Navy specifications. Itscomplementwas twenty-two crew members.^[6]

References

^"Submersible Sunk; 24 Lost— British H-42 Rammed by Destroyer Versatile During Maneuvers",The Washington Post,March 24, 1922, p. 1
^Navy Net: Remembrance Sunday: H42 is Still On Patrol
^"Struck at Right Angles— H 42 Rises 30 Yards Ahead of Destroyer",The Manchester Guardian,March 24, 1922, p. 9; Eyres Monsell, the Lord of the Admiralty, read a telegram to the House of Commons that was received from the Gibraltar command saying "The only further details yet known are as follows: H 42 came to the surface thirty or forty yards ahead of Versatile, which was steaming twenty knots and rammed the submarine about the conning tower at right angles." It is possible that the speculation on modern websites of "120 yards" is based on a misinterpretation of 120 feet (or 40 yards).
^^a ^b"H42".rnsubs.co.uk.Retrieved28 September2022.
^Richardson and Hurd 1923, p.31.
^^a ^b ^c ^dGardiner, Robert; Gray, Robert (1985).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921.London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 92.ISBN 0-85177-245-5.
^Derek Walters (2004).The History of the British 'U' Class Submarine.Casemate Publishers. pp. 2–.ISBN 978-1-84415-131-8.
^^a ^b ^cColledge, J. J.;Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969].Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy(Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing.ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.Retrieved fromNaval-Historyon 20 August 2015.
^J. D. Perkins (1999)."Building History and Technical Details for Canadian CC-Boats and the Original H-CLASS".Electric Boat Company Holland Patent Submarines.Retrieved20 August2015.

Bibliography

Hutchinson, Robert (2001).Jane's submarines: war beneath the waves from 1776 to the present day.London: HarperCollins.ISBN 9780007105588.
Richardson, Alexander and Archibald Hurd. (editors).Brassey's Naval and Shipping Annual 1923.London, William Clowes, 1923.

[Post32422-1] "Submersible Sunk; 24 Lost— British H-42 Rammed by Destroyer Versatile During Maneuvers",The Washington Post,March 24, 1922, p. 1

[navynet-2] Navy Net: Remembrance Sunday: H42 is Still On Patrol

[3] "Struck at Right Angles— H 42 Rises 30 Yards Ahead of Destroyer",The Manchester Guardian,March 24, 1922, p. 9; Eyres Monsell, the Lord of the Admiralty, read a telegram to the House of Commons that was received from the Gibraltar command saying "The only further details yet known are as follows: H 42 came to the surface thirty or forty yards ahead of Versatile, which was steaming twenty knots and rammed the submarine about the conning tower at right angles." It is possible that the speculation on modern websites of "120 yards" is based on a misinterpretation of 120 feet (or 40 yards).

[subassoc-4] "H42".rnsubs.co.uk.Retrieved28 September2022.

[Brasseys_23_p31-5] Richardson and Hurd 1923, p.31.

[batcru-6] Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Robert (1985).Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906-1921.London: Conway Maritime Press. p. 92.ISBN 0-85177-245-5.

[Walters2004-7] Derek Walters (2004).The History of the British 'U' Class Submarine.Casemate Publishers. pp. 2–.ISBN 978-1-84415-131-8.

[Colledge-8] Colledge, J. J.;Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969].Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy(Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing.ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.Retrieved fromNaval-Historyon 20 August 2015.

[9] J. D. Perkins (1999)."Building History and Technical Details for Canadian CC-Boats and the Original H-CLASS".Electric Boat Company Holland Patent Submarines.Retrieved20 August2015.

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v t e Holland 602 type submarines
Royal Canadian Navy CH class	CH-14 CH-15
Chilean Navy Chilean H class	H1⁄Guacolda H2⁄Tegualda H3⁄Rucumilla H4⁄Guale H5⁄Quidora H6⁄Fresia
Regia Marina Italian H class	H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8
Imperial Russian Navy American Holland class	AG-11 AG-12 AG-13 / AG-16 AG-14 AG-15 AG-21 AG-22 AG-23 AG-24 AG-25 AG-26
Soviet Navy American Holland class	A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 A-5
Royal Navy British H class	H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17 H18 H19 H20 H21 H22 H23 H24 H25 H26 H27 H28 H29 H30 H31 H32 H33 H34 H41 H42 H43 H44 H47 H48 H49 H50 H51 H52
United States Navy United States H class	H-1 H-2 H-3 H-4 H-5 H-6 H-7 H-8 H-9
Preceded by:G class Followed by:K class
List of submarines of the United States Navy List of submarine classes of the United States Navy

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1922
Shipwrecks	19 Jan:Marceau January (unknown date):USSA-2,USSB-3 8 Feb: USATNorthern Pacific 18 Feb:Golden State 8 Mar:HMSLaertes 23 Mar:HMSH42 19 April:Lambton 20 May:Egypt 21 May:Conestoga 29 May:Kwinana 9 Jun:City Island Casino 18 Jun:Robert C. Pringle June (unknown date):Prinz Eugen 7 Jul:SMSNürnberg 9 Jul:El Kahira 26 Jul:USSGranite State 8 Aug:HMSRaleigh 26 Aug:France,Niitaka,Philadelphia 7 Oct:Lyman Stewart 17 Oct:City of Honolulu,Hopelyn 30 Oct:Dévastation,Gromoboi,Skuratov December (unknown date):USSB-1
Other incidents	23 Mar:HMSVersatile 29 Mar:Majestic 25 Apr:Stolwijk 22 May:Dongola 23 May:Domala 27 Jun:Bouclier,Paris 3 Jul:Canadian Commander 8 Jul:Nieuw Amsterdam 30 Jul:Francesco Ferruccio 22 Aug:Cymric 31 Aug:American Legion 10 Oct:Swiftstar 12 Oct:City of Honolulu 16 Oct:Rossia 23 Oct:Roland Morillot Nov:Pelican 26 Dec:Santa Rosa
19211923