British F class submarine
Encyclopedia
The F class submarine was built for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as a coastal submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
based on the doubled hulled V class submarine
British V class submarine (1914)
The British V class submarines were built by Vickers, Barrow during World War I in response to Scotts, Greenock building the British S class submarine and Armstrong Whitworth building the British W class submarine.4 V class submarines were built....
(World War I) with very few minor improvements. The only important improvement was the addition of a stern torpedo tube
Torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units installed aboard surface vessels...
. The F class were ordered as a successor to the E class submarine
British E class submarine
The British E class submarines started out as improved versions of the British D class submarine. All of the first group and some of the second group were completed before the outbreak of World War I....
, but only three were built out of the ten ordered.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the F class submarine was primarily used for coastal defence.
Only three of the class were built, the first F1 being built at Chatham
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
. All three of the class survived the war and ended their service as training boats at Campbeltown
Campbeltown
Campbeltown is a town and former royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It lies by Campbeltown Loch on the Kintyre peninsula. Originally known as Kinlochkilkerran , it was renamed in the 17th century as Campbell's Town after Archibald Campbell was granted the site in 1667...
. F1 and F3 were scrapped in 1920, F2 was sold in 1922.