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Havmanden class submarine (1911)
Encyclopedia
The Havmanden class was a class
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
of six 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...
s built for the Royal Danish Navy
Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish, Greenlandic and Faroese territorial waters...
from 1911 to 1914. Also later known as the A class, the boats were designed by the Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
firm Whitehead & Co. of Fiume. The first three submarines were built by the company, while the remaining three were constructed under license in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
The boats were just over 127 feet (38.7 m) long and their armament consisted of two 457 mm (18 in) bow torpedo tubes, later supplemented with an 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in) machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
. The boats had a single shaft and were propelled by a Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
or M.A.N. diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
on the surface and two electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
s while submerged.
Although there was at least one close call for the class leader 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...
, none of the six boats was sunk in service. All six boats of the class remained active in the Royal Danish Navy from their time of construction until 1928, when the first two boats were stricken. The remaining boats were all stricken by 1932. The Havmanden class served as the basis for the Austro-Hungarian Navy
Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
's s built 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...
.
Design and construction
After taking delivery of its first submarine—the problematic , built at La SpeziaLa Spezia
La Spezia , at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the Liguria region of northern Italy, is the capital city of the province of La Spezia. Located between Genoa and Pisa on the Ligurian Sea, it is one of the main Italian military and commercial harbours and hosts one of Italy's biggest military...
by Fiat-Laurenti in 1909—the Royal Danish Navy
Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish, Greenlandic and Faroese territorial waters...
looked for a submarine design that could be built in Denmark. In 1910, the Navy contracted with Whitehead & Co. of Fiume for the class' namesake boat, , to be built by Whitehead, and plans for a second, , to be built at the Copenhagen Navy Yard. In May 1911, while the first two were still under construction, the Navy ordered two more boats from Whitehead, and , and plans for a final two, and .
The Havmanden-class boats were submarines that displaced 164 tonnes (180.8 ST) surfaced and 204 tonnes (225 ST) submerged. The boats were 127 in 8 in (38.91 m) long with a beam
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...
of 11 in 10 in (3.61 m) and a draft
Draft (hull)
The draft of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull , with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained...
of 7 in 7 in (2.31 m). For propulsion, they featured a single shaft, a single Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
or M.A.N. diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
for surface running, and twin electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
s for submerged travel. The diesels of the Whitehead boats were rated at 430 bhp, while the Copenhagen boats were 450 bhp.
The boats were equipped with two bow torpedo tubes of 457 mm (18 in), but had no deck gun
Deck gun
A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...
s. In 1917, all were outfitted with a single 8 mm (0.31496062992126 in) machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
. The complement of the boats as built was ten men, but was later increased to fourteen.
In December 1911, Havmanden became the first boat of the class to be launched, with Havfruen and Thetis following in 1912. Triton and Najaden were launched in 1913, while Nymfen, the final ship constructed, was launched in February 1914.
After the outbreak of 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 Austro-Hungarian Navy
Austro-Hungarian Navy
The Austro-Hungarian Navy was the naval force of Austria-Hungary. Its official name in German was Kaiserliche und Königliche Kriegsmarine , abbreviated as k.u.k. Kriegsmarine....
seized plans for the Havmanden boats from Whitehead & Co. and used them as the basis for its four s.
Service careers
Initially Havfruen, Havmanden, and Thetis received pennant numbers of H 1, H 2, and T 1, respectively, but were changed to 2, 3, and 4 in April 1913. The other three submarines—2den April (the newly renamed Triton), Najaden, and Nymfen—received pennant numbers 5, 6, and 7 at the same time.Sources do not report when any of the Havmanden boats were commissioned, but all boats were active for neutral Denmark 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...
. Havmanden had a narrow escape in September 1914 when a British submarine mistook her for a German U-boat and launched an unsuccessful torpedo attack on her.
Late in their careers, the class was identified as the A class and the pennant numbers of all the submarines were prefixed with an A, becoming A-2 to A-7. None of the boats, however, ever displayed an A on their conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
s. Havmanden and Thetis were the first two boats taken out of service when they were stricken in April 1928. Havfruen was the last boat removed from service when she was stricken in May 1932.
Class members
There were six submarines that were members of the Havmanden or A class.
Havfruen (A 2)
The plans for Havfruen were purchased in 1910 and the boat was built at the Copenhagen Navy Yard. She was launched on 31 August 1912. She initially received the pennant number of H 1, but was assigned the number 2 in April 1913. She was later designated A 2 when the class became known as the A class late in her career. Havfruen was the last ship of the class to be removed from service when she was stricken on 3 May 1932.Havmanden (A 3)
Havmanden was ordered in 1910 from Whitehead & Co. in Fiume. She was launched on 23 December 1911. She initially received the pennant number of H 2, but was assigned the number 3 in April 1913. In September 1914, Havmanden, displaying her pennant number of 3 on her conning towerConning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
, was mistaken for the German U-boat by the British submarine , but Havmanden escaped without damage when E11s torpedo missed its mark. Havmanden was designated A 3 when the class became known as the A class later in her career. Along with Thetis, she was one of the first two boats of the class removed from service when stricken on 26 April 1928.
Thetis (A 4)
Thetis was ordered in May 1911 from Whitehead & Co. in Fiume. She was launched on 19 June 1912. She initially received the pennant number of T 1, but was assigned the number 4 in April 1913. Thetis was designated A 4 when the class became known as the A class later in her career. She and Havmanden were stricken on 26 April 1928, the first two boats of the class to be removed from service.2den April (A 5)
Triton was ordered in May 1911 from Whitehead & Co. in Fiume. She was launched on 31 March 1913. Her purchase was financed by a subscription offer made by the public and, as a result, she had been renamed 2den April—in honor of the first Battle of CopenhagenBattle of Copenhagen (1801)
The Battle of Copenhagen was an engagement which saw a British fleet under the command of Admiral Sir Hyde Parker fight and strategically defeat a Danish-Norwegian fleet anchored just off Copenhagen on 2 April 1801. Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson led the main attack. He famously disobeyed Parker's...
, fought on 2 April 1801—by the time she was assigned the pennant number 5 in April 1913. She was designated A 5 when the class became known as the A class later in her career. After 2den April was stricken on 15 January 1929, she was used as a target and ultimately broken up in 1932.