The K-Class submarine was a attempt by the Royal Navy to create a submarine capable of keeping pace with the massive dreadnoughts of the era – but sadly the design was badly hampered by issues from the start. The choice of steam turbines for a propulsion method presented the crews with an intricate dive procedures that had to be followed closely and without mistakes – a single error could doom the sub. What resulted was a series of accidents and mishaps that killed dozens of sailors and created deep embarrassment for the Admiralty. This is the true story of the British K-Class submarine!
Edited by Alex Anastasakis
Animations by Jack Gibson
Oceanliner Designs explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s greatest vessels– from Titanic to Queen Mary and from the Empress of Ireland to the Lusitania. Join maritime researcher and illustrator Michael Brady as he tells the stories behind some of history’s most famous ocean liners and machines!
#submarine #disaster #history #sinking #war #military #navy #royalnavy #documentary #facts #story #maritime #ships #subs #accident
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I worked in the Clyde Sub Base on the Gareloch where K 13 sank – the dead are buried in a cemetery very close to the base, I've seen the graves.
The future King George Vl of Great Britain nearly died on a K class submarine while serving as a midshipman. After a diving demonstration it wouldn’t resurface, eventually the crew were able to get the submarine to do so.
Now I’m sad because I now know that my patented steam powered refrigerator and toaster oven is doomed.
Id jeard about these vessels before but Mike, once agin has provided new information concerning their designs.
Sinking is easy. Floating is hard.
Since nuclear subs are steam engines , i am curious about what is fundamentally different from the point of veiw of the steam part (generating fresh water, and then condensing it for reuse). Since Titanic already had the tech to run an almost closed cycle freshwater from water to steam to water, I would assume they could do same on the K class boats?
If so, wouldn't it be just a case of turning off the boilers, and running on leftover steam while you dive and eventually switching to electric?
I am curious whether the concept itself was flawed, (since nucler subs reuse the concept today, is it flawed?), or whether the tech of the day just didn't allow scaling it down to fit a sub?
If you turn off fuel flow to the boilers, wouldn't it very quickly stop generating smoke? Couldn't they have funneled all boiler smoke into a single "funnel" that went through the hull to the outside and thus, like for diesel subs, need to close off only one hatch for the smoke funnel?
Awful story for those sailors. Very interesting documentary nonetheless.
Imagine the world today if Thadmiralty hadn't expended those resources on trying to stuff boilers inside a sub, but instead on making diesel engines more powerful/ efficient.
I’m kinda shocked to hear you say diesels weren’t a known commodity by that point. What’s your take on the theory that the UK faked Rudolph Diesel’s death so he could defect and help them build submarines?
"…it just so happens that the second part of the equation is a little bit difficult". Oh, the Collins Class.
Well, Britain was ahead of its time using steam in its submarine vessels as we look at the submarines used by a number of countries now (We're behind in Canada still using Diesel due to some complaint years ago from the US regarding some US-British treaty and public backlash even though Canada is at the forefront of nuclear technology being the largest producer of radio-isotopes used in science and medicine and also being a country with virtually zero mishaps with the currently operating reactors) that use steam turbines driven by heat from nuclear fission. Then again, Canada promotes nuclear energy for peace and prosperity than for violence and as weapons. Ironically, that's how Rudolph Diesel wanted his engine to be used for peaceful purposes. The Germans kinda wrecked that image.
1 minute 30 seonds in, Youtube runs a couple ads.
All part of the wire's idea of how a phone call should work. Ninety seconds of "Hi, Mom!" and 60 seconds of "BUY Ol' Bens' FARINA !!" Then, carry on for another 60 seconds with Mom.
Diesels could be shut down with no CO2 fumes, only the stink of diesel fuel through the boat. There is no way to damp a coal fire quickly with the ability to relight it and get the steam turbine up to operational levels. The stem sub would consume the oxygen quickly and produce CO2 quickly a double whammy. A disaster easily seen by a child. Subs are not meant to be fast with the tech available at the day. Fast propellers produce cavitation. While anti submarine tech had not been developed to pick up the noise that cavitation produces there is no doubt that these fast subs were very noisy acoustically. and would have been easily located by passive sonars had they been developed at the time.
A friend of mine's grandfather was one of the drive train engineers on The "K" Class. I remember him telling us about them in our local pub. He dropped my and Nick's jaw with "steam powered submarine".
The silly mistake was that the boilers were high pressure, so neither they or the steam turbines needed to be inside the submarine. Being underwater wouldn’t bother them at all.
This was great, thank you! I’d like to see your thoughts and on Simon Lake submarines one day. Subs with wheels and intent for salvage. The story of the submarine sale and shipment to Russia and then transport by transiberian railroad is fascinating. His autobiography and lots newspaper articles and photos are online with some research. Holland vs. Lake – Lake is under appreciated.
Abner Doble should have been a part of the subs design.
Nuclear is steam. Nothing ridiculous about that.
Sweden or Finland has a sub with a Sterling engine. Any insults you wish to hurl at that?
I'm waiting to hear about your relevant military service that qualifies you to speak.
Interestingly, today's nuclear submarines are steam generation powered.
Ah yes, the "lawn darts of the sea," the ones that can reach crush depth while still on the surface with an incline of 15 degrees, Kudos to K-13 turned K-22, despite her best efforts, she was one of the last ones afloat, managing to get herself scrapped after a relatively long career (for a K-class).
Ah yes, the K-class….. lawndart of the sea
If you continue with videos like these you will have to change the name off the channel. these aren't ocean liners.
The "curse" was bad design. They should have known better. There were people that realised the problems.
"Moyk"
Great content.
(The usz!)
And,
Your new profile pic is so handsome!!!
Cheers!
Britain's own version of the K-19 Widowmaker.
Another amazing episode from one of my favourite channels. Thanks Mike, totally absorbing content delivered in a gimmick free style. This story is interesting from a technological stand point but is also an incredible story of human endeavour. Those sub-mariners are truly heroes and I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be a crew member of one those death traps.
Didn't the British have radios then already? Why was the communication so poor during the battle of May island?
I will never understand why anyone volunteers for the submarine service….😮
I think it is like any new or emerging technology
Your ideals cannot be met by present technology
Evs are in the situation right now
We want something new and better but unfortunately present technology is just not there yet
I feel for all those early submariners who died because of technology short falls
I like how the info about the sub steam turbines fueled by fuel oil is accompanied by video of an airplane instrument board showing 5000 RPM, banking slightly left at altitude of 750 feet 😀
This class and the French Surcouf are fascinating!
I don't know how, but they actually managed to come up with an idea sounding MORE hazardous than H. L. Hunley.