HMS ''J5'' (later HMAS ''J5'') was a

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

J class submarine operated by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

Design and construction

The J class was designed by the Royal Navy in response to reported German submarines with surface speeds over .Bastock, ''Australia's Ships of War'', p. 86 They had a displacement of 1,210 tons surfaced, and 1,820 tons submerged. Each submarine was in length overall, with a beam of , and a draught of . The propulsion system was built around three propeller shafts; the J-class were the only triple-screwed submarines ever built by the British. Propulsion came from three 12-cylinder diesel motors when on the surface, and electric motors when submerged. Top speed was on the surface (the fastest submarines in the world at the time of construction), and underwater. Range was at . Armament consisted of six 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes (four forward, one on each beam), plus a 4-inch deck gun. Originally, the gun was mounted on a breastwork fitted 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 the

conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armoured, from which an officer in charge can conn (nautical), conn (conduct or control) the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for t ...

. 44 personnel were aboard. ''J5'' was built for the

by HM Dockyard at Devonport in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

. ''J5'' was launched on 9 September 1915 and commissioned on 6 May 1916.

Operational history

She and the other J's were members of the 11th Submarine Flotilla. She served in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

chiefly in operations against German destroyers and

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

s, most of encounters were with the latter. Although engaging several times with enemies, the closest she got to sinking the enemy was striking ''U-86'' with a torpedo which did not explode. After the war, the

British Admiralty The Admiralty was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, department of the Government of the United Kingdom that was responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Historically, its titular head was the Lord High Admiral of the ...

decided that the best way to protect the Pacific region was with a force of submarines and cruisers. To this end, they offered the six surviving submarines of the J-class to the

as gifts. ''J1'' and her sisters were commissioned into the RAN in April 1919, and sailed for Australia on 9 April, in the company of the cruisers and , and the tender . ''J5'' broke down while traversing the Red Sea, and had to be towed the rest of the way by ''Brisbane''. The flotilla reached Thursday Island on 29 June, and Sydney on 10 July. Because of the submarines' condition after the long voyage, they were immediately taken out of service for refits. 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.

Fate

''J5'' was paid off on 12 July 1922. She was sold on 26 February 1924 and after stripping, she, ''J1'', and ''J2'' were scuttled in the

ship graveyard A ship graveyard, ship cemetery or breaking yard is a location where the hulls of scrapped ships are left to decay and disintegrate, or left in reserve. Such a practice is now less common due to waste regulations and so some dry docks wh ...

off

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

Heads on 4 June 1926. The wreck of ''J5'' lies in of water at and can be accessed by experienced divers.

Citations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:J5 British J-class submarines Ships built in Plymouth, Devon 1915 ships World War I submarines of the United Kingdom Scuttled vessels of Australia Royal Navy ship names Underwater diving sites in Australia Shipwrecks of Victoria (state)