HMS ''Rainbow'' was a

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

built for the

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during the 1930s.

Design and description

The ''Rainbow''-class submarines were designed as improved versions of the ''Parthian'' class and were intended for long-range operations in the

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. The submarines had a length of

overall Overalls or bib-and-brace overalls, also called dungarees in British English, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers ...

, a

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of and a mean

draft Draft, the draft, or draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a v ...

of . They displaced on the surface and submerged. The ''Rainbow''-class submarines had a crew of 56 officers and ratings. They had a diving depth of .Bagnasco, pp. 106–07 For surface running, the boats were powered by two

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after the German engineer Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which Combustion, ignition of diesel fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to Mechanics, mechanical Compr ...

s, each driving one

propeller shaft A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power, torque, and rotation, usually used to connect o ...

. When submerged each propeller was driven by a

electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a electromagnetic coil, wire winding to gene ...

. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the boats had a range of at and at submerged. The boats were armed with six

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical 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 (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s in the bow and two more in the stern. They carried six reload torpedoes for a grand total of fourteen torpedoes. They were also armed with a QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX

deck gun A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine. Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without a shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret. The main deck gun was a dual-purpose w ...

.Chesneau, p. 49

Construction and career

''Rainbow'' ran aground in the

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off

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, on 22 January 1932. She was refloated later the same day. ''Rainbow'' served in the

until 1940, when she moved to the

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. She left for a patrol off

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on 23 September 1940 and was due to be back in

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on 16 October, she was last heard from on 25 September. She is believed to have been sunk on 4 October in a collision with the Italian

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

'' Antonietta Costa'', which reported striking a submerged object at 03:30, followed by a huge underwater explosion while sailing in convoy from

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on that date. Until 1988 it was believed that ''Rainbow'' had been sunk by the , but eventually it was determined that was the submarine that ''Enrico Toti'' sank.

Notes

References

* * * * *

External links

Chatham-built submarines: HM Submarine Rainbow

HMS Rainbow at the Barrow Submariners Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rainbow (N16) Rainbow-class submarines Ships built in Chatham 1930 ships Maritime incidents in 1932 World War II submarines of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in October 1940 World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Warships lost in combat with all hands Submarines sunk in collisions Lost submarines of the United Kingdom Submarines sunk by Italian warships