# HMS H5

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**HMS *H5*** was a [British H-class](/source/British_H-class_submarine) [submarine](/source/Submarine) of the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) that served in the [First World War](/source/First_World_War). The boat, which was launched on 1 April 1915, was lost after being rammed by a British merchant ship off [Caernarfon Bay](/source/Caernarfon_Bay) in March 1918. It had been mistaken as a German [U-boat](/source/U-boat) and sank with the loss of all hands.[1]

## Design

She had a displacement of 364 long tons (370 t) at the surface and 434 long tons (441 t) while submerged. Her total length was 150 feet 3 inches (45.8 m), with a beam of 15 feet 4 inches (4.7 m) and a draught of 12 feet (3.7 m).

Her two diesel engines provided a total power of 480 horsepower (360 kW) and her two electric motors provided 320 horsepower (240 kW) power which gave the submarine a maximum surface speed of 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) and a submerged speed of 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). She would normally carry 16.4 long tons (16.7 t) of fuel and had a maximum capacity of 18 long tons (18 t)[2] and a range of 1,600 nautical miles (2,963 km; 1,841 mi). The boat was armed with a 6 pdr [Hotchkiss](/source/QF_6-pounder_Hotchkiss) [quick-firing gun](/source/Quick-firing_gun) and four 18-inch (457-millimetre) bow [torpedo tubes](/source/Torpedo_tube) with six 18-inch (457-millimetre) torpedoes carried. The [complement](/source/Ship's_company) was twenty-two crew members.

## Service record

On 14 July 1916 *H5* spotted the leaving the [Ems](/source/Ems_(river)) and torpedoed her. *U-51* sank with the loss of 34 of her crew; four men survived.[3]

## Sinking

HMS *H5* was sunk after being rammed by the British merchantman *Rutherglen* when mistaken for a German U-boat on 2 March 1918. All on board perished including a [US Navy](/source/US_Navy) observer, Lieutenant [Earle Wayne Freed Childs](/source/Earle_Childs) from the American submarine *[AL-2](/source/USS_L-2_(SS-41))*. He became the first US submariner to lose his life in the [First World War](/source/First_World_War). All on board are commemorated on Panel 29 at [Royal Navy Submarine Museum](/source/Royal_Navy_Submarine_Museum). The wreck's site is designated as a controlled site under the [Protection of Military Remains Act](/source/Protection_of_Military_Remains_Act). In 2010, a plaque commemorating the 26 crew was dedicated on [Armed Forces Day](/source/Armed_Forces_Day) in [Holyhead](/source/Holyhead).[4]

## References

1. ["WW1 shipwrecks pictured by sonar off Welsh coast"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-45676923). BBC News. 7 October 2018.

1. J. D. Perkins (1999). ["Building History and Technical Details for Canadian CC-Boats and the Original H-CLASS"](http://www.gwpda.org/naval/hpatsubs.htm). Electric Boat Company Holland Patent Submarines. Retrieved 20 August 2015.

1. [National Archives, Kew: HW 7/3, Room 40, History of German Naval Warfare 1914–1918](http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/displaycataloguedetails.asp?CATLN=6&CATID=3981615&j=1)

1. ["Ceremony for Armed Forces Day marks submarine tragedy"](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/wales/north_west_wales/10354060.stm). *BBCNews*. BBC. 19 June 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2010.

- [MCA website: controlled sites under the Protection of Military Remains Act](http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-environmental/mcga-dops_row_receiver_of_wreck/mcga-dops-row-protected-wrecks/mcga-dops-sar-row.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20100516031259/http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-environmental/mcga-dops_row_receiver_of_wreck/mcga-dops-row-protected-wrecks/mcga-dops-sar-row.htm) 16 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- [SI 2008/950](http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20080950_en_1) Designation under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986
- Gardiner, Robert (1985). *Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921*. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-245-5.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [HMS H5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_H5) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_H5?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.