HMS K4 facts for kids

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|} HMS K4 was a special type of submarine called a K-class submarine. It was built by a company called Vickers in a town called Barrow-in-Furness in England. Construction started on June 28, 1915, and the submarine officially joined the Royal Navy on January 1, 1917. This was about a year before World War I ended.

Contents

• The K-Class Submarines

• Design and Features

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS K4
Builder	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down	28 June 1915
Launched	13 July 1916
Commissioned	1 January 1917
Fate	Sunk, 31 January 1918
General characteristics
Class and type	K-class submarine
Displacement	1,980 long tons (2,010 t) surfaced 2,566 long tons (2,607 t) submerged
Length	339 ft (103 m)
Beam	26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Draught	20 ft 11 in (6.38 m)
Propulsion	2 × 10,500 shp (7.8 MW) Brown-Curtis or Parsons geared steam turbines 2 × Yarrow boilers 4 × 1,440 hp (1,070 kW) electric motors 1 × 800 hp (600 kW) Vickers diesel generator for charging batteries 2 × 3-blade 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) diameter screws
Speed	24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) surfaced 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged
Range	Surfaced : 800 nmi (1,500 km; 920 mi) at 24 kn (44 km/h; 28 mph) 12,500 nmi (23,200 km; 14,400 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) Submerged : 8 nmi (15 km; 9.2 mi) at 8 kn (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) 40 nmi (74 km; 46 mi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Complement	59 (6 officers and 53 ratings)
Armament	8 × 18 in (460 mm) torpedo tubes, (4 beam, 4 bow) 8 × spare torpedoes 2 × 18 in torpedo tubes fitted on deck (later removed) 2 × BL 4 in (100 mm) Mk.XI guns 1 × 3 in (76 mm) gun

• The Loss of HMS K4

• A Series of Collisions
• The Tragic Outcome

The K-Class Submarines

The K-class submarines were unique because they were powered by steam turbines when on the surface. Most submarines at the time used diesel engines. These submarines were designed to be very fast to keep up with the Royal Navy's battleships.

Design and Features

K4 was a large submarine, measuring about 339 ft (103 m) long. It could travel at 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) (about 27 miles per hour) on the surface using its steam engines. When underwater, it used electric motors and could go up to 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) (about 9 miles per hour).

The submarine had a crew of 59 people, including 6 officers. For defense, it carried eight torpedo tubes and two large guns.

The Loss of HMS K4

K4 was sadly lost on January 31, 1918. This happened during a big night-time training exercise for the fleet. This event is now known as the Battle of May Island.

A Series of Collisions

During the exercise, K4 was part of the 13th Submarine Flotilla. In the dark, while trying to avoid hitting another submarine, HMS K3, K4 ended up in a series of collisions. It was hit by two other submarines, HMS K6 and HMS K7.

The Tragic Outcome

Because of these collisions, K4 sank. All the crew members on board were lost. The wreck of K4 is now a special "protected place" under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. This means it is preserved and respected as a war grave.