A-class submarine (1903)

The A-class submarines were the first class of submarines built for the British Royal Navy. Ordered in 1902 and launched in 1903 and 1904, they were designed by John Philip Holland, and were essentially British versions of the Holland-class submarine designed and built by the Electric Boat Company in the United States. These submarines were small, with a displacement of around 190 tons surfaced and 205 tons submerged. They were powered by a gasoline engine for surface running and an electric motor for submerged operations. Armament consisted of two 18-inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes. The A-class submarines marked the beginning of the Royal Navy's underwater warfare capability, though they were considered experimental at the time and suffered from various technical issues, notably the unreliability and dangerous nature of their gasoline engines. All were retired by 1911.