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The K-class submarines were a class of steam-propelled submarines of the Royal Navy designed in 1913. Intended as large, fast vessels with the endurance and speed to operate with the battle fleet, they gained notoriety and the nickname of "Kalamity class", for being involved in many accidents. Of the 18 built, none was lost through enemy action but six sank in accidents. Only one ever engaged an enemy vessel, hitting a U-boat amidships though the torpedo failed to explode. The class found favour with Commodore Roger Keyes, then Inspector Captain of Submarines, and with Admirals Sir John Jellicoe and Sir David Beatty, respectively Commander-in-Chief British Grand Fleet and Commander-in-Chief Battlecruiser Squadrons. Despite this, an early opponent of the class was Admiral Jacky Fisher, later First Sea Lord, who on the class' suggestion in 1913 had responded 'The most fatal error imaginable would be to put steam engines in submarines.' In defence of the design it must be said that submarine technology was still in its infancy, that development was still at a similar early stage, and that the use of weapon (or tactics) requires at least as much thought and practical trial as the first two. Of course with hindsight the initial concept of a submarine (which we see today as a stealth weapon) maneuvering within the confines of a surface warship formation is at best a risky proposition; to a surface warship of today, a submarine (any submarine) is more likely to be seen as a threat than an ally. ==Design and development== In 1913, a design outline was prepared for a new class of submarine which could operate with the surface fleet, sweeping ahead of it in a fleet action. Due to the superior size and power of the British Grand Fleet over the German High Seas Fleet it was intended that the submarines would get around the back of the enemy fleet and ambush it as it retreated. The boats were to be long and displace 1,700 tons on the surface. It was chosen not to proceed until results from trials of two prototypes, and , had taken place. Following the trials with ''Nautilus'', the slightly smaller J class was designed with a conventional diesel propulsion system. By the middle of 1915 it was clear that the J class would not meet expectations; the triple-screw diesel configuration could only enable them to make on the surface — fewer than the needed to accompany the fleet (21 knots being the design speed of ). With the technology of the time it was judged the only way which submarines could be given sufficient surface speed to keep up with fleet was to make them steam turbine powered. The K-class design was resurrected and 21 boats ordered in August at a cost of £340,000 each. Only 17 were constructed, the orders for the last four being cancelled and replaced by orders for the M class. Six improved versions, ''K22'' to ''K28'' were ordered in October 1917 but the end of the First World War meant that only was completed. The double hull design had a reserve buoyancy of 32.5 percent.〔A modern nuclear submarine has a reserve of around 13 percent〕 Although powered on the surface by oil-fired steam turbines, they were also equipped with an diesel generator to charge the batteries and provide limited propulsive power in the event of problems with the boilers. This pushed the displacement up to 1,980 tons on the surface, 2,566 tons submerged. They were equipped with four torpedo tubes at the bow, two on either beam and another pair in a swivel mounting on the superstructure for night use. The swivel pair were later removed because they were prone to damage in rough seas. The K-class submarines were fitted with a proper deckhouse, built over and around the conning tower, which gave the crew much better protection than the canvas screens fitted in previous Royal Navy submarines. The great size of the boats (compared to their predecessors) led to control and depth keeping problems particularly as efficient telemotor controls had not yet been developed. This was made worse by the estimated maximum diving depth of being much less than their overall length. Even a 10 degree angle on the 339-foot long hull would cause a difference in depth of the bow and stern, and 30 degrees would produce which meant that while the stern would almost be on the surface, the bow would almost be at its maximum safe depth. The submarines were made more dangerous because the eight internal bulkheads were designed and tested during development to stand a pressure equivalent to only , risking their collapse if the hull was compromised at a depth below this figure. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「British K-class submarine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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