See important guidance on the use of this record.

If you have any comments or new information about this record, please email us.

Summary

Wreck of HMS Submarine D-Class. In 2019 Historic England received notification that a charted wreck site had been dived and positively identified as the remains of HMS/m D1. The remains are located approximately 1 nautical mile southeast of the eastern Blackstone, off Dartmouth.

Location

Protected Status

• Scheduled Monument 1472317: HMS/m D1

Other References/Statuses

• Tide Project: 09/11/2020

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• WRECK (World War I - 1918 AD to 1918 AD)

Full description

Historic England, 2020, Wreck of HMS D-Class Submarine, southeast of the eastern Blackstone, off Dartmouth (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV363948.

In 2019 Historic England received notification that a charted wreck site had been dived and positively identified as the remains of HMS/m D1. Historic England has assessed the archaeological remains of the wreck for designation. The case has been added to a national overview of First World War era submarines in English territorial waters, as part of Historic England’s strategic programme. The remains are located approximately 1 nautical mile southeast of the eastern Blackstone, off Dartmouth, Devon.

Built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness, HMS/m D1 was the prototype for the D-class, the Royal Navy’s first diesel powered submarines. HMS/m D1 was launched in strict secrecy in May 1908, and commissioned in September 1909. The D-class was a significant development on the earlier C-class, and was considerably larger, with almost double the submerged displacement.

The potential of the D-class was demonstrated during training exercises in 1910 when the D1 successfully torpedoed two of the opposing fleet’s cruisers during a training exercise off the Scottish coast, demonstrating the submarine’s capabilities to operate a long distance from its home base.

In late 1916 HMS/m D1, along with other D-class submarines, joined Platypus’s Flotilla, based at Killybegs, County Donegal. In September 1917 HMS/m D1 joined the Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla until March 1918, after which it was relegated to training duties. On the 23 October 1918 HMS/m D1 was expended and scuttled as a target during trials of submarine detection equipment.

The diving investigations in 2018, along with the interpretation of geophysical data revealed that the wreck appears to be intact and in good structural condition. It sits upright on a flat seabed at a depth of approximately 50m. The inner pressure hull and the outer hull retain their shape and coherency, and the ballast saddle is largely intact. The main body of the wreck is exposed. The lower hatch on the conning tower is open, and it is apparent that this section of the pressure hull is filled with sediment, although other sections of the wreck are free of sediment. The bow of the submarine is partly buried in the seabed.

Historic England, 2021, National Heritage List for England, 1472317 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364016.

The wreck comprises the remains of HMS/m D1, a submarine commissioned into the Royal Navy in 1909. Built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness, HMS/m D1 was the prototype for the D-class, which were designed as the first submarines intended for long range offensive operations. On the 23 October 1918 HMS/m D1 was expended and scuttled as a target during trials of submarine detection equipment.

The wreck of HMS/m D1, located approximately 1 nautical mile south-east of the eastern Blackstone, off Dartmouth, Devon, is scheduled for the following principal reasons:

* Rarity: The wreck is a unique prototype of the D-class submarine, and is a rare survival of a pre-1914 submarine;

* Survival: The wreck is in a remarkable state of preservation and in an almost complete state, including fixtures and fittings. The remains of the D1 are the most intact known D-class submarine within English territorial waters;

* Potential: HMS/m D1 has considerable potential to inform on the design process of early submarines through the survival of in situ machinery and fittings, together with plans for both HMS/m D1 and later D-class submarines;

* Documentation: Technical plans, historic photographs, logs and reports of trials comprehensively document the construction and career of HMS/m D1. More recently, geophysical and diver survey data provide an up to date archaeological record of the wreck; * Vulnerability: The component parts of the submarine and its fixtures and fittings remain vulnerable to uncontrolled salvage.

Dated first scheduled: 30th April 2021

Historic England, 2021, Prototype for The Royal Navy’s First Long-Range Diesel-Powered Submarines Protected (Website). SDV364329.

HMS/m D1 was built by shipbuilding company Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria and was the secret prototype for the D-class, the Royal Navy’s first diesel powered submarine. Launched in 1908 and commissioned in September 1909, the D-class was a significant development on the C-class submarine, being larger and more powerful.

At the start of the First World War, HMS/m D1 was assigned to protecting the coast of Dover from enemy invasion before carrying out patrols outside of English territorial waters to monitor German shipping movements. In September 1917, HMS/m D1 joined the Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla and a year later it was relegated to training duties. In October 1918, HMS/m D1 was decommissioned and scuttled- deliberately sunk. The submarine was used as a training target off the Devon coast for Royal Navy training exercises involving the detection of enemy submarines. The wreck sits upright and largely intact on the seabed.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.