HMS L9


HMS L9 was an L-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War I. The boat survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1927.

Design and description

L9 and its successors were enlarged to accommodate 21-inch torpedoes and more fuel. The submarine had a length of overall, a beam of and a mean draft of. They displaced on the surface and submerged. The L-class submarines had a crew of 38 officers and ratings.
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 12-cylinder Vickers diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the L class had a range of at.
The boats were armed with four 21-inch torpedo tubes in the bow and two 18-inch in broadside mounts. They carried four reload torpedoes for the 21-inch tubes for a grand total of ten torpedoes of all sizes. They were also armed with a deck gun.

Construction and career

HMS L9 was laid down in October 1916 by William Denny and Brothers at their Dumbarton shipyard, launched on 29 January 1918, and completed on 27 May. She sailed with the Submarine Depot Ship HMS Ambrose to Hong Kong in 1919 as part of the 4th Submarine Flotilla. The boat was sunk during a typhoon in Hong Kong harbour on 18 August 1923. She was salvaged on 6 September 1923 and then recommissioned. L9 was sold in Hong Kong on 30 June 1927.