HMS K15

HMS K15 was a K class submarine built by Scotts, Greenock. She was laid down on 19 April 1916 and was commissioned on 30 April 1918.

K15 sank due to an accident, when moored alongside the light cruiser HMS Canterbury (1915) at Portsmouth Harbour on 25 June 1921. She was then salved in July 1921. K15 was sold in August 1924 in Upnor.

Design
K15 displaced 1800 LT when at the surface and 2600 LT while submerged. It had a total length of 338 ft, a beam of 26 ft, and a draught of 20 ft. The submarine was powered by two oil-fired Yarrow Shipbuilders boilers each supplying one geared Brown-Curtis or Parsons steam turbine; this developed 10,500 shaft horsepower (7,800 kW) to drive two 7 ft screws. Submerged power came from four electric motors each producing 350 to 360 hp. It was also had an 800 hp diesel engine to be used when steam was being raised, or instead of raising steam.

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 24 kn and a submerged speed of 9 to 9.5 kn. It could operate at a maximum depth of 150 ft and travel submerged at 2 kn for 80 nmi. K15 was armed with ten 18 in torpedo tubes, two 4 in deck guns, and a 3 in anti-aircraft gun. The torpedo tubes were mounted in the bows, the midship section firing to the beam, and two were on a rotating mounting on the deck. Its complement was fifty-nine crew members.