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 (53.3 cm) torpedoes and more fuel. The submarine had a length of 238 ft overall, a beam of 23 ft and a mean draft of 13 ft. They displaced 914 LT on the surface and 1089 LT 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 1200 bhp diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 600 hp electric motor. They could reach 17 kn on the surface and 10.5 kn underwater. On the surface, the L class had a range of 3800 nmi at 10 kn.

The boats were armed with four 21-inch torpedo tubes in the bow and two 18-inch (45 cm) 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 4 in 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 (1903) 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.