Rainbow-class submarine
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Royal Navy |
| Preceded by | Parthian class submarine |
| Succeeded by | S class |
| In commission | 1930—1946 |
| Planned | 6 |
| Completed | 4 |
| Cancelled | 2 |
| Lost | 3 |
| Retired | 1 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 1,763 long tons (1,791 t) surfaced 2,030 long tons (2,060 t) submerged |
| Length | 287 ft (87 m) |
| Beam | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Draught | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) Diesel-electric 2 × Admiralty diesel engines, 4,640 hp 2 × electric motors, 1,635 hp 2 shafts |
| Speed | list error: <br /> list (help) 17.5 knots (20.1 mph; 32.4 km/h) surfaced 8.6 kn (9.9 mph; 15.9 km/h) submerged |
| Complement | 53 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) • 8 × 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern) with 14 reloads • 1 × 4.7 in QF Mark IX deck gun |
The Rainbow class submarine or R class was a class of four submarines built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s. They were designed as long range patrol submarines for the Far East and were essentially repeats of the preceding Parthian class submarines with minor modifications. Six ships were planned but two boats, HMS Royalist and HMS Rupert were cancelled for economic reasons.
Ships
| Name | Builder | Launched | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| HMS Rainbow | Chatham Dockyard | 14 May 1930 | Sunk in collision with the Italian Merchant ship Antonietta Costa 4? or 10 October 1940 |
| HMS Regent | Vickers, Barrow in Furness | 11 June 1930 | Sunk 18 April 1943 by mines near Barletta, Puglia, Italy |
| HMS Regulus | Vickers, Barrow in Furness | 11 June 1930 | Sunk by mines 6 December 1940 near Taranto |
| HMS Rover | Vickers, Barrow in Furness | 11 June 1930 | Scrapped 1946 |
It is often stated that HMS Rainbow was sunk by the Italian submarine Enrico Toti but the submarine sunk by Enrico Toti was HMS Triad.[2]
Notes
- ^ Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships
- ^ HMS Rainbow (N 16)
Online References