HMS ''K4'' was a

British K-class submarine The K-class submarines were a class of steam-propelled submarines of the Royal Navy designed in 1913. Intended as large, fast vessels with the endurance and speed to operate with the battle fleet, they gained notoriety and the nickname of "K ...

built by

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

Barrow-in-Furness Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...

. She was laid down on 28 June 1915 and commissioned on 1 January 1917, one year before the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Accidents

January 1917

In January 1917 HMS K4 ran aground on Walney Island. The British submarine giant was stranded on its beach but was undamaged. She was refloated the next day.

17 November 1917

On 17 November 1917, ''K4'' collided with sister ship during an accident off the Danish coast. The light cruiser operating with ''K1'' had to make a sharp turn to avoid three units from the 4th Cruiser Squadron. And in the confusion, ''K4'' collided with ''K1''. The crew of ''K1'' were rescued and ''K1'' sunk by the ''Blonde''. The K4 was under the command of Lieutenant-Commander Alfred Fenner. There is a blue plaque on the wall of his home in the town of Cromer in Norfolk.

Loss

''K4'' was lost on 31 January 1918 during the night time fleet exercises later known as the

Battle of May Island The Battle of May Island is the name given to the series of accidents that occurred during Operation E.C.1 in 1918. Named after the Isle of May, a nearby island in the Firth of Forth, the "battle" consisted of a disastrous series of accidents ...

(Operation E.C.1) when she was attached to the 13th Submarine Flotilla. While attempting to avoid a collision with , she became the victim of collisions with and . She was lost with all hands. The wreck is designated as a ''protected place'' under the

Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...

Bibliography

Notes References * - Total pages: 160 *

Publications

* *

External links

'Submarine losses 1904 to present day' - Royal Navy Submarine Museum
Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness British K-class submarines Protected Wrecks of the United Kingdom World War I shipwrecks in the North Sea British submarine accidents Maritime incidents in 1917 Maritime incidents in 1918 Ships sunk in collisions 1916 ships Royal Navy ship names {{UK-mil-submarine-stub