Maritime record MWX2146 - HMS A3

This submarine was built by Vickers and Maxim, Barrow-in-Furness and launched on 9 March 1903. The A3 sank on 6 February 1912 following a collision with HMS Hazard. She was raised and a few weeks later was towed to sea and sunk by gunfire from HMS St Vincent. 314g

This submarine was built by Vickers and Maxim, Barrow-in-Furness and launched on 09-Mar-1903. The A3 sank 06-FEB-1912 following a collision with HMS HAZARD. She was raised and a few weeks later was towed to sea and sunk by gunfire from HMS ST VINCENT.

Survey History from UKHO:
17-MAY-1912. Lies intact apart from the elbows on the conning tower breather tubes, the platform and steering controls.
23-MAY-1918 Wreck reported in position 50 31N, 02 11W.
11-FEB-1969 Reported to be a trawler, approx. 40 feet long, located about 0.25 mile west of present position.
01-JAN-1988 Fishermen report fouling gear in approx. position 50 31 00N, 02 11 00W.
12-JUN-1992 Positively identified as a British submarine. Stands about 5m high in general depth 38m. Now thought to be an A class submarine. Almost certainly the wreck of HMS A3. Commercial guard requested.
1993 Wreck sold by Department of Defence DS(S)/88/3/1.(1)

A3, sunk as a target, 17-May-1912. <5>

A hatch cover reported from this wreck, 50 31.41N 002 11.25W. (Droit A/665).(4)

A conning tower hatch recovered from this wreck off Weymouth. (Droit A/2387).(3)

A pre-WWI submarine hatch cover recovered from a wreck thought to be A3, just off Portland. (Droit A/2674). (3)

Brass top of conning tower in 'Deep Sea Adventure', Weymouth. Seabed muddy sandy gravel (6) Le pard

The submarine lies on an even keel on the seabed. <7>

Position 50 31.41N, 2 11.25W taken from <7>
Tonnage Gross

Remains of 1912 wreck of British submarine which was scuttled approximately 5 miles south of Lulworth Cove by gunfire, after being towed out from Portsmouth. She had been badly holed in a collision during exercises and foundered as a result, but was recovered, and the bodies of all the crew removed. Constructed of metal, she was powered by engines. The crew were buried at Haslar Royal Navy Cemetery [1435130]. The wreck site is designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act 1973.

Wreck Site and Archaeological Remains:
Horizontal Datum: OGB
Vertical Datum: LAT
Quality of Depth: E
General Depth: 38 metres
Buoyage: CINC

23-MAY-1918: Wreck reported in position 50 31N, 02 11W.
11-FEB-1969: Reported to be a trawler, approx 40 feet long, located about 0.25 mile west of present position.
01-JAN-1988: Fishermen report fouling gear in approx position 50 31 00N, 02 11 00W.
12-JUN-1992: Positvely identified as a British submarine. Stands about 5m high in general depth 38m. Now thought to be an "A" class submarine. Almost certainly the wreck of HMS A3. Commercial guard requested.
1993: Wreck sold by Department of Defence DS(S)/88/3/1. (1)

Wreck lies in 38m depth, intact, standing 5m above the seabed. <11>

Lies intact apart from the "elbows" on the conning tower breather tubes, the platform and steering controls. [source unknown]

The remains of the A3 are in 38m of water, some miles south of Worbarrow Tout, in position 50 31.41N 002 11.25W. She is upright, although listing slightly, and intact. The conning tower hatch has been removed by divers from Weymouth. (8)(9) shovlar, wreck guide

Position 50 31.41N 002 11.25W. Upright in general depth of 38m, the top of the conning tower being at 32m; the surrounding seabed is smooth, flat rock, with a high rock ledge to the NW. The vessel is complete and undamaged, apart from the outer conning tower hatch, which has been removed to the Deep Sea Adventure Centre, Weymouth. A layer of silt within the conning tower indicates that the inner hatch is closed.<7>

Charted as HMSM A3 without qualification. <15>

Wreck Event and Documentary Evidence:

Position of loss quoted as 6 miles WSW of St. Alban's Head; date of loss quoted as 06.02.1912, but this is the date of the initial incident. <11>

'Left Portsmouth Harbour at 09:30 with several 'A' & 'C' class submarines for exercises off Bembridge, IoW. The exercises had been in progress several hours when A3 blew her tanks and surfaced directly in the path of the torpedo gun boat (1,070 tons) HMS HAZARD. With a large hole torn in her side, A3 went to the seabed out of control. She was raised five weeks later and moved into St. Helen's Bay, IoW, and completed the journey to Portsmouth on 12.03. Here she was berthed in the south lock, where the water was pumped out and all 14 bodies recovered for burial at the Royal Navy cemetery. Following the inquiry into her loss, the A3 was towed out to sea on 17.05.1912 by the tug SEAHORSE. After several experiments had taken place, the Dreadnought HMS ST VINCENT opened fire on the target with her 4in guns at 2,000 yards range, the third shell hitting the submarine, when she buckled up and sank to the bottom.' <11> [largely based on <9>]

Source <11> indexes the vessel as a smack in error.

The crew were buried at Haslar Royal Navy Cemetery. <13>

A-Class coastal submarine from the Group I programme, 100ft length overall x 11ft 6in x 10ft; displacement tonnage as a Group I craft 165 tons afloat, 180 tons submerged [compared to Group II submarines 180/207 tons respectively]; electric motor driven by a single screw. Sank, attributed to loss of stability, on 02.02.1912 with the loss of 14 lives, subsequently raised and expended as a target on 17.05.1912. <10>

Lost on 06.02.1912, a cold blustery day with occasional heavy snow showers. Admiralty House posted the following bulletin on the day of loss:

"The Commander-in-Chief regrets to announce that owing to a collision between His Majesty's Ship HAZARD and the submarine A3, the latter sank near the East Princess Buoy about noon today. It is feared that the submarine was completely flooded, in which case there is very little hope of the officers and crew being saved, though salvage appliances have been sent out." (<9>

The testimony of Commander Alexander Palmer, on the bridge of HMS HAZARD, is given in this source, as is a photograph of the submarine:

"At the start of the exercise HAZARD was proceeding south 20 degrees west over the Princessa Shoal at 10.37am. Submarine A3 was slightly on the starboard side and appeared to be trimming in the normal manner to dive.

"After A3 dived a good lookout was kept from the bridge of HAZARD. I myself looked out, particularly on the starboard side, and nothing was seen at all of A3. About 10 minutes afterwards we felt a violent shock pass through the vessel and I knew we had been in a collision. The HAZARD had been struck under the hull near the stern. I immediately ordered the engines to be stopped and the watertight doors to be closed. About a minute later I saw large quantities of air coming to the surface, showing the position of where the A3 had sunk. I then told the captain to turn around and anchor close to this position, and he did so as soon as he ascertained that the engines of HAZARD were in a working condition. A wireless message was immediately sent asking for a salvage vessel, and while we were waiting we marked the spot with buoys."

The hole in A3's hull was six feet long and close to the conning tower, which would have drowned the men inside within a minute. <12>
Date of initial foundering given as 02.02.1912. <12> <14>

Displacement when submerged stated to be 207 tons. <7>

Launched: 09.03.1903 <11> <13> <10> <12>
Completed: 13.07.04 <10>
Builders: Vickers and Maxim <11>; Vickers <10>
Where Built: Barrow-in-Furness <11> <10>
Propulsion: Screw driven oil engines <11>; petrol engine <10>
Armament: 2 x 18in TT <11> <10>
Commanding Officer: Lieutenant F T Ormand, RN <11> <13> <9>
Crew: 14 <11> <13> <10>
Crew lost: 14 <11> <13>
Owner: Royal Navy [all sources]

Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss

Designation history:

The Protection of Wrecks (Designation) (England) Order 2016
Made: 27th June 2016
Laid before Parliament: 30th June 2016
Coming into force: 21st July 2016

Site: HMS A3, English Channel
Latitude: 50 31.424N
Longitude: 02 11.315W
Radius: 50m (12)

12 = 2016, No. 685 The Protection of Wrecks (Designation) (England) Order 2016 <http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2016/685/pdfs/uksi_20160685_en.pdf> [Accessed 21-JUL-2016]

<1> United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, 1992, Hydrographic Office wreck index (Index). SWX4837.

<2> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck A/2387 (Unpublished document). SWX510.

<3> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck A/2674 (Unpublished document). SWX534.

<3> 2001, Maritime and Coastguard Agency: Receiver of Wreck Amnesty (Index). SWX4542.

<4> Receiver of Wreck, Droit of the Receiver of Wreck A/0665 (Unpublished document). SWX303.

<5> Colledge, J J, 1969, Ships of the Royal Navy. Volume 1: major ships, 19 (Monograph). SWX4826.

<6> Le Pard, G, 1995-2003, Dorset Coast Forum Maritime Archaeological Database, 264 (Digital archive). SWX8707.

<7> Hinchcliffe, J and V, 1999, Dive Dorset: a diver guide (3rd Edition), 147 No 197 (Monograph). SWX1.

<8> Cumming, E, The Dorset shipwreck and maritime incident directory, 3 (Monograph). SDO16406.

<9> Evans, A S, 1986, Beneath the waves: a history of HM submarine losses [1904-1971], 27-29 (Monograph). SWX4816.

<10> Akermann, Paul, 1989, Encyclopaedia of British submarines 1901-1955, 120-121 (Monograph). SWX4814.

<11> Larn, R, and Larn, B, 1995, Shipwreck index of the British Isles, volume 1 : Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset Section 6, Dorset (AJ) Vol 1 (Monograph). SWX4541.

<12> Shovlar, S, 1996, Dorset Shipwrecks, A comprehensive guide to the shipwrecks of Purbeck and Poole Bay. , 96-98 (Monograph). SWX8036.

<13> Kemp, Paul, 1999, The Admiralty Regrets: British Warship Losses of the 20th Century, 1999 (Monograph). SWX9368.

<14> 2002, Shipwreck Guide to Dorset and Lyme Bay, 55 (Monograph). SDO20556.

<15> SeaZone Hydrospatial, Digital marine geographic information derived from SeaZone Hydrospatial, SEP-2006 (Digital archive). SDO20540.

<16> Statutory Instrument: No. 685 The Protection of Wrecks (Designation) (England) Order 2016, Accessed 21-JUL-2016 (Scheduling record). SDO20557.

<17> National Record of the Historic Environment, 904626 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Sep 4 2024 12:51PM