Rainbow class submarine
Encyclopedia
The Rainbow class submarine or R class was a class of four submarine
s 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 submarine
s with minor modifications. Six ships were planned but two boats, HMS Royalist and HMS Rupert were cancelled for economic reasons.
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.
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s built for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
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 submarine
Parthian class submarine
The Parthian class submarine or P class was a class of six submarines built for the Royal Navy in the late 1920s. They were designed as long-range patrol submarines for the Far East. These ships were almost identical to the Odin class, the only difference being a different bow...
s 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 Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional... |
14 May 1930 | Sunk in collision with the Italian Merchant ship Antonietta Costa 4? or 10 October 1940 |
| HMS Regent | Vickers Vickers Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &... , Barrow in Furness |
11 June 1930 | Sunk 18 April 1943 by mines near Barletta Barletta Barletta is a city and comune located in the north of Apulia in south eastern Italy. Its current population is 94,140.It is famous for the Colossus of Barletta, a bronze statue, representing a Roman Emperor... , Puglia, Italy |
| HMS Regulus HMS Regulus (N88) HMS Regulus was a Royal Navy Rainbow-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. Launched in 1930, the submarine was lost with its entire crew on 6 December 1940 during World War II whilst on patrol off Taranto, Italy. It was probably mined.... |
Vickers Vickers Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &... , Barrow in Furness |
11 June 1930 | Sunk by mines 6 December 1940 near Taranto Taranto Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base.... |
| HMS Rover | Vickers Vickers Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &... , 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.