*British, WW1, HMS A13 – Original Photograph and A Class WW1 Submarine Service Plaque in Wooden Frame*
Approximate Measurements:
Wooden Oval Frame: 24.5cm wide x 19cm x 1cm deep
Relief Model: 18.5cm x 8.7cm
Frame plus wooden background and model: 2.5cm depth
Original Photograph: 24cm x 19cm
The service plaque features a relief of an unnamed WW1 British submarine – likely A Class, mounted on a wooden board with a wooden frame. The photograph is unmarked on the reverse but the A13 designation is very clear. This photograph originally formed part of the Lou Britton British Submarine Collection, which was acquired by the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport in 2007.
HMS A13 was the last of the Royal Navy A-class submarines built in the early 20th century. Notable she was the first British submarine powered by an oil engine instead of petrol, she was larger, faster, and better armed than the lead vessel, HMS A1.
Design and Specifications
Size & Crew: 105 ft long, beam of 12 ft 9 in, and draft of 10 ft 8 in. Displacement: 190 tons (surface), 206 tons (submerged). Crew: 2 officers and 9 ratings.
Propulsion: Powered by a 500-horsepower oil engine (surface) and a 150-horsepower electric motor (submerged), reaching speeds of 11 knots (surface) and 6 knots (submerged).
Range: 400 nautical miles at 10 knots (surface); 30 nautical miles at 5 knots (submerged).
Armament: Two 18-inch torpedo tubes, with limited capacity for reloads.
Career
Ordered under the 1903–04 Naval Programme, A13 was built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness, launched on 8 February 1905, and completed on 8 May 1905. She served through World War I and was scrapped in 1920.
The A-class submarines were the Royal Navy’s first domestically designed class, with 13 vessels built between 1902 and 1905 as advancements over the American Plunger class. The first, A1 (ordered as Holland No. 6), was launched in July 1902, the last, A13, in April 1905.
*Condition*
Good condition. The model has some scratches and marks as you’d expect. The frame is loose on the model. The photograph is in very good condition. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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