HMS H49

HMS H49 was a British H-class submarine built by William Beardmore and Company, Dalmuir. She was laid down on 15 July 1919 and commissioned on 25 October 1919.

In March 1937 the submarine navigated the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal in the company of H33. The trip had been arranged by Lieutenant J. Collett, the commander of H49.

H49 survived until World War II when she was sunk by depth charging by German patrol craft commanded by Wolfgang Kaden belonging to the 5th German anti-submarine flotilla off Texel, the Netherlands on 18 October 1940. There was only one survivor, Leading Stoker George William Oliver from Hartlepool. He was rescued by German trawlers and spent the rest of the war as a POW at Marlag M

In the mid 1980s amateur divers who had violated H49's war grave status were prosecuted by the Dutch government.

Design

Like all post-H20 British H-class submarines, H49 had a displacement of 440 tonnes (490 short tons) at the surface and 500 tonnes (550 short tons) while submerged. It had a total length of 171 feet (52 m), a beam length of 15 feet 4 inches (4.67 m), and a draught length of 12 metres (39 ft). It contained a diesel engines providing a total power of 480 horsepower (360 kW) and two electric motors each providing 320 horsepower (240 kW) power. The use of its electric motors made the submarine travel at 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph). It would normally carry 16.4 tonnes (18.1 short tons) of fuel and had a maximum capacity of 18 tonnes (20 short tons).