The 2nd of October 1901 was a pivotal moment in the history of the Royal Navy. Following several months of trials, the RN’s first operational submarine, Holland I, was launched at the Vickers shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, marking the birth of the Royal Navy Submarine Service (RNSS).

The motto of the service, ‘We Come Unseen’, captured the ability of these new vessels to operate beneath the waves, unseen by enemy craft, adding a vital new strategic weapon in naval warfare and soon becoming known as the Silent Service.

Both world wars demonstrated the submarines’ ability to surprise hostile forces, to gather intelligence and to transport troops in secrecy, thereby adding greatly to Britain’s military power and prowess.

Submarines had already begun to emerge in America during the 19th century, with naval engineers Simon Lake (1866–1945) and John Philip Holland (1841–1914) at the forefront of this technological revolution. Lake’s first submarine, Argonaut Junior, was launched in 1894, but it was Holland’s Holland VI, launched three years later, that pioneered a combination of electric and petrol power to enable the submarine to stay submerged for longer. In 1900 Holland VI became the first submarine to be commissioned by the US Navy.

That same year, the Royal Navy commissioned Barrow-in-Furness shipbuilders Vickers, Sons & Maxim to build five Holland class submarines, designed by John Philip Holland’s Electric Boat Company.

HMS Holland I
The keel for HMS Holland I (not to be confused with Holland I, the engineer’s first prototype launched in 1878) was laid down in February 1901, and she was constructed in secrecy before her launch eight months later. At first, all seemed very promising: she successfully completed her sea trials, and in September 1902 arrived in Portsmouth, alongside the other four Holland class submarines, all under the command of Captain Reginald Bacon (1863–1947).

These vessels were the beginning of the submarine revolution in Britain. Over the next ten years five new classes of submarine were rolled out, each featuring improved technology that allowed for greater speed and endurance. So rapid was the development of submarines that by 1913 the Holland class vessels had already become obsolete and were decommissioned.

HMS Holland I nearly came to a tragic end: sold for scrap and destined for a breaker’s yard in Wales, she sank during a severe storm off the Cornish coast while under tow and was abandoned. Nearly 70 years later, she was salvaged, restored and put on display at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport, thereby preserving a vital part of our naval heritage.

By the 1990s, however, she was need of urgent restoration. After an eight-year conservation project, HMS Holland I was once again put on view to the public in a climate-controlled building financed by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The award-winning building was officially opened in May 2001, the centenary year of the RNSS.

Visitors can now view HMS Holland I on two levels in her self-contained gallery, take a look inside the submarine and discover more about the conservation project.

On patrol
The RNSS began life with five submarines and six officers. By the outbreak of the First World War, this had ballooned to a fleet of 62 submarines with a total of 168 officers and 1250 ratings. During the war, submarines patrolled the North Sea and the Baltic, and infiltrated the Dardanelles Straits to disrupt the Turkish forces’ supply ships during the Gallipoli campaign. The submarines’ unique capability of penetrating these places undetected was vital to the war effort.

Of the 14 Victoria Crosses awarded for gallantry during the First World War, five went to the Royal Navy Submarine Service. The first submariner to be awarded a VC was Lieutenant Norman Douglas Holbrook (1888-1976), of HMS B11, for sinking the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh in the Dardanelles Straits in December 1914.

Another recipient was Lieutenant-Commander Martin Eric Nasmith (1883-1965), commander of HMS E11. According to the London Gazette (25 June 1915), his actions in the Dardanelles Straits included destroying ‘one large Turkish gunboat, two transports, one ammunition ship, three store ships and four other vessels’.

Having proved their worth during the First World War, submarines played an even more significant role during the Second World War, carrying out over 250 special missions with the loss of several submarines and their crews. It was the RNSS that was tasked with attacking ships and laying minefields in Norwegian waters, patrolling the English Channel and the Mediterranean, and joining forces with Dutch submariners to achieve some spectacular successes in the Far East, including the sinking of 68 merchant ships and two battleships.

A significant development during the Second World War was the introduction of the X-class midget and chariot submarines. These smaller craft were able to penetrate harbours and other places that the larger submarines and war ships could not reach. The last surviving intact midget submarine from World War Two, HMS X24, is now on display in the visitor centre at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.

The most significant development after the war was the launch of nuclear-powered submarines, with the first, HMS Dreadnought, being launched in 1960. This revolutionary new submarine was faster than the traditional diesel submarines and could stay submerged for longer, thereby greatly reducing its risk of being detected.

Responsibility for the UK’s nuclear deterrent was officially transferred from the RAF to the Royal Navy on 1 July 1968, and from this date the new Resolution class ballistic missile submarines carried the controversial Polaris nuclear missiles, later to be replaced by the new Vanguard class submarines and the Trident missiles.

With their advanced speed and intelligence gathering abilities, nuclear submarines became key players in the Falklands War in 1982. It was HMS Conqueror that detected and later torpedoed the ARA General Belgrano, resulting in the loss of the ship and the lives of more than 300 members of the crew.

Today the RNSS has two classes of nuclear-powered submarines, which can stay submerged for months at a time. Between them, they are responsible for surveillance, intelligence gathering and security.

HMS Alliance
A star exhibit at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum is HMS Alliance, the last surviving submarine from the World War Two era. Built at Vickers shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness in 1945-6 and commissioned in 1947, Alliance was originally intended for service in the Far East and as such was designed for greater speed and carrying capacity. She also had the ability to stay submerged for a significant length of time, and in 1947 she hit the headlines when she stayed submerged for a world record-breaking three weeks.

HMS Alliance went on to carry out numerous operations worldwide during the Cold War years before being decommissioned in 1973. She then served as a training ship at HMS Dolphin in Gosport, the original headquarters of the RNSS and the Royal Navy Submarine School, before undergoing a major preservation project. She was opened to the public in 1982, and also serves as a memorial ship to more than 5000 submariners who lost their lives while serving in the RNSS.

Today, visitors to the submarine museum can climb aboard the Alliance to see the cramped conditions endured by the submariners and appreciate the sheer size of this incredible vessel and the vital role she played during the Cold War years.

Life on board
The cramped, claustrophobic conditions on board a submarine left little space for creature comforts and were particularly unpleasant for the crews during the two world wars. Only the captain had his own cabin; other officers and ratings had to share tiny cabins and sleep on bunks or in hammocks. Water was rationed, so during a six-week tour of duty there could be no showers and no laundry. The discomfort of being unable to wash and having to wear the same clothes throughout can only be imagined.

A tiny galley served mainly tinned food, and ratings were allowed the luxury of a daily tot of rum.

Letters from home could take months to reach them, and any personal belongings had to be stored in small boxes or cases as there was no space for lockers.

Life was made bearable by the close-knit community onboard. Crew members filled their off-duty hours by playing musical instruments and gramophone records, reading, drawing, sewing or making objects for loved ones. Board games were also popular, often with tobacco used as currency.

All of this was a welcome distraction from thinking about the dangers that they faced. The RNSS was the most dangerous service in the Royal Navy, and during the Second World War around 35 per cent of submariners were killed in action.

Tracing RNSS ancestors
The National Archives is the main repository for records relating to the armed forces, and includes service records, correspondence, ships’ logs, pension records, operational records, ships’ muster rolls, records of medals, wills and much more.

A good starting point is the NA’s research guides (nationalarchives.gov.uk), which gives details of their holdings, advice on searching and links to other repositories.

As always, the more details you have for your ancestor, the easier your search will be. It will save a lot of time if you know whether your ancestor was an officer or a rating, as these are catalogued separately. Search fields include first and last names, service number, place and date of birth and years of service. You don’t need all of these details, but the more you have the more fruitful your search is likely to be.

A successful search will might yield information on occupation(s), promotions, physical appearance, character and ability, injuries and date of death.

Service records from 1920 onwards can be obtained from the Ministry of Defence (gov.uk). The website has detailed guidance on how to do this and the kind of information you can expect to receive.

If your ancestor was a casualty in either of the two world wars, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission can help trace their memorials.

It is also worth searching the London Gazette, the official government newspaper launched in 1665, for notices of service appointments, promotions, awards and deaths.

Other useful resources include the Naval Biographical Database (navylist.org) and the Navy List Research navylistresearch.co.uk. There is also some excellent, very comprehensive guidance on tracing Royal Navy ancestors on the Barrow Submariners Association website (rnsubs.co.uk), as well as lots of other interesting information about the history of the RNSS. Many editions of the Navy List are available at thegenealogist.co.uk .

Finally, the National Museum of the Royal Navy website (nmrn.org.uk) has a useful list of resources, as well as details of the museum’s collections.