External
Location:
Lecture Theatre, Neville Hall, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 1SE and live-streamed on YouTube Live - Register at lecture on mininginstitute.org.uk/neimme-lectures/
Timings:
refreshments available from 17:30 at 5 Quarter Bar, Neville Hall. NE1 1SE
Speaker:
Geoff Horseman, Chief Turbine Engineer (ret), retired from Siemens Power Generation / Parsons.
About the event:
During World War I, it was decided to build submarines which were fast enough to keep pace with surface ships. Equipped with steam turbines to produce sufficient power, they were as large as modern nuclear submarines. The engines were a success, but the submarines were an ill-conceived concept in other regards. Geoff Horseman will describe incidents which led to these vessels becoming known as the "Kalamity Class" and an appointment as a crew member became known as joining "the Suicide Club". Among these was a tragic event which was undisclosed for over 30 years and is not well known today. In the so-called ‘Battle of May Island’, Royal Navy ships and submarines collided at night in the Firth of Forth early in 1918, with great loss of life. In all, more than 200 men died while serving onboard the K class. This lecture will tell the story of the K Class looking at some of the design issues with the submarines, recalling lessons learned which should not be forgotten and remembering the many men who perished due to those mistakes.
