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:
Dr Ian Buxton MBE BSc PhD FRINA, Retired Reader in Marine Transport
Geoff Horseman, retired Chief Turbine Engineer of Siemens Power Generation / CA Parsons
Dr Buxton has very kindly stepped in at very short notice to present this lecture following the recent, sudden, and sad passing of Geoff Horseman. Since retirement, Geoff had been working full-time on documenting the Parsons history while the original records still exist for preservation in museums. It was during this work that he discovered the story of the K-class submarines, which will be discussed in this lecture as a tribute to Geoff.
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. This presentation 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 on board 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.
