HMS G5 was a G Class overseas patrol submarine built by HM Dockyard Chatham and was the last of her class to be built there.
The G Class were intended to be an improvement over the previous E Class submarines. Their design incorporated lessons learned in building and operating submarines thus far. In addition to luxuries such as an electric oven in the galley, they also incorporated advances in technology and design. They were built with a double hull, commonly found in modern submarines, but a new innovation at the time. Double-hulled submarines have their ballast tanks in the space between the outer hull and the inner pressure hull. This makes for a stronger, more streamlined vessel with more internal space, but is also more expensive, time-consuming and complex to build. For this reason, only 14 G Class submarines were built, rather than the almost 60 boats of the previous E Class.
Drawing of a G Class boat
HMS G5 was laid down on No 7 slip on 12th October 1914 and she was launched by Mrs Ricardo, wife of the Captain of the Dockyard, Capt Arthur D Ricardo RN on 23rd November 1915. After fitting out, she was commissioned at Chatham on 17th January 1916, with Lt-Cdr Fitzroy L D Byron in command.On completion HMS G5 was 186 feet long and 22ft 8" across the beam. She displaced 693 tons on the surface and 873 tons dived. She was armed with 2 18" torpedo tubes in the bow, a further 18" torpedo tube in each beam and a 21" tube in the stern. She also carried a 12pdr (3") gun forward of the conning tower and a 2pdr gun (40mm) aft of it. She had a crew of 30 men.
Photo of HMS G3 - G5 would have been identical.
After commissioning, she was sent to join 11th Submarine Flotilla at Blyth and spent the whole of the First World War conducting war patrols from there. She made her first of her 39 war patrols in April 1916. In July 1916, she rescued the 29 survivors from three trawlers which had been sunk by a U-Boat. She completed her last war patrol on 4th November 1918.
After the war, HMS G5 was surplus to requirements and was sold for scrap to Youngs of Sunderland on 4th November 1921. She was broken up during October 1922.
