R Class

The world’s first Hunter Killer submarine, the ‘R Class’ had a 22-man crew (2 officers and 20 ratings) and was 163 feet long, by 16 ft (beam) and had a displacement of 420 tons. It had 6 x 18 inch torpedo tubes later replaced by 6 X 21 inch torpedoes tubes, an 8 cylinder engine with 480 HP and 2 electric motors (1200 HP) and could reach speeds of 9.5 knots on the surface and 15 submerged. The R class group of submarines were the fastest commissioned boats until the later days of WWII (1944) when the German Type 21 was commissioned –  not bad for a small WWI Submarine! The submarine was first laid down by Vickers on the Tyne on December 1917, commissioned in 1918 and scrapped in 1929. Watch a video of our friend Steve Neil, reviewing and building an OTW Designs R-Class kit.

Included in the kit

• Detailed hull, deck and tower, all in glass fibre.
• Front and rear dive planes and guards.
• Drop skeg twin rudders, six brass bushes.
• All stainless steel pivot rods.
• 8 Kingston valves, tower hatch, tower floor and deck in brass.
• 3 tower vents, 2 periscope and wireless aerial bases in brass.
• All periscopes and wireless aerial, binnacle, anchor, Samson posts, bollards,
• aerial fittings for deck, scale 4-bladed propeller and shaft, all tower rails and fittings.
• A detailed plan.