The Rainbow-class submarine or R class was a quartet of patrol submarines built for the Royal Navy in the early 1930s.
The Rainbow-class submarines were designed as improved versions of the Parthian class and were intended for long-range operations in the Far East. The submarines had a length of 287feet overall, a beam of 29feet and a mean draft of 13feet. They displaced 1772LT on the surface and 2030LT submerged. The Rainbow-class submarines had a crew of 56 officers and ratings. They had a diving depth of 300feet.[1]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 22000NaN0 diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 660hp electric motor. They could reach 17.5kn on the surface and underwater. On the surface, the boats had a range of 7050nmi at and 62nmi at submerged.[1]
The boats were armed with six 21-inch torpedo tubes in the bow and two more in the stern. They carried six reload torpedoes for a grand total of fourteen torpedoes. They were also armed with a QF 4.7-inch (120 mm) Mark IX deck gun.[2]
Six boats were ordered in February 1929 but, following the May 1929 general election, the new government suspended the construction of two boats in August due to economic considerations; they were subsequently cancelled.[3]
| Name | Builder | Launched | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chatham Dockyard | 14 May 1930 | Sunk 4 October 1940 in collision with the Italian merchant ship Antonietta Costa[4] | ||
| Vickers, Barrow in Furness | 11 June 1930 | Sunk 18 April 1943 by mines near Barletta, Apulia, Italy | ||
| Vickers, Barrow in Furness | 11 June 1930 | Sunk 6 December 1940 by mines near Taranto, Apulia, Italy | ||
| Vickers, Barrow in Furness | 11 June 1930 | Scrapped 1946 | ||
| Royalist | Beardmore, Dalmuir | Cancelled 1929 | ||
| Rupert | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead | Cancelled 1929 |
It is often stated that the sank HMS Rainbow. However, the submarine Enrico Toti sank was .[4]