The Royal Navy’s first submarine was designed by an Irish-American, John Phillip Holland. He was born in Liscannor, County Clare on 24th February 1841 and migrated to the United States of America in November 1873.
He carried with him his first designs for a submarine. He built a number of models and full-scale boats with varying degrees of success. However, it wasn’t until 11th April 1900, nearly 27 years after he first arrived in the USA, that the American Government finally purchased his latest design. On 12th October 1900 the United States Navy commissioned its first Holland designed submarine, the US Holland (SS-1) with Lieutenant Harry H Caldwell commanding. Thus, after France, the United States became the second nation to adopt the submarine as a fighting unit.
In 1901, the Royal Navy acquired the rights to build five Holland boats, very similar to the USS Holland design, at the Vickers shipyard at Barrow-in-Furness. H.M. Submarine Torpedo Boat No.1 was launched on the 2nd October 1901 and was later named the Holland 1. In September 1902, she arrived at Portsmouth along with another completed Holland boat to form the Royal Navy’s “First Submarine Flotilla” commanded by Captain Reginald Bacon.
The Holland 1 served operational for 12 years before becoming redundant. She was purchased by T.W. Ward Ltd for the scrap value of £410, but unfortunately sunk off Plymouth while under tow to the breakers yard in November 1913.
Laying undiscovered for more than 60 years, when on 14th April 1981 the Royal Navy mine hunter HMS Bossington was searching an area of the Eddystone Lighthouse made contact with what proved to be the wreck of Holland 1. The wreck was filmed and proved to be in a reasonably good condition. The Holland 1 was salvaged and taken to Devonport in September 1981 where conservation and restoration were started immediately. Today the fully restored Holland 1 can be viewed in her own dedicated display hall at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport.
