The K VIII-class submarine was a three boat class of submarines of the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy). The class varied from K V-class submarine due to the removal of two external torpedo tubes, which were removed to reduce the boats' vulnerability to depth charging. The boat had a diving depth of 50 metres (160 ft). K VIII-class submarine was built after the John Philip Holland design. [1]
 Dutch submarine K X, in Surabaya, Dutch East Indies
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | K VIII class |
| Builders | Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde, Vlissingen, Netherlands |
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | K V class |
| Succeeded by | K XI class |
| Built | 1917–1923 |
| In commission | 1922–1944 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Retired | 3 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Patrol submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 64.41 m (211 ft 4 in) |
| Beam | 5.6 m (18 ft 4 in) |
| Draught | 3.55 m (11 ft 8 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Complement | 31 |
| Armament |
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All ships were still in service at the start of World War II. During the war K IX was transferred to the Royal Australian Navy and renamed K9.[2]
Boats
edit| Name | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| K VIII | 31 October 1917 | 28 March 1922 | 15 September 1922 | 15 July 1942 |
| K IX Renamed: HMAS K9 |
1 March 1919 | 23 December 1922 | 21 June 1923 (Dutch navy) 22 June 1943 (Australian navy) |
15 July 1942 (Dutch navy) 31 March 1944 (Australian navy) |
| K X | 1 November 1919 | 2 May 1923 | 24 September 1923 | 2 March 1942 |