Holland No.5 Submarine

• Commissioned: 19th January 1903
• Nationality: British
• Depth of Wreck: 30-35m
• Location: English Channel

The Holland No.5 submarine is a remarkable piece of our naval heritage. She was the first submarine to actually be commissioned in the Royal Navy, on the 19th January 1903 at the same time as Holland No.3. At this time the Holland's 1, 2 and 4 were still being reworked. The Holland class of submarine rapidly become obsolete and in 1912 Holland No.5 was destined for destruction and was being towed to Sheerness when she foundered and sunk at her present location 6 miles SE of the Royal Sovereign Lighthouse, Sussex, England.

The wreck remained undiscovered (although not undisturbed) until 1995 when she was found by chance by Kent diver, Jerry Dowd. Mr Dowd informed Innes McCartney of the find in 2001 and he made his first exploration of the site in the same year. The Holland No.5 was protected under the Protection of Wrecks Act (1973) in 2005. In 2011 the Holland No.5 was added to the Heritage at Risk Register by English Heritage. Mark Beattie Edwards, the NAS CEO, currently is the principle licensee for the wreck.

The Holland No.5 Virtual Dive has been developed by the Nautical Archaeology Society, 3deep Media, InDepth Photography, with grant support from Historic England

Historic England’s National Heritage List for England

Find out more on the NAS website

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