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Lot Essay
The Royal Navy's first primitive submarine (Holland 1) was built by Vickers under licence from the United States and launched, in the utmost secrecy [on 2nd October 1901] under the following order:
"It is understood that no ceremony will take place at the forthcoming launch of the first British submarine at Barrow-in-Furness. The Admiralty regards these boats as wholly in the nature of an experiment and, like all other experiments carried out from time to time, this one will be carried out with every privacy."
Chosen to head up the new Submarine Service was a distinguished naval torpedo officer, Captain Reginald Bacon, and under his guidance, the submarine section of the Royal Navy developed rapidly into a highly useful adjunct of the fleet by the time war came in 1914. To begin with however, much had to be done to create a submarine service worthy of the name and Bacon formed an immediate alliance with Vickers Son & Maxim to build him a flotilla of Holland craft, each to be an improvement on the former, modified from practical experience. Holland 2 was launched in February 1902, apparently by the daughter of her Chief Engineer, and though it cannot be stated with certainty, it seems probable that this commemorative locket was given to Mrs. Bacon by her husband as a memento of the launch of the first new submarine to be designed and built with his involvement.
N.B. The image of Holland 1 on the locket is copied from the famous photograph taken of her secret launch down the slipway of Yacht Shed No. 1 at Vickers' yards at Barrow-in-Furness.
Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon, K.C.B., K.C.V.O. (1863-1947) joined the navy in 1872 and, after a very successful early career at sea, thereafter became one of the most influential figures in the Royal Navy between 1900 and the end of the Great War. The virtual 'father' of the British submarine service, he was also the first captain of the revolutionary H.M.S. Dreadnought (1906-07), the Director of Naval Ordnance and Torpedoes (1907-09), and the Admiral Commanding the famous 'Dover Patrol' from 1915-18 amongst many other appointments. After his eventual retirement, he became a prolific author of mostly naval reference works, several of which are still regarded as standard texts.
"It is understood that no ceremony will take place at the forthcoming launch of the first British submarine at Barrow-in-Furness. The Admiralty regards these boats as wholly in the nature of an experiment and, like all other experiments carried out from time to time, this one will be carried out with every privacy."
Chosen to head up the new Submarine Service was a distinguished naval torpedo officer, Captain Reginald Bacon, and under his guidance, the submarine section of the Royal Navy developed rapidly into a highly useful adjunct of the fleet by the time war came in 1914. To begin with however, much had to be done to create a submarine service worthy of the name and Bacon formed an immediate alliance with Vickers Son & Maxim to build him a flotilla of Holland craft, each to be an improvement on the former, modified from practical experience. Holland 2 was launched in February 1902, apparently by the daughter of her Chief Engineer, and though it cannot be stated with certainty, it seems probable that this commemorative locket was given to Mrs. Bacon by her husband as a memento of the launch of the first new submarine to be designed and built with his involvement.
N.B. The image of Holland 1 on the locket is copied from the famous photograph taken of her secret launch down the slipway of Yacht Shed No. 1 at Vickers' yards at Barrow-in-Furness.
Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon, K.C.B., K.C.V.O. (1863-1947) joined the navy in 1872 and, after a very successful early career at sea, thereafter became one of the most influential figures in the Royal Navy between 1900 and the end of the Great War. The virtual 'father' of the British submarine service, he was also the first captain of the revolutionary H.M.S. Dreadnought (1906-07), the Director of Naval Ordnance and Torpedoes (1907-09), and the Admiral Commanding the famous 'Dover Patrol' from 1915-18 amongst many other appointments. After his eventual retirement, he became a prolific author of mostly naval reference works, several of which are still regarded as standard texts.