The K III class was a class of two patrol submarines, built by Koninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde in Vlissingen for the Royal Netherlands Navy. They were used for patrols in the Dutch colonial waters. The submarines' diving depth was 40 metres (130 ft). The design for the double-hulled boats came from the American Electric Boat Company.

K III
Class overview
NameK III class
BuildersKoninklijke Maatschappij De Schelde, Vlissingen
Operators Royal Netherlands Navy
Preceded byK II
Succeeded byK V class
Built1915-1921
Completed2
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine
Displacement
  • 583 tons surfaced (K III)
  • 579 tons surfaced (K IV)
  • 721 tons submerged
Length64.41 m (211 ft 4 in)
Beam5.6 m (18 ft 4 in)
Draught3.56 m (11 ft 8 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 16.5 kn (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph) surfaced (K III)
  • 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) surfaced (K IV)
  • 8.5 kn (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) submerged
Range
  • 3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph) on the surface
  • 25 nmi (46 km; 29 mi) at 8.5 kn (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) submerged
Complement29
Armament
  • 2 × 18 inch bow torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 18 inch external-traversing torpedo tubes forward of the conning tower
  • 1 x 75 mm gun
  • 1 x 12.7 mm machine gun

Construction

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Name Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned
K III 15 July 1915 12 August 1919 9 July 1920 1934
K IV 30 December 1915 2 July 1920 27 April 1921 1936
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