Pontoon No.1, now 125 Years in the rearview

In 1901, 24-year-old LT Forster Delafield Arnold-Forster, RN, arrived at the Vickers shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness to take command of a curious, rather hush-hush craft. He found the project shrouded in secrecy, located inside a building labeled “Yacht Shed” with parts marked for “Pontoon No. 1.” His description of what would become officially HM Submarine Torpedo Boat No. 1, launched without ceremony on 2 October 1901, was downright unflattering. What surprised me most when I did find the boat was her small size. She was only 63 ft. long and was shaped like a very fat and stumpy cigar. She had fins and a tail with a single propeller and two rudders, one for steering and the other for diving. There was a small conning tower on top just big enough to put one’s head and shoulders in. Her speed turned out afterwards to be seven knots on the surface and never more than about four knots under water. The ingenious designer in New York evidently did not realize that the average naval officer…