On October 2, 1901, workers at Vickers, Sons & Maxim launched a twenty-meter hull in a hangar labeled "Yacht Shed." The vessel was officially named "HM Submarine Torpedo Boat No 1," later known as Holland 1, after its designer, John Philip Holland, an Irish former schoolteacher who emigrated to the United States. This marked the beginning of the Royal Navy's Submarine Service. The Admiralty had previously rejected submarines for nearly a century, citing strategic concerns that such weapons could threaten British naval dominance. However, French advancements, including the successful 1898 attack by the Gustave Zédé submarine on the battleship Magenta, prompted a change in London's stance. In 1900, the Admiralty tasked its torpedo school with studying how to combat submarines, and officers concluded they needed one to experiment. The US Navy had purchased Holland's design in 1900, and the British Admiralty soon ordered five Holland-type submarines from Electric Boat, granting Vickers, Sons & Maxim the right to build them in Great Britain. The first boat, Holland 1, was launched on October 2, 1901, after being assembled over eight months. It measured 19.46 meters long and 3.58 meters wide, with a 160 horsepower gasoline engine and a 70 horsepower electric motor. It displaced just over 100 tons on the surface and about 120 when submerged. The vessel's armament included a 450 mm torpedo tube at the bow, with a maximum of three torpedoes. The crew consisted of 8 men, sometimes 9, with no bunks, partitions, or sanitary facilities. The Admiralty created a new position, Inspecting Captain of Submarines, and appointed Captain Reginald Bacon to oversee the new submarines. Bacon, a specialist in torpedoes, was critical of the Hollands, noting they would not hold up to comparison with French submarines and could only navigate on the surface in good weather. He proposed modifications to boats 4 and 5, which were not yet started. The Admiralty accepted a 6th submarine on a new design, the A1. The first officers were appointed in August 1901, including Lieutenants Forster Arnold-Forster and Stephen Bowle-Evans. Crews were recruited on a voluntary basis, with a submarine bonus added to salaries. Electric Boat sent Frank Cable to Barrow to train the British crews. Cable performed 25 to 30 dives in the Irish Sea and trained the British before returning to America in 1902. During this phase, Cable effectively commanded the Holland 1. The first submerged test at sea took place on April 6, 1902. By the end of the summer, the first three boats passed under the official control of the Admiralty and went to Portsmouth with the HMS Hazard, forming the first submarine flotilla of the Royal Navy. The Holland 1 was not the first to enter service, as improvements made during the series made numbers 2 and 3 more reliable. They entered service first in August 1902, under the orders of Bowle-Evans and Moreton, who became the first official commanders of British submarines. The Holland 1 was first used for experiments. In November 1902, charges were exploded near its hull to measure its resistance. A 200-pound charge of fulminated mercury detonating at 80 yards caused no damage. The Admiralty concluded that it was practically impossible to attack an immersed submarine with such precision.