HMS E9

HMS E9 was a British E-class submarine that served with distinction in the Royal Navy during the First World War. Launched in 1913, it became one of the most successful submarines of its class, operating primarily in the Heligoland Bight and the Baltic Sea. Under the command of the renowned Max Horton, it earned a reputation for aggressive patrolling and achieved several significant victories against Imperial German Navy warships and merchant vessels.

Construction and commissioning

HMS E9 was ordered from Vickers Limited at their Barrow-in-Furness shipyard as part of the 1911–1912 naval construction programme. Its keel was laid down on 1 June 1912, and the vessel was launched on 27 November 1913. Following fitting-out and sea trials, it was commissioned into the Royal Navy on 18 June 1914, joining the 8th Submarine Flotilla based at HMNB Portsmouth. The E-class submarine design represented a significant advancement in underwater warfare, featuring improved diesel engine propulsion, greater endurance, and a heavier armament of torpedo tubes compared to earlier British classes.

Service history

Upon the outbreak of the First World War, HMS E9 was deployed to the North Sea for patrol duties. In September 1914, it scored its first major success by torpedoing and sinking the German light cruiser SMS Hela off the coast of Heligoland, an action for which its commander, Max Horton, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. In October, the submarine was transferred to the Baltic Sea, passing through the Øresund to reinforce the British submarine flotilla in the Baltic operating in support of the Imperial Russian Navy. In this theatre, HMS E9 conducted a highly effective campaign against German shipping, sinking the destroyer SMS S116 near the mouth of the River Vistula in October 1914 and numerous merchant vessels carrying vital iron ore from Sweden to Germany. These actions, conducted under the challenging conditions of ice and enemy patrols, severely disrupted German supply lines and earned Horton the Order of Saint George from Tsar Nicholas II.

Commanding officers

The most famous commanding officer of HMS E9 was Lieutenant Commander Max Horton, who commanded the submarine from its commissioning in June 1914 until December 1914. Horton's aggressive and successful command in the early months of the war established his reputation and he was later promoted to command the British submarine flotilla in the Baltic before becoming a highly successful commander in the Second World War. Following Horton's promotion, command passed to Lieutenant Commander F. H. H. Goodhart in January 1915. Goodhart continued the submarine's successful patrols in the Baltic Sea until he was relieved by Lieutenant Commander C. M. Chapman in 1916, who commanded E9 during the latter part of its service in the arduous conditions of the northern Baltic.

Fate

After enduring the harsh winters of the Baltic Sea and the increasing threat from German anti-submarine warfare measures, HMS E9 was scuttled by its crew at Hanko in Finland on 3 April 1918. This action was taken to prevent the vessel's capture by advancing German Army forces during the Finnish Civil War, following the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between Germany and Bolshevik Russia. The wreck of the submarine was later salvaged and broken up, but its legacy endured, particularly through the celebrated career of Max Horton and its role in proving the strategic value of submarine operations in enclosed seas.

Category:Royal Navy submarines Category:E-class submarines Category:World War I submarines of the United Kingdom Category:Maritime incidents in 1918 Category:Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness Category:1913 ships