HMS E1


HMS E1 was a British E-class submarine that was built by Chatham Dockyard and cost £101,700. E1 was laid down on 14 February 1911. She was launched on 9 November 1912 and was commissioned on 6 May 1913. During World War I she was part of the British submarine flotilla in the Baltic.

Design

The early British E-class submarines, from E1 to E8, had a displacement of at the surface and while submerged. They had a length overall of and a beam of, and were powered by two Vickers eight-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines and two electric motors. The class had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of, with a fuel capacity of of diesel affording a range of when travelling at, while submerged they had a range of at.
The early 'Group 1' E class boats were armed with four 18 inch torpedo tubes, one in the bow, one either side amidships, and one in the stern; a total of eight torpedoes were carried. Group 1 boats were not fitted with a deck gun during construction, but those involved in the Dardanelles campaign had guns mounted forward of the conning tower while at Malta Dockyard.
E-Class submarines had wireless systems with power ratings; in some submarines, these were later upgraded to systems by removing a midship torpedo tube. Their maximum design depth was although in service some reached depths of below. Some submarines contained Fessenden oscillator systems.

Crew

Her complement was three officers and 28 men.

Service history

She worked with and reconnoitered the Skagerrak as a prelude to sending submarines into the Baltic. Then on 15 October 1914, she and sailed from Gorleston in a successful attempt to penetrate the German defences and enter the Baltic. On 18 October 1914, E1 unsuccessfully attacked the armoured cruiser in Kiel Bay. The torpedo ran too deep and missed. On 30 July 1915, she torpedoed and sank the German minesweeper Aachen east-northeast of Oestergarhsholme, Germany. On 19 August 1915, she torpedoed and damaged the German battlecruiser during the Battle of the Gulf of Riga.
E1s service ended on 3 April 1918 outside Helsingfors, off Harmaja Light in the Gulf of Finland. She was scuttled by her crew, along with,,,,, and to avoid seizure by advancing German forces which had landed nearby.