HMS ''E55'' was a
British E-class submarine
The British E-class submarines started out as improved versions of the British D-class submarine. The E class served with the Royal Navy throughout World War I as the backbone of the submarine fleet. The last surviving E class submarines we ...
built by
William Denny,
Dumbarton
Dumbarton (; , or ; or , meaning 'fort of the Britons (historical), Britons') is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven, Dunbartonshire, River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. ...
as Yard No.1032. She was launched on 5 February 1916 and was delivered on 25 March 1916.
''E55'' was sold for scrap at
Newcastle
Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...
on 6 September 1922.
Design
Like all post-''E8''
British E-class submarine
The British E-class submarines started out as improved versions of the British D-class submarine. The E class served with the Royal Navy throughout World War I as the backbone of the submarine fleet. The last surviving E class submarines we ...
s, ''E55'' had a displacement of at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of
and a beam of . She was powered by two eight-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines and two electric motors made by Bellis & Marcom.
[Akerman, P. (1989). ''Encyclopaedia of British submarines 1901–1955''. 149–150. Maritime Books.]
/ref> The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of . British E-class submarines had fuel capacities of of diesel and ranges of when travelling at .torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes.
There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s, two in the bow, one either side amidships, and one in the stern; a total of 10 torpedoes were carried.[
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
A Fessenden oscillator is an electro-acoustic transducer invented by Reginald Fessenden, with development starting in 1912 at the Submarine Signal Company of Boston. It was the first successful acoustical echo ranging device. Similar in operat ...
systems.
Service
''E55'' joined the 8th Submarine Flotilla
The 8th Submarine Flotilla was a flotilla of the British Royal Navy consisting of submarines and their supporting depot ships and destroyers. It was established as part of the Home Fleet in 1912. The flotilla brought together the newer, longer ran ...
, part of the Harwich Force
The Harwich Force originally called Harwich Striking Force was a squadron of the Royal Navy, formed during the First World War and based in Harwich. It played a significant role in the war.
History
After the outbreak of the First World War, it ...
, following commissioning. In mid-April 1916, ''E55'' was fitted with knife-edged hydroplanes and bow for experiments in net cutting, which allowed the effectiveness of different types of anti-submarine net to be evaluated. On 3 May, ''E55'' left Harwich
Harwich is a town in Essex, England, and one of the Haven ports on the North Sea coast. It is in the Tendring district. Nearby places include Felixstowe to the north-east, Ipswich to the north-west, Colchester to the south-west and Clacton-o ...
to patrol off Terschelling
Terschelling (; ; Terschelling dialect: ''Schylge'') is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland.
...
as part of Operation XX, a large scale operation in which a seaplane attack on Tondern would be carried out in an attempt to lure the German High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet () was the battle fleet of the German Empire, German Imperial German Navy, Imperial Navy and saw action during the First World War. In February 1907, the Home Fleet () was renamed the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpi ...
out to sea where it could be attacked. ''E55'' saw nothing of interest during the operation. On 30 May 1916, the eve of the Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland () was a naval battle between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet, under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer, durin ...
, ''E55'', together with and , set out from Harwich to patrol off the Vyl Lightvessel. ''E55'' arrived near Horns Rev
Horns Rev is a shallow sandy reef of glacial deposits in the eastern North Sea, about off the westernmost point of Denmark, Blåvands Huk. on 31 May, and after sighting a German airship, settled to the bottom to save her batteries, and although several explosions were heard, nothing was seen during daylight on 1 June. On the afternoon of 2 June, ''E55'' spotted the German submarine , and fired a single torpedo which missed. On 29 July 1916, ''E55'' attacked a German submarine off the Schouwen Bank, but two torpedoes missed while a third stuck in the torpedo tube and could not be launched.
In August 1916, the Royal Navy reorganised its submarine flotillas, with the Harwich based submarines, including ''E55'', joining the newly established 9th Submarine Flotilla. ''E55'' remained part of the 9th Flotilla until the end of the war. In May 1919, ''E55'' was listed as part of the 3rd Submarine Flotilla, part of the Atlantic Fleet.
''E55'' was sold for scrap on 6 September 1922.[Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p 85]
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:E55
British E-class submarines of the Royal Navy
Ships built on the River Clyde
1916 ships
World War I submarines of the United Kingdom
Royal Navy ship names