HMS ''L55'' was a British L class submarine built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, Clyde. She was laid down on 21 September 1917 and was commissioned on 19 December 1918. In 1919 ''L55'' was sunk in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

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vessels while serving as part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. The submarine was raised in 1928 and repaired by the Soviets. After being used for training, she finally was scrapped in the 1950s.

British service

HMS ''L55'' was based at

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as part of the Baltic Battle Squadron, which was supporting the Baltic states fighting for independence. On 9 June 1919 in Caporsky Bay in the

Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland (; ; ; ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and Estonia to the south, to Saint Petersburg—the second largest city of Russia—to the east, where the river Neva drains into it. ...

''L55'' attacked two 1,260-ton Bolshevik ''Orfey''-class minelayer- destroyers, and . HMS ''L55'' missed her targets and was forced into a British-laid minefield. Soviet sources stated ''Azard'' sank her by gunfire. If she was sunk by gunfire, ''L55'' was the only British submarine sunk by hostile Soviet vessels.

Salvage

The wreck was found by Soviet minesweepers in 1927. The Soviets raised her on 11 August 1928. As the Soviets refused to allow any British warship into their waters, the remains of the crew members were returned on the British merchantman ''Truro'' before transfer to . The crew, 42 officers and men, were buried in a communal grave at the Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

on 7 September 1928.
CWGC Cemetery Report.

Soviet service

The boat was rebuilt by Baltic Works, Leningrad, the reconstruction cost of 1 million roubles being financed by a public fund as "an answer to Austen Chamberlain, Chamberlain". She was recommissioned as a Soviet submarine with the same number (''Л-55'') on 7 August 1931. She was later named ''Bezbozhnik'' ("Atheist") and was used as the basis of design for the Soviet L-class submarines. ''L55'' was used for training until the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when she was damaged in an accident in early 1941. She was scrapped in 1953 or possibly 1960.

Notes

Bibliography

* О подъеме английской подводной лодки Л-55, потопленной в июне 1919 г. в Финском заливе // « Военно-исторический журнал», № 6, 1971. стр.119 * *

External links

"Л-55", former British Type L III Series

V.V. Balabin, ''English Submarine under the flag of the USSR''
*https://www.britishpathe.com/video/home-is-the-sailor-home-from-the-sea British L-class submarines Ships built in Govan 1918 ships World War I submarines of the United Kingdom Captured ships Lost submarines of the United Kingdom Foreign submarines of the Soviet Navy Royal Navy ship names Soviet Union–United Kingdom relations Maritime incidents in 1919 Maritime incidents in 1941 Shipwrecks in the Gulf of Finland Submarines sunk by Soviet warships {{UK-mil-submarine-stub