Dates: 1914 - 1918
HMS E9 was a British E class submarine built by Vickers, Barrow. She was commissioned on 18 June 1914. Complement: 30.
On 13 September 1914, the submarine, commanded by Lt Cdr Horton, torpedoed the German light cruiser SMS Hela six miles southwest of Heligoland. Three weeks later, E9 sank the German destroyer S116 off the mouth of the River Ems.
E9 was subsequently part of the Baltic Submarine Flotilla, based initially at Reval (now Tallinn) and subsequently at Helsinki.
In January 1915, HMS E9 conducted experiments to discover if submarines could patrol in icy conditions. Spray froze and formed ice up to 6 inches thick over the exterior. In order to dive, the crew had to continually remove ice from the conning tower so that it could be closed in an emergency. When dived, the warmer salt water helped free the submarine from much of the ice.
E9 was scuttled outside Helsinki (Helsingfors)in the Gulf of Finland on 3 April 1918 to avoid seizure by advancing German forces.
The crews of the scuttled submarines were evacuated by Soviet ships to Petrograd and by rail to Murmansk, to join with the Allied intervention forces in North Russia, only weeks before hostilities cut railway lines to Murmansk.
Forces Reunited Forum Posts involving HMS E9
" Quoting: Dave Whitfield Somewhere back in history, the Navy were classed as pirates and never swore an oath to the king so I believe, I know that no where in my naval service did I ever swear allegiance to the Monarch. Although there was a time that at the start of the submarine saga, ..."
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" Quoting: Gerard Grout These council plonkers would have had their work cut out during wartimes when submarines returned after successful patrols. [jollyroger.jpg] Or even today, Gerard. When HMS Triumph returned to Devonport following operations ..."
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