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HMS E55

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Submarine of the Royal Navy

HMS E55
History
United Kingdom
NameE55
BuilderWilliam Denny, Dumbarton
Yard number1032
Launched5 February 1916
CommissionedMarch 1916
FateSold, 6 September 1922
General characteristics
Class and typeE-class submarine
Displacement
  • 662 long tons (673 t) surfaced
  • 807 long tons (820 t) submerged
Length181 ft (55 m)
Beam15 ft (4.6 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 × 800 hp (597 kW) diesel
  • 2 × 420 hp (313 kW) electric
  • 2 screws
Speed
  • 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) surfaced
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) submerged
Range
  • 3,000 nmi (5,600 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 65 nmi (120 km) at 5 kn (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) surfaced
Complement31
Armament

HMS E55 was a British E-class submarine built by William Denny, Dumbarton 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 on 6 September 1922.

Design

Like all post-E8 British E-class submarines, E55 had a displacement of 662 long tons (673 t) at the surface and 807 long tons (820 t) while submerged. She had a total length of 180 feet (55 m) and a beam of 22 feet 8.5 inches (6.922 m). She was powered by two 800 horsepower (600 kW) eight-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines and two 420 horsepower (310 kW) electric motors made by Bellis & Marcom. The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) and a submerged speed of 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). British E-class submarines had fuel capacities of 50 long tons (51 t) of diesel and ranges of 3,255 miles (5,238 km; 2,829 nmi) when travelling at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). E55 was capable of operating submerged for five hours when travelling at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph).

E55 was constructed with a 12-pounder 76 mm (3.0 in) QF gun mounted forward of the conning tower, although this was later removed. She had five 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, 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 1 kilowatt (1.3 hp) power ratings; in some submarines, these were later upgraded to 3 kilowatts (4.0 hp) systems by removing a midship torpedo tube. Their maximum design depth was 100 feet (30 m) although in service some reached depths of below 200 feet (61 m). Some submarines contained Fessenden oscillator systems.

Service

E55 joined the 8th Submarine Flotilla, part of the Harwich Force, 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 to patrol off Terschelling 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 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, E55, together with E26 and D1, set out from Harwich to patrol off the Vyl Lightvessel. E55 arrived near Horns Rev 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 U-64, 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.

References

  1. ^ Lyon, David John (1975). The Denny List - Part III. Greenwich: National Maritime Museum.
  2. ^ Innes McCartney; Tony Bryan (20 February 2013). British Submarines of World War I. Osprey Publishing. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-1-4728-0035-0.
  3. ^ Akerman, P. (1989). Encyclopaedia of British submarines 1901–1955. 149–150. Maritime Books. ISBN 1-904381-05-7
  4. "E Class". Chatham Submarines. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  5. "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands, &c.: II.—Harwich Force: Eighth Submarine Flotilla". The Navy List. March 1916. p. 13. Retrieved 5 October 2023 – via National Library of Scotland.
  6. Naval Staff Monograph No. 31 1926, p. 143
  7. Naval Staff Monograph No. 31 1926, pp. 196–197, 200
  8. Naval Staff Monograph No. 31 1926, p. 207
  9. Campbell 1998, p. 15
  10. Campbell 1998, p. 317
  11. Naval Staff Monograph No. 33 1927, p. 51
  12. Naval Staff Monograph No. 33 1927, p. 66
  13. Naval Staff Monograph No. 33 1927, p. 68
  14. "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands, &c.: II.—Harwich Force: Ninth Submarine Flotilla". The Navy List. October 1916. p. 13. Retrieved 14 October 2023 – via National Library of Scotland.
  15. "Ships of the Royal Navy - Location/Action Date, 1914–1918: Part 2 - Admiralty "Pink Lists", 11 November 1918". Naval-History.net. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  16. "Supplement to the Monthly Navy List Showing Organisation of the Fleet, Flag Officers' Commands, &c.: I.—Atlantic Fleet: Submarines: Third Flotilla". The Navy List. May 1919. p. 11. Retrieved 14 October 2023 – via National Library of Scotland.
  17. Dittmar & Colledge 1972, p 85

Bibliography

British E-class submarines
 Royal Navy
 Royal Australian Navy
X
Cancelled
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