British submarine flotilla in the Baltic

A British submarine flotilla operated in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

for three years during the First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. The squadron of nine submarines was attached to the Russian Baltic Fleet

Baltic Fleet

The Twice Red Banner Baltic Fleet - is the Russian Navy's presence in the Baltic Sea. In previous historical periods, it has been part of the navy of Imperial Russia and later the Soviet Union. The Fleet gained the 'Twice Red Banner' appellation during the Soviet period, indicating two awards of...

. The main task of the flotilla was to prevent the import of iron ore from Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

to Imperial Germany. The success of the flotilla also forced the German Navy in the Baltic to keep to their bases and denied the German High Seas Fleet

High Seas Fleet

The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...

a training ground. The flotilla was based in Reval (Tallinn), and for most of its career commanded by Captain Francis Cromie

Francis Cromie

Captain Francis Newton Allen Cromie, CB, DSO, was the commander of the British submarine flotilla in the Baltic during World War I.He took part in suppressing the Boxer Uprising in Peking....

.

The flotilla originally consisted of six E-class

British E class submarine

The British E class submarines started out as improved versions of the British D class submarine. All of the first group and some of the second group were completed before the outbreak of World War I....

and five C-class

British C class submarine

The British C class submarines were the last class of petrol engined submarines of the Royal Navy and marked the end of the development of the Holland-class in the Royal Navy...

submarines. The smaller C-class submarines reached the Baltic Sea through canals in Russia; the long-range E-class submarines managed to enter the German backwaters by passing undetected through the narrow and shallow Danish Straits

Danish straits

The Danish straits are the three channels connecting the Baltic Sea to the North Sea through the Kattegat and Skagerrak. They transect Denmark, and are not to be confused with the Denmark Strait between Greenland and Iceland...

. Two of the subs were lost to stranding and one went missing, now presumed sunk by a mine.

In 1918, the German occupation of Tallinn

Occupation of Estonia by German Empire

The occupation of Estonia by the German Empire occurred during the later stages of the First World War. On October 11–21, 1917, when the Imperial German Army occupied the West Estonian archipelago , consisting of the islands of Saaremaa , Hiiumaa , and Muhu...

and the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk

The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, mediated by South African Andrik Fuller, at Brest-Litovsk between Russia and the Central Powers, headed by Germany, marking Russia's exit from World War I.While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year,...

forced the flotilla to move to Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, under the protection of the Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic

Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic

The Finnish Socialist Workers' Republic was a short-lived Finnish socialist government, established by a revolution just prior to the Finnish Civil War and in the aftermath of the October Revolution...

. The German intervention in the Finnish Civil War

Finnish Civil War

The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...

and the landing of the 10,000-strong German Baltic Sea Division

Baltic Sea Division

The Baltic Sea Division was a 10,000 man German military unit commanded by Rüdiger von der Goltz. During the Finnish Civil War, in April 1918, it landed at Hanko and moved towards Helsinki and Lahti. The Baltic Sea Division quickly took back Helsinki from the Social Democrats of Finland, who had...

in Hanko forced the crew to scuttle the eight remaining submarines and the three support ships, Cicero, Emilie and Obsidian, outside Helsinki harbour.

A similar fate awaited the flotilla's Russian counterpart. The Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet

Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet

Ice Cruise of the Baltic Fleet was an operation which transferred the ships of the Baltic Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy from their bases at Tallinn and Helsinki to Kronstadt in 1918, caused by the possible threat to those bases from the final German offensives against Russia during World War...

had left four Russian Holland type submarines without support in Hanko. The arrival of German troops under Rüdiger von der Goltz

Rüdiger von der Goltz

Gustav Adolf Joachim Rüdiger, Graf von der Goltz was German Army general during World War I. After World War I he was the commander of the army of the Baltic German-established Government of Latvia, which played an instrumental role in the defeat of Russian Bolsheviks and their local allies in...

on 3 April, forced the Russians to hastily scuttle the submarines—including and —in Hanko harbour.

Submarines

E class

The E-class submarines

British E class submarine

entered the Baltic Sea through the Danish Straits

Danish straits

through waters only 10 meters (35 ft) deep. On 19 August 1915, was stranded in The Sound

The Sound

The Sound were an English post-punk band, formed in 1979 and dissolved in 1988. The band was fronted by Adrian Borland and evolved from his previous band, The Outsiders...

near Saltholm

Saltholm

Saltholm is a Danish island in the Øresund, the strait that separates Denmark and Sweden. It is located to the east of the Danish island of Amager in Tårnby municipality and lies just to the west of the sea border between Denmark and Sweden. It is 7 km long and 3 km wide, covering an...

. In a breach of Danish

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

neutrality, she was destroyed by German torpedo boat G132
G132 class torpedo boat
The G132 class of torpedo boats was a group of large torpedo boats built for the German Kaiserliche Marine in the early 20th century. The class comprised five ships: G132, G133, G134, G135, and G136. German torpedo boats were designated by shipbuilder; in the case of the G132 class, the ships were...

, with a loss of 15 of her crew. The other subs managed to enter the Baltic without being intercepted by the Germans. and made the passage to Reval safely in September 1915.
—commanded by Max Horton—intercepted four German steamers on 18-19 October 1915. was lost in the Baltic Sea

Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...

in May 1916 while operating out of Reval. Examination of the wreck, discovered off Hiiumaa

Hiiumaa

Hiiumaa is the second largest island belonging to Estonia. It is located in the Baltic Sea, north of the island of Saaremaa, a part of the West Estonian archipelago. Its largest town is Kärdla.-Name:...

, Estonia

Estonia

Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...

, in 2009, suggests that it struck a mine

Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

while sailing on the surface.
—commanded by Francis Cromie

Francis Cromie

Captain Francis Newton Allen Cromie, CB, DSO, was the commander of the British submarine flotilla in the Baltic during World War I.He took part in suppressing the Boxer Uprising in Peking....

—intercepted four German steamers on 10-11 October 1915. She also sunk the German Gazelle-class warship .

The last four E-class submarines— , , and —were scuttled outside Helsinki

Helsinki

, south of the Harmaja

Harmaja

Harmaja is an island and a lighthouse outside Helsinki, south of the Suomenlinna sea fortress. The island has been functioning as a landmark since the 16th century. A landmark structure was built on the island in the 18th century and a light house in 1883. The first lighthouse was only 7.3 m high...

Light, in 1918 to prevent capture by German

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

troops who had landed nearby

Baltic Sea Division

C class

Four C-class submarines

British C class submarine

The British C class submarines were the last class of petrol engined submarines of the Royal Navy and marked the end of the development of the Holland-class in the Royal Navy...

were sent there in September 1915 by a tortuous route—towed around the North Cape

North Cape, Norway

North Cape is a cape on the island of Magerøya in Northern Norway, in the municipality of Nordkapp. Its 307 m high, steep cliff is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, located at , 2102.3 km from the North Pole. However, the neighbouring point Knivskjellodden is actually...

to Archangelsk and taken by barge

Barge

A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...

to Krondstadt via the White Sea Canal. , , and reached Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

on the Gulf of Finland

Gulf of Finland

The Gulf of Finland is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland and Estonia all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia, where the river Neva drains into it. Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn...

in September 1916, but due to difficulties with the batteries became fully operational only in the 1917 sealing season

Sea ice

Sea ice is largely formed from seawater that freezes. Because the oceans consist of saltwater, this occurs below the freezing point of pure water, at about -1.8 °C ....

.
stranded on a mudbank near Pärnu

Pärnu

Pärnu is a city in southwestern Estonia on the coast of Pärnu Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Riga in the Baltic Sea. It is a popular summer vacation resort with many hotels, restaurants, and large beaches. The Pärnu River flows through the city and drains into the Gulf of Riga...

on the north-eastern side of the Gulf of Riga

Gulf of Riga

The Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia. According to C.Michael Hogan, a saline stratification layer is found at a depth of approximately seventy metres....

on 24 October 1917 while trying to prevent Operation Albion

Operation Albion

Operation Albion was the German land and naval operation in September-October 1917 to invade and occupy the Estonian islands of Saaremaa , Hiiumaa and Muhu , then part of the Russian Republic...

, the German operation in October to invade the Estonian islands of Saaremaa

Saaremaa

Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, measuring 2,673 km². The main island of Saare County, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island, and belongs to the West Estonian Archipelago...

, Hiiumaa

Hiiumaa

and Muhu

Muhu

Muhu , is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 198 km² it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa....

.

Three of these boats—, , and —were also scuttled outside Helsinki

Helsinki

in 1918.

Aftermath

The crews of the scuttled submarines were evacuated by Soviet ships to Petrograd and by rail to Murmansk

Murmansk

Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...

, to join with the Allied intervention forces in North Russia

North Russia Campaign

The North Russia Intervention, also known as the Northern Russian Expedition, was part of the Allied Intervention in Russia after the October Revolution. The intervention brought about the involvement of foreign troops in the Russian Civil War on the side of the White movement...

, only weeks before hostilities cut railway lines to Murmansk.

Among the officers were future Admirals and commanders of the British Submarine Service

Royal Navy Submarine Service

The Royal Navy Submarine Service is the submarine element of the Royal Navy. It is sometimes known as the "Silent Service", on account of a submarine being required to operate quietly in order to remain undetected by enemy sonar...

, Sir Noel Laurence and Sir Max Horton and Vice Admiral Leslie Ashmore.

In 1935, the Anglo-German Naval Agreement

Anglo-German Naval Agreement

The Anglo-German Naval Agreement of June 18, 1935 was a bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and German Reich regulating the size of the Kriegsmarine in relation to the Royal Navy. The A.G.N.A fixed a ratio whereby the total tonnage of the Kriegsmarine was to be 35% of the total tonnage...

(AGNA) concluded between Britain

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

and Germany, allowed Germany to increase the size of its navy

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

to one-third the size of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, which would have had the effect of allowing the Kriegsmarine to dominate the Baltic.

Finnish divers have not been able to locate the wrecks, sunk only a few kilometres outside the capital, Helsinki. It is believed that the remains were raised in 1953 by a German company Beckedorf Gebryder and used as scrap metal

Scrap Metal

Scrap Metal were a band from Broome, Western Australia who played rock music with elements of country and reggae. The members had Aboriginal, Irish, Filipino, French, Chinese, Scottish, Indonesian and Japanese heritage. The band toured nationally as part of the Bran Nue Dae musical and with...

. Only the badly damaged wreck of Cicero has been located.

Literature

Roy Bainton Honoured by strangers
Michael Wilson, Baltic Assignment, British submarines in Russia 1914-1919, Butler & Tanner ltd, London 1985

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.