H.M.S. E 55 (1916)

H.M.S. E 55 (1916)
Pendant Number:	E.55^[1]
Builder:	William Denny & Brothers^[2]
Launched:	5 Feb, 1916^[3]
Commissioned:	Mar, 1916^[4]
Sold:	Sep, 1922^[5]

H.M.S. E 55 was one of fifty-seven "E" class submarines completed in Britain before and during the Great War.

Service

D 1, E 55 and E 26 of the Eighth Submarine Flotilla sortied from Harwich at 7 p.m., GMT on 30th May 1916 to take stations at eight mile intervals on a line stretching 20 miles westward from the Vyl Light Vessel. E 55's position was most proximate, at 4 miles, and the most exciting. She sighted Horn's Reef at 12.30 a.m. on June 1st and 15 minutes later dived after sighting a low-flying Zeppelin. At 12.45 a.m., a something like a sweep was heard to pass close to the bottomed submarine. This may have been minesweeping operations, as between 2.15 and 5.30 a.m., eleven explosions were heard. Some of these may have indicated success, as the enemy fleet was to complete its passage through Abdiel's mines at 5. a.m..

Otherwise, the 1st presented only a single destroyer sighting at 8.25 a.m. that turned back before coming into range.

On the 2nd, two U-boats were sighted at 1.25 p.m. and 6.13. p.m.. E 55 fired a torpedo at the second, and thought it obtained a hit with the improbably precise placement of "the Port forward hydroplane", but the enemy continued southward. On the 3rd, again two U-boats were reported: one diving two miles away at 7.20 a.m. and one passing out of range to the south at 3 in the afternoon.

All three British submarines abandoned their positions to return to Harwich after dark on June 3rd.^[6]

At the end of 1920, she was one of eight "E" class boats of Group "J" in reserve at Rosyth under the collective command of Lieutenant Charles E. A. W. Cox, and tender to Dolphin.^[7]

Captains

Dates of appointment are provided when known.

Lieutenant-Commander Thomas C. B. Harbottle, 1 July, 1915^[8] – August, 1915
Lieutenant-Commander Gilbert H. Kellett, 25 September, 1915^[9] – December, 1916^[10] (for trials)
Lieutenant-Commander John B. Glencross, March, 1916^[11]
Lieutenant in Command Francis J. H. Dawson, December, 1916^[12] – 11 December, 1917^[13]
Lieutenant in Command James L. Boyd, 8 December, 1917 – 11 April, 1919
Lieutenant & Commander Christopher McC. Merewether, 1 April, 1919 – 18 November, 1919
Lieutenant in Command Thomas I. S. Bell, May, 1920 – 30 September, 1920 (and 8 other Group "J" submarines in Reserve at Portsmouth)
Lieutenant in Command Charles E. A. W. Cox, 1 October, 1920^[14]^[15] – 20 March, 1921^[16] (and seven other "E" class boats)