Seventh Submarine Flotilla (Royal Navy)

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The Seventh Submarine Flotilla was a formation of submarines of the Royal Navy.

History

Test Mobilisation of July 1914

The flotilla was comprised of two depot ships and twelve "C" class submarines.[1]

Test Mobilisation
Depot Ships
Vulcan Alecto
Submarines
C 19 C 20 C 21 C 22 C 23 C 24
C 25 C 26 C 27 C 28 C 29 C 30

September, 1914

The flotilla, with the same roster, is one of five flotillas assigned to the forces covering Home and Atlantic Waters. The strength is still two depot ships and twelve submarines.[2]

Serving in Home and Atlantic Waters
Depot Ships
Vulcan Alecto
Submarines
C 19 C 20 C 21 C 22 C 23 C 24
C 25 C 26 C 27 C 28 C 29 C 30

This roster would apply until November or December.[3]

December, 1914

Alecto has gone with C 19, C 20 and C 21 to spawn the newly instituted Tenth Submarine Flotilla. The strength is now one depot ship and nine submarines.[4]

Serving in Home and Atlantic Waters
Depot Ship
Vulcan
Submarines
C 22 C 23 C 24
C 25 C 26 C 27 C 28 C 29 C 30

January, 1915

Now C 28, C 29 and C 30 have jumped over to the Tenth Submarine Flotilla. The strength here is now one depot ship and six submarines.[5]

Serving in Home and Atlantic Waters
Depot Ship
Vulcan
Submarines
C 22 C 23 C 24 C 25 C 26 C 27

This roster would apply until February or March.[6]

March, 1915

The powers-that-be are still struggling to find the proper balance between the two flotillas, as now C 19 and C 20 have been sent back from the Tenth Submarine Flotilla. The strength here is now one depot ship and eight submarines.[7][8]

Serving in Home and Atlantic Waters, based at Leith[9]
Depot Ship
Vulcan
Submarines
C 19 C 20
C 22 C 23 C 24 C 25 C 26 C 27

This roster would apply until June.[10]

June, 1915

The flotilla is now moved over to join the newly-instituted Firth of Forth Local Defence Flotilla, operating alongside the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla. The flotilla's roster is the same: one depot ship and eight submarines.[11]

Part of the Firth of Forth Local Defence Flotilla
Depot Ship
Vulcan
Submarines
C 19 C 20
C 22 C 23 C 24 C 25 C 26 C 27

This roster would apply until April, 1916.[12]

C 24 sank U 40 off Aberdeen on 23 June, 1915, employing the ruse of having a trawler tow the submerged British submarine behind to surprise the U-boat.[13]

This success was doubled when C 27 sank U 23 off Fair Island on 20 July, again using the towing trick. Sadly, some German prisoners from this boat were able to send word back to Germany of the ruse, and this forced its abandonment for a considerable time.[14]

April, 1916

C 26 and C 27 have departed to join the Fourth Submarine Flotilla. The photographic copy of the Supplement we have is hard to read the first one, possibly two submarines. The strength appears to be one depot ship and six (but possibly seven) submarines.[15]

Part of the Firth of Forth Local Defence Flotilla
Depot Ship
Vulcan
Submarines
C 19 C 20
C 19* C 20 C 22 C 23 C 24 C 25

May, 1916

B 3 has now joined from the Ninth Submarine Flotilla. It is certain she did not join in April, as she was clearly in the Ninth in that month. The strength appears to be one depot ship and seven submarines.[16][17]

Part of the Firth of Forth Local Defence Flotilla
Depot Ship
Vulcan
Submarines
C 19 C 20
B 3 C 19 C 20 C 22 C 23 C 24
C 25

This roster would apply until July, 1916.[18]

July, 1916

Vulcan has departed, destined to soon work with the Tenth Submarine Flotilla. Hebe has come in from the Sixth Submarine Flotilla. C 19, C 20 and C 22 have moved into the Fourth Submarine Flotilla.

The strength appears to be one depot ship and seven submarines.[19][20]

Part of the Firth of Forth Local Defence Flotilla
Depot Ship
Hebe
Submarines
  B 3 C 23 C 24 C 25

This roster would apply until September, 1916.[21]

September, 1916

The entire flotillas has moved to the First Submarine Flotilla, retaining the same five vessels and role within the Firth of Forth Local Defence Flotilla. B 4 and depot vessel Pactolus have joined and are now 7 S.F. based on the Clyde. This arrangement would apply until some time in November.[22].

Part of the Clyde Local Defence Flotilla
Depot Ship
Pactolus
Submarine
B 4

December, 1916

The Seventh Flotilla, in name, ceased to exist some time in November.[23].

Disestablished
Not to be re-instituted until March, 1919[Fact Check]

March, 1919

Vessels taken from the former Tenth Submarine Flotilla are refashioned as the Seventh, one of the six new flotillas in the post-war Royal Navy (oddly, the "Sixth" was not re-instantiated).

Lucia has lost the Captain (S) she housed in the Tenth. L 20, long expected, has finally arrived, and L 18 is now scheduled to join "shortly". Destroyer Medea has left.

G 12 and G 13 have been sent over to the Fifth Submarine Flotilla.

The flotilla is one depot ship, a sloop, and eleven submarines with one more coming.[24]

Supporting the Grand Fleet
Depot Ship
Lucia
Sloop
Spearmint
Submarines
E 27 E 33 E 39 E 40 E 42 E 44
L 11 L 12 L 16 L 18* L 20 L 55

Captains (S)

Dates of appointment given:

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Admiralty Weekly Order No. 109 of 10 July, 1914.
  2. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (September 1914). p. 14.
  3. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (October, 1914). p. 14 and December. No Supplement was published for November.
  4. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (December, 1914). p. 14.
  5. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 14.
  6. ↑ No Supplement for February was found.
  7. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1915). p. 14.
  8. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 14.
  9. ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 1, Part 1. p. 12.
  10. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (April, 1915). p. 14 and Supplements through June.
  11. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (June, 1915). p. 17.
  12. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (July, 1915). p. 17 and Supplements through April, 1916.
  13. ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 1, Part 1. p. 12, 13.
  14. ↑ The Technical History and Index, Vol. 1, Part 1. p. 12, 13.
  15. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (April, 1916). pp. 15, 17.
  16. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (May, 1916). p. 17.
  17. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (April, 1916). p. 17.
  18. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (June, 1916). p. 17, and July's Supplement as well.
  19. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (July, 1916). pp. 15-17.
  20. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (June, 1916). p. 16.
  21. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (August, 1916). p. 16, and August.
  22. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (September, 1916). p. 17 and Supplements through December.
  23. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 17.
  24. ↑ Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (March, 1919). p. 12.
  25. ↑ Haggard Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 38.
  26. ↑ Haggard Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. f. 38.

Bibliography

See Also


British Submarine Flotillas
First Submarine Flotilla | Second Submarine Flotilla | Third Submarine Flotilla | Fourth Submarine Flotilla
Fifth Submarine Flotilla | Sixth Submarine Flotilla | Seventh Submarine Flotilla | Eighth Submarine Flotilla
Ninth Submarine Flotilla | Tenth Submarine Flotilla | Eleventh Submarine Flotilla | Twelfth Submarine Flotilla
Thirteenth Submarine Flotilla | Fourteenth Submarine Flotilla | Fifteenth Submarine Flotilla | Sixteenth Submarine Flotilla
Ambrose's Flotilla | Mediterranean Flotilla | Platypus's Flotilla | Vulcan's Flotilla | Hong Kong Flotilla
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