The Forgotten Gallipoli Campaign

British and Australian Submarines in Support of the Gallipoli Campaign 1914–1915

Researched by John Howe (ex RN Submariner 1945–1970)

From their base on the Greek Island of Lemnos in December 1914, British submarines B9, B10 and B11 began probing the Dardanelles narrows a 56km long stretch of water leading into the Sea of Marmara, which was an extremely dangerous patch of water for submarines.

Five mine fields plus wire and net barriers traversed the Straits, There was an out flow of current and a layer of fresh water at 18.3m (60 ft) that made depth keeping hazardous. Turkish guns ashore, and warship patrols, were ever vigilant for anything on the surface.

B11 (Lieutenant Norman Holbrook) managed to get as far north as Chanak and torpedoed the Turkish battleship Medssudieh and against all the odds returned to base at Mudros. He was awarded the first naval Victoria Cross (VC) of World War I and the first of 14 VCs won by the submarine service.

 

Submarine B11

As a result of this success, a further seven more modern E class submarines were allocated to the Dardanelles area and the Australian (NSW) town of Germanton was renamed Holbrook.

The first attempt was by E15 (Lieutenant T. S. Brodie) in April 1915, but she grounded having fallen victim to the treacherous currents and was destroyed with great loss of life by the guns of a nearby Turkish Fort.

The second was by the Australian submarine AE2 (Lieutenant Commander H. G. Stoker RN). Getting underway on 25 April 1915, the day of the Gallipoli landings, he succeeded in getting into the Sea of Marmara, sinking a Turkish gunboat near Chanak on the way. The news that an Australian submarine had reached Sea of Marmara was passed to the ANZAC troops ashore at the cove that was to bear their name.

However, on 30 April 1915, AE2 fell victim to the guns of the Turkish Destroyer Sultan Hisar and was scuttled. The crew were picked up and transferred to Turkish Prisoner of War Camps.

On 27 April 1915 E14 (Lieutenant Commander E. C. Boyle,) succeeded in penetrating the straits and enjoyed considerable success including the sinking of a Turkish gunboat and the ex-White Star liner Guj Djemel (5000 tons) which was crowded with 6000 troops and a battery of field guns bound for Gallipoli. On return Doyle was immediately promoted to Commander and awarded the VC.

Lieutenant Commander Martin Nasmith was the next arrival and his exploits during three forthcoming patrols were the stuff of legends.

During the first patrol May–June 1915, Nasmith in E11 completed one of the most successful patrols in British RN and Australian RAN submarine history. A summary of his feats is:

• Torpedoed the large transport ship Stamboul in Constantinople harbour, and later took a photograph of the Grand Mosque by applying a Box Brownie to his periscope.
• Captured a dhow and used it to disguise E11 as he searched for targets.
• Torpedoed the Turkish gunboat Peleng-I-Drya which, before it sank, plugged a neat hole in one of his periscopes.
• While investigating a Turkish vessel close inshore got shot at by 50 Turkish cavalrymen.
• Sank with a demolition charge the Turkish munitions ship Nagara.
• On two occasions recovered and reused torpedoes that had missed their targets.
• Withdrew from patrol after one engine totally failed. During the passage back through the Dardanelles, he sank a large transport off Moussa Bank; then had the misfortune to hook a mine in his foreplanes, which was only cleared by some inventive manoeuvres in speed, direction and depth.

E11s second patrol, 5 August–2 September 1915, was just as successful as the first. She was now newly fitted with a 12-pounder gun that was used against ships that did not warrant a torpedo, and military targets ashore.

He sank 35,561 tonnes of enemy shipping including the Battleship Barbarossa, and landed his 1st Lieutenant D’oyley Hughes who successfully detonated explosive to cut the main Constantinople railway line.

Nasmith’s endeavours, combined with those of Boyle in E14, Bruce in E12, Cochrane in E7 and Stocks in E2 were significant.

The next patrol by a submarine, to the Sea of Marmara, was by E20 (Lieutenant Commander Clyfford Warren) torpedoed by the German U-Boat UB14 (Lieutenant von Heimburg) on 6 November 1916.

Although detailed crew lists for most of the British submarines operating during 1914/15 have not survived, it is documented that Australians and New Zealanders did serve on British submarines. The following two ratings were crew on the submarine E7 when she sank at Nagara Point in the Dardanelles and became POWs:

• Leading Stoker A. Wilson, RAN No 7501, place of birth Oamaru, New Zealand.
• Able seaman S. A. G. Wynn, RAN No 7475, place of birth Victoria, Australia.

Able Seaman R. J. E. Mitchell RAN No 7476, place of birth Ballarat, Victoria, was originally crew on AE2, but was transferred to E14 and completed three successful patrols. After the war be was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) for outstanding gallantry.

The crew of the Australian submarine AE2 consisted of RN and RAN personnel in the ratio of about 2:1.

The British/Australian submarine offensive destroyed two battleships, a destroyer, five gunboats, nine transports, 30 steamers, seven ammunition and supply ships and 188 smaller craft in aid of the Gallipoli campaign. They almost succeeded in their quest to starve out the Turkish 5th Army. Despite this Winston S. Churchill was to write:

The Naval History of Britain contains no page more wonderful than that which records the prowess of her submarines at the Dardanelles!