H.M.S. E 14 (1914)

H.M.S. E 14 (1914)
Pendant Number:	I.94 (1914) E.14 (mid 1915)
Builder:	Vickers
Launched:	7 Jul, 1914
Commissioned:	Dec, 1914
Mined:	27 Jan, 1918

H.M.S. E 14 was one of fifty-seven "E" class submarines completed in Britain before and during the Great War.

Service

On 27 April, 1915, she threaded her way through minefields and sprinted past Turkish forts near Chanak on the surface as they fired on her. She attacked a torpedo gunboat and seemed to secure a hit, but had to flee when men in a boat tried to grapple his periscope. Gunfire damaged one periscope and he was forced to remain submerged an uncomfortable proportion of his time. On the 9th, he say three destroyers escorting a pair of troop ships. He fired and was forced to dive, but an explosion and later visual observation indicated one troop ship was sent scurrying for shore, pouring out smoke.

She met an Australian submarine (AE 2?) but was vigorously hunted and could not maintain contact. On May 1 she sank a small gunboat with a torpedo and failed to sink a larger target due to a torpedo than ran amok. A second torpedo at the same target also failed. Boyle nonetheless was awarded the V.C. for his efforts to obstruct enemy traffic in the Sea of Marmora.

Captains

Dates of appointment are provided when known.

• Lieutenant-Commander Edward C. Boyle, 14 October, 1914 – 10 August, 1916
• Lieutenant-Commander Geoffrey S. White, 10 August, 1916 – 28 January, 1918  (killed by shellfire as she sank)

See Also

• Wikipedia