HMS B11
Encyclopedia
HMS B11 was the last boat 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...
's B class
British B class submarine
The B-class was a class of 11 submarines, built by Vickers in Barrow-in-Furness for the Royal Navy, and launched in 1904–06. One boat was sunk by a collision in 1912, but the remainder served in World War I. Three boats protected the transfer of the British Expeditionary Force to France in 1914,...
of submarines. Launched in 1906 it is best known for carrying out a successful attack on the Turkish battleship Mesudiye
Turkish battleship Mesudiye
The Ottoman ironclad Mesudiye was originally a central-battery ironclad of the Ottoman Navy, first commissioned in 1875, rebuilt into a pre-dreadnaught type vessel in 1903, and serving until sunk by a British submarine in 1914.-History:As originally constructed, the Mesudiye was...
in the Dardanelles. an action for which her captain received the Victoria cross. It spent the remainder of its active life serving in the Mediterranean, being converted into a surface patrol craft late in the war.
Pre-war career
The submarine was constructed by Vickers in Barrow and was launched on 24 February 1906. Fitting out was completed 11 July the same year.Along with HMS B9
HMS B9
HMS B9 was a Royal Navy B class submarine, built at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, launched 24 January 1906 and completed 28 April 1906.B9 was deployed to the Mediterranean soon after the outbreak of World War I. Due to the lack of spare parts this group of submarines were not used after September 1915...
and HMS B10
HMS B10
HMS B10 was a Royal Navy B class submarine, built at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, launched 23 March 1906 and completed 28 April 1906.B10 was deployed to the Mediterranean soon after the outbreak of World War I...
the submarine was deployed to Malta in 1912.
Patrolling off the Dardanelles
In September 1914 the submarine was redeployed to Tenedos join the fleet watching the entrance of the DardanellesDardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
Later in 1914 while on patrol off the Dardanelles B11 chased a torpedo boat for 4 miles up the straight.
In April 1915 after HMS E15
HMS E15
HMS E15 was an E-class submarine of the Royal Navy, commissioned in 1914.- Service history :During World War I, E15 served in the Mediterranean, participating in the Gallipoli Campaign against the Ottoman Empire. On 16 April 1915, under the command of Lieutenant Commander T.S...
ran aground off Kephez point HMS B11 was one of a number of boats to attempt to destroy the wreck. The attack failed.
On 20 May 1915 HMS B11 sighted SM UB-8 while on patrol off the Gulf of Smyrna. HMS B11 attempted to attack but was spotted and SM UB-8 then dived before escaping.
Attack on the Mesudiye
Norman Douglas Holbrook
Commander Norman Douglas Holbrook VC was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces...
, entered the Dardanelles
Dardanelles
The Dardanelles , formerly known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwestern Turkey connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with its counterpart the Bosphorus. It is located at approximately...
and torpedoed the Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Mesudiye
Turkish battleship Mesudiye
The Ottoman ironclad Mesudiye was originally a central-battery ironclad of the Ottoman Navy, first commissioned in 1875, rebuilt into a pre-dreadnaught type vessel in 1903, and serving until sunk by a British submarine in 1914.-History:As originally constructed, the Mesudiye was...
.
B11 had been selected for the mission over HMS B9
HMS B9
HMS B9 was a Royal Navy B class submarine, built at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, launched 24 January 1906 and completed 28 April 1906.B9 was deployed to the Mediterranean soon after the outbreak of World War I. Due to the lack of spare parts this group of submarines were not used after September 1915...
and HMS B10
HMS B10
HMS B10 was a Royal Navy B class submarine, built at Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, launched 23 March 1906 and completed 28 April 1906.B10 was deployed to the Mediterranean soon after the outbreak of World War I...
due to having been fitted with a new battery. The French boats at the submarine base had been rejected as it was agreed that they were less suitable than the British submarines. Guards were constructed over the various projections on the submarine's hull to reduce the risk of snagging on mines
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...
.
B11 started its journey from Tenedos
Tenedos
Tenedos or Bozcaada or Bozdja-Ada is a small island in the Aegean Sea, part of the Bozcaada district of Çanakkale province in Turkey. , Tenedos has a population of about 2,354. The main industries are tourism, wine production and fishing...
. Before the submarine reached the first row of mines it was discovered that one of the guards had become damaged making it worse than useless. The guard was removed and the attack continued. B11 then had to pass under five rows of mines through then uncharted currents. Passing through the minefield took about five hours. After B11 hit Messoudieh it took eight hours for the submarine to escape initially with any attempt to use the periscope resulting in heavy fire.
Lt. Holbrook was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the first for service in a submarine, his First Lieutenant, Sydney Winn, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, and every member of the crew was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (Australia)
The Distinguished Service Medal is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action. The DSM was introduced in 1991 and is the second highest distinguished service decoration in the Australian Honours System. Recipients of the...
.
On 24 July 1916 the Prize court
Prize court
A prize court is a court authorized to consider whether or not a ship has been lawfully captured or seized in time of war or under the terms of the seizing ship's letters of marque and reprisal...
decided that the submarine's company was entitled to prize money
Prize money
Prize money has a distinct meaning in warfare, especially naval warfare, where it was a monetary reward paid out to the crew of a ship for capturing an enemy vessel...
for the sinking of Mesudiye, and an award of £3,500 was made, of which Holbrook received £601 10s 2d, Win £481 4s 2d, chief petty officers £240 12s 1d, and seamen £120 6s 1d. This represented three years' pay for a seaman. On 24 August 1915 the town of Germanton
Holbrook, New South Wales
Holbrook is a small town in Southern New South Wales, Australia. It is on the Hume Highway, 356 km North-East of Melbourne and 491 km south-west of Sydney between Tarcutta and Albury. The town is in the Greater Hume Shire Council area which was established in May 2004 from the merger of...
in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, was renamed "Holbrook" in his honour and a replica of B11 can be seen there.
Move to Venice
The submarine was relocated from Malta to Venice in October 1915 arriving on the 28th. On 11 December of the same year the submarine under the command of Lieutenant Samuel Gravener was engaged by an Austrian flying boat. The attack was unsuccessful and the plane suffered engine failure forcing it to land. Gravener attempted attack the plane with a maxim gun but it jammed and the plane was able to take off again before the submarine could ram it.On 17 January 1916 the submarine managed to capture the crew of an Austrian flying boat after the aircraft had suffered engine failure while returning from a bombing raid. On 17 March it was narrowly missed by a torpedo but was unable to locate the attacker.
Later in the war B11 was converted to a surface patrol craft through raising the deck level and removing the electric motor. In addition the conning tower was replaced by a wheelhouse.
B11 was sold for scrap in 1919 in Italy.
External links
- B11 on britsub.net
- Holbrook and Submarines - The Connection - online version of booklet published by The Submarine Museum on Holbrook and his act of gallantry. Includes list of crew members and copious other information.