Saturday, 12 March 2022

Portsmouth 2022 - Royal Navy Submarine Museum Memorials

The Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport, houses memorials to the Submarine Service. 

RN Submarine Museum
HMS Alliance Lost Submarines Memorial IJ

The Lost Submarines Memorial at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum records the names of vessels that have been lost since the formation of the Royal Navy's Submarine Service in October 1901.

RN Submarine Museum Lost Submarines Memorial

The first loss was that of HMS A1 which was accidentally sunk in the Solent on 18 March 1904 during a training exercise when hit by the mail steamer, SS Berwick Castle en route from Southampton to Hamburg. 

The first submarine lost to enemy actions was HMS D5 which struck a mine laid by SMS Stralsund on 3 November 1914 after responding to a German attack on Yarmouth by cruisers. During World War One 48 submarines were lost as a result of accidents and enemy action. 

World War Two would see the loss 82 submarines, the first lost to enemy action being HMS Seahorse which failed to return from a patrol in January 1940. 

Pre WW1        6
WW1             48
Inter-War      11
WW2             82
Post War         3

The Royal Navy Submarine Museum features an "Area of Remembrance" that contains a wall of names listing all British submariners killed on active service.

RN Submarine Museum
Area of Remembrance


RN Submarine Museum Submariners Memorial Wall