HMS E5

The early British E-class submarines, from E1 to E8, had a displacement of {{convert|652|LT|t|0}} at the surface and {{convert|795|LT|t|0}} while submerged. They had a length overall of {{convert|180|ft|m}} and a beam of {{convert|22|ft|8.5|in}}, and were powered by two {{convert|800|hp}} Vickers eight-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines and two {{convert|420|hp}} electric motors.Akerman, P. (1989). Encyclopaedia of British submarines 1901–1955.  p.150. Maritime Books. {{ISBN|1-904381-05-7}}{{cite web|url=http://www.csubmarine.org/html/class/eclass.html|title=E Class|publisher=Chatham Submarines|access-date=20 August 2015|archive-date=13 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150813023119/http://csubmarine.org/html/class/eclass.html|url-status=dead}} The class had a maximum surface speed of {{convert|16|kn|km/h mph}} and a submerged speed of {{convert|10|kn|km/h mph}}, with a fuel capacity of {{convert|50|LT|t|0}} of diesel affording a range of {{convert|3225|mi|km nmi}} when travelling at {{convert|10|kn|km/h mph}}, while submerged they had a range of {{convert|85|mi|km nmi}} at {{convert|5|kn|km/h mph}}.

The early 'Group 1' E class boats were armed with four 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, one in the bow, one either side amidships, and one in the stern; a total of eight torpedoes were carried. Group 1 boats were not fitted with a deck gun during construction, but those involved in the Dardanelles campaign had guns mounted forward of the conning tower while at Malta Dockyard.

E-Class submarines had wireless systems with {{convert|1|kW}} power ratings; in some submarines, these were later upgraded to {{convert|3|kW}} systems by removing a midship torpedo tube. Their maximum design depth was {{convert|100|ft}} although in service some reached depths of below {{convert|200|ft}}.

E5 experienced an engine room explosion on 8 June 1913, twenty days before commissioning, which resulted in thirteen deaths. A further three men were killed when there was an oil blow back into the starboard engine off St Ann's Head. The submarine depot ship {{HMS|Adamant|1911|6}} and Alligator carried the medical team out to meet E5 on her way into Pembroke Dock. Ten other men were seriously injured, although all civilian staff from Barrow were safe and unharmed.

In December 1913, E5 was part of the 8th Submarine Flotilla, based at Portsmouth as part of the Home Fleets{{cite magazine|title=Fleets and Squadrons in Commission at Home and Abroad: Submarines |magazine=The Navy List|date=January 1914|page=269d|url=http://digital.nls.uk/british-military-lists/archive/91807129}}

When war was declared with Germany on 5 August 1914, E5 broke off a refit to re-join 8th Submarine Flotilla at its war station in Harwich later that day.{{cite book |title=Position and Movements, H.M. Ships, War Vessels and Aircraft, British and Foreign, Parts I. and II., August 1914. |date=1914 |publisher=Admiralty Records |location=London}}

The 8th Submarine Flotilla, including E5 was assigned to patrol in the east end of the English Channel during the passage of the British Expeditionary Force to France in early August.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 6|1921|pp=54–56}} On 15–17 August 1914, the British Grand Fleet carried out a sweep in the North Sea towards Helgoland. E5 and sister submarine {{HMS|E7||2}} were ordered to patrol off the mouth of the Weser river in support of this operation, while {{HMS|D2||2}} and {{HMS|D3||2}} patrolled off the Ems.{{harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 23|1924|pp=81–82, 84}} On 16 August E5 encountered several German torpedo boats, which attacked E5, while the British submarine unsuccessfully attempted to torpedo one of the German ships. The next day a German submarine attempted to torpedo E5 which E5 managed to avoid before setting off for home.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 23|1924|pp=84–85}} Early on the morning of 18 August, while still on their return journey, E5 and E7 spotted a four-funnelled cruiser. Believing that the unidentified ship was British, E5 challenged the cruiser, which provoked a violent response from what was actually the German cruiser {{SMS|Strassburg||2}}, which, with the cruiser {{SMS|Stralsund||2}}, was carrying out a sweep into the Hoofden in search for British blockading forces. Strassburg fired at the British submarines, which dived to safety.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 23|1924|pp=93–94}}

In April 1915, E5 was deployed (along with {{HMS|E6||2}}, {{HMS|E8||2}} and {{HMS|E12||2}}) to the German Bight to counter a suspected sortie by the German High Seas Fleet. On 14 April E5 torpedoed the German steamer Schwarzwald north of the Norderney lighthouse. German trawlers and aircraft drove off E5, allowing the damaged Schwarzwald to safely make port. E5{{'}}s commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander C. S. Benning, was commended by the Admiralty for damaging Schwarzwald.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 29|1925|pp=185, 188–189}} On 3 May 1915 E5 was one of five British submarines lying off the German coast, when they were spotted by the German airship L9. The German airship dropped bombs on the British submarines, while E5 fired on L9 with her deck gun. E5 claimed to have hit L9 but the German airship was undamaged. L9 claimed to have sunk one of the British submarines, but while {{HMS|D4||2}} was near-missed by L9{{'}}s bombs, she too was undamaged.{{Harvnb|Naval Staff Monograph No. 29|1925|pp=227, 230}}

On 25 September 1915 E5 torpedoed the German Sperrbrecher (auxiliary minesweeper) SP11, causing SP11 to be beached. Salvage attempts on the German ship were abandoned on 27 September.{{Harvnb|Gröner|Jung|Maass|1985|p=244}} E5{{'}}s crew was awarded prize money by the British Admiralty for the sinking of SP11.{{cite web|title=Royal Navy Ships Receiving Naval Salvage and Prize Bounty Money: from the London Gazette - August 1914 to December 1920|work=World War One at Sea |publisher=Naval-History.net|url=http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishLGNavalPrizeMoney.htm#sal|date=17 November 2010|access-date=10 October 2017}}

E5 was lost on 7 March 1916 while rescuing the survivors of the trawler Resono, just north of Juist in the North Sea.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

There were different theories about the reason for the loss of E5. One theory was that she struck a mine, possibly after straying into a German minefield upon being sighted by the German light cruiser {{SMS|Regensburg||2}}. Another theory attributed her loss to depth charge attack by torpedo boats escorting the battlecruiser {{SMS|Seydlitz||2}}.

In 2016 divers found the wreck of E5 off the island of Schiermonnikoog. Her hatches were open, which suggests that the crew had tried to escape. There was no sign of damage to her hull, indicating that she had not sunk as a result of enemy action.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book|last1=Gröner|first1=Erich|last2=Jung|first2=Dieter|last3=Maass|first3=Martin|title=Der deutschen Kriegschiffe 1815–1945: Band 3: U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher|language=de|year=1985 |publisher=Bernard & Graefe Verlag|location=Koblenz, Germany|isbn=3-7637-4802-4}}
• {{cite book|title=Monograph No. 6: The Passage of the Expeditionary Force, August 1914|series=Naval Staff Monographs (Historical)|volume=III|year=1921|publisher=The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division|pages=1–70|url=http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Naval-Staff-Monographs-Vol.III_opt.pdf|ref={{Harvid|Naval Staff Monograph No. 6|1921}} }}
• {{cite book|title=Monograph No. 23: Home Waters—Part I: From the Outbreak of War to 27 August 1914|series=Naval Staff Monographs (Historical)|volume=X|year=1924|publisher=The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division|url=http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Naval-Staff-Monographs-Vol.X_opt.pdf|ref={{Harvid|Naval Staff Monograph No. 23|1924}} }}
• {{cite book|title=Monograph No. 29: Home Waters—Part IV: From February to July 1915|series=Naval Staff Monographs (Historical)|volume=XIII|year=1925|publisher=The Naval Staff, Training and Staff Duties Division|url=http://www.navy.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/Naval-Staff-Monographs-Vol.XIII_opt.pdf|ref={{Harvid|Naval Staff Monograph No. 29|1925}} }}

• {{cite book | last = Hutchinson | first = Robert | title = Jane's Submarines: War Beneath the Waves from 1776 to the Present Day | url = https://archive.org/details/janessubmarinesw0000hutc | url-access = registration | year = 2001 | location = London | publisher = HarperCollins | isbn = 978-0-00-710558-8 | oclc = 53783010 }}
• {{cite book|title=The Royal Navy Submarine Service, A Centennial History |first=Antony |last=Preston}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180108023935/http://www.submarine-museum.co.uk/what-we-have/memorial-chapel/submarine-losses?start=2 'Submarine losses 1904 to present day' - Royal Navy Submarine Museum]

{{British E class submarine}}

{{1913 shipwrecks}}

{{March 1916 shipwrecks}}

{{coord missing|North Sea}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:E05}}

Category:British E-class submarines of the Royal Navy

Category:Ships built in Barrow-in-Furness

Category:1912 ships

Category:World War I submarines of the United Kingdom

Category:World War I shipwrecks in the North Sea

Category:Lost submarines of the United Kingdom

Category:Maritime incidents in 1913

Category:Maritime incidents in 1916

Category:Ships sunk by mines

Category:Royal Navy ship names