| Built By: | Chatham Dockyard (Medway) |
| Build Group: | S1 |
| Fate: | Sunk after being attacked and depth-charged by German 1st Minesweeping Flotilla 7th January 1940. |
| 1934: | Lieutenant | Robert Michael Gore Gambier | |
| 1935: | Lieutenant | Wilfrid John Wentworth Woods | |
| 1937: | Lieutenant Commander | Frederick Basil Currie | |
| 1939: | Lieutenant | Dennis Staunton Massey Dawson |
1933-1934: Portsmouth.
1934-1936: Portland.
1939: 2nd Flotilla. HMS Forth, Dundee.
1940: 6th Flotilla. HMS Titania, Blyth.
The Submarine was never heard from after sailing from Blyth on 26th December 1939 for patrol off western Jutland. Her operational area was to be initially off Heligoland then move to the mouth of the Elbe on 30 December and return to Blyth on 9th January 1940.
She was most likely sunk after being attacked and depth charged by ships from the German 1st Minesweeping Flotilla on about fifteen nautical miles north-west of Heligoland in position 54º19'N, 07º30'E.
Roll of Honour |
39
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| Armstrong, Eric |
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| Yeoman of Signals | ||||||
| Baker, John Cecil |
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| Lieutenant | ||||||
| Bazley, Herbert George |
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| Telegraphist | ||||||
| Cain, Arthur Percy |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Clatworthy, Ulric Wallace |
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| Petty Officer | ||||||
| Cockburn, Alexander |
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| Warrant Engineer | ||||||
| Coit, George Edward |
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| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| Combe, John Jackson |
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| Telegraphist | ||||||
| Comer, John Frederick |
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| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| Dunwell, Jack |
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| Leading Seaman | ||||||
| Eldridge, Walter John Edward |
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| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| CWGC has C/J 85655 | ||||||
| Eyre, Frank |
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| Leading Seaman | ||||||
| Fleming, John Wilson |
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| Lieutenant | ||||||
| Hines, Reginald Henry |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Hyde, John Henry |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Jenkinson, James Wilfred |
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| Telegraphist | ||||||
| Kewell, John Richard |
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| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| Lawrenson, Desmond Robert |
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| Engine Room Artificer 4th Class | ||||||
| Lee, Philip Stanley |
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| Stoker Petty Officer | ||||||
| Marshall, John Edward |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Massy-Dawson, Dennis Staunton |
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| Lieutenant | ||||||
| Mayne, Richard Cecil |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Morgan, Alfred Brynmore |
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| Leading Seaman | ||||||
| Packer, William Martin Henry |
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| Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class | ||||||
| Perham, Donald |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Phipps, Joseph Charles |
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| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| Pughe, Arthur |
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| Petty Officer Telegraphist | ||||||
| Skilling, Albert Arthur Victor |
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| Petty Officer | ||||||
| Smith, Archibald Cyril Sayer |
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| Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class | ||||||
| Stanton, Sydney Charles |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Steventon, Alec |
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| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| Summers, Ernest Rae Sevier |
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| Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class | ||||||
| Thain, William (RNR) |
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| Lieutenant | ||||||
| Watson, Ernest |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Wesson, Richard Raymond |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Westbury, Eustace Geoffrey |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| White, John Henry |
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| Petty Officer | ||||||
| Wilson, Leonard James |
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| Engine Room Artificer 4th Class | ||||||
| Windley, Harry Spencer |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| 14-09-1931 | Laid Down |
| 15-11-1932 | Launched |
| 02-10-1933 | Completed |
| 24-08-1939 | HMS Seahorse departed Dundee to take up a patrol position to the south-west of Stavanger, Norway. When the war with Germany commenced this became her 1st war patrol. |
| 05-09-1939 | While on the return passage to Dundee HMS Seahorse was bombed in error by a British Anson of 233 Squadron which dropped two 100lb A/S bombs. She sustained some damage which required her to dock. Seahorse had dived when the aircraft was sighted but her after hydroplanes jammed and depth control was lost. In the meantime two depth charges were dropped by the aircraft but these caused no damage. Seahorse then broached and her bow came out of the water. A third depth charge was then dropped but this also caused no damage. Before Seahorse was able to submerge again a fourth depth charge was dropped very close which shook the submarine severely but it caused no damage. Seahorse then went down again and hit the bottom heavily at 220 feet causing damage to her A/S dome. The aircraft had dived so low that the explosions of the bombs damaged it seriously and it had to ditch but the two airmen were rescued. |
| 06-09-1939 | HMS Seahorse ended her 1st war patrol at Dundee but moved to Rosyth later the same day. |
| 07-09-1939 | HMS Seahorse was docked at Rosyth. |
| 11-09-1939 | HMS Seahorse was undocked. |
| 12-09-1939 | HMS Seahorse moved from Rosyth to Dundee. |
| 16-09-1939 | HMS Seahorse departed Dundee for her 2nd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the south-west coast of Norway. |
| 17-09-1939 | HMS Seahorse fires four torpedoes against the German submarine U-36 in the North Sea. All torpedoes fired missed their target. |
| 02-10-1939 | HMS Seahorse ended her 2nd war patrol at Dundee. |
| 04-10-1939 | HMS Seahorse moved from Dundee to Rosyth where she was immediately docked. |
| 08-10-1939 | HMS Seahorse was undocked at Rosyth and returned to Dundee. |
| 14-10-1939 | HMS Seahorse moved from Dundee to Rosyth. |
| 17-10-1939 | HMS Seahorse departed Rosyth for her 3rd war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the south coast of Norway/Skagerrak. |
| 30-10-1939 | HMS Seahorse sighted a submarine. An attack was started but before torpedoes could be fired the submarine dived. This was most likely U-21 which was patrolling in the same area but the U-boat did not observe the British submarine. |
| 31-10-1939 | HMS Seahorse ended her 3rd war patrol at Rosyth. |
| 09-11-1939 | HMS Seahorse departed Rosyth for Blyth. |
| 10-11-1939 | HMS Seahorse arrived at Blyth. |
| 12-11-1939 | HMS Seahorse departed Blyth for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the North Sea to the north-west of The Netherlands. |
| 18-11-1939 | During the morning HMS Seahorse operating off Terschelling, sighted two Roeder-class destroyers but could not get in an attacking position. |
| 28-11-1939 | HMS Seahorse ended her 4th war patrol at Blyth. |
| 29-11-1939 | HMS Seahorse was docked at Blyth. |
| 12-12-1939 | HMS Seahorse was undocked. |
| 13-12-1939 | HMS Seahorse (Lt. D.S. Massy-Dawson, RN) departed Blyth for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the British east coast. |
| 15-12-1939 | HMS Seahorse ended her 5th war patrol at Blyth after having been recalled. |
| 26-12-1939 | HMS Seahorse departed Blyth for her 6th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the Heligoland Bight. |
| 07-01-1940 | HMS Seahorse sunk On 26th December 1939 HMS Seahorse sailed from Rosyth for patrol off the east coast of Denmark. Four days later she shifted position to the entrance of the Elbe. She did not return on her due date of 9th January 1940. It was first thought that she had been mined but German records, examined after the war, suggested she was the victim of the German First Minesweeper Flotilla which reported a sustained depth charge attack on an unidentified submarine on 7th January 1940. Thanks to the research of Mr Bob Coppock of the RN Historical Branch, it is now accepted that Seahorse was mined while moving between Zones E and B in the Heligoland Bight. The wreck has been discovered off the Danish coast. |
| Length overall | 217 ft |
| Beam | 23 ft 6 inch |
| Depth | 11 ft |
| Displacement | 872 tons (surface) |
| 990 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 350 ft |
| Speed | Surface 15 knots (design) |
| Surface 14.75 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 6000 miles at 10 knots (design) |
| Armament (i) | 6 x 21 inch bow tubes |
| 1 21 inch stern tube | |
| (13 torpedoes carried) | |
| 1 x 3 inch gun | |
| 3 x 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| 1 x 20mm Oerlikon cannon | |
| Complement | 4 Officers and 34 Ratings. |
| Note | {i) The armament of submarines of this class varied considerably. For example: 23 boats were fitted with the six bow tubes only; 18 vessels, intended to operate in the Far East, had their 3 inch guns replaced by 4 inch guns; whilst, in some boats, the Oerlikon cannon replaced, rather than supplemented, the three machine-guns. |
| Class: | 1944 - 1952: XE Class |
| Built By: | Broadbent (Huddersfield) |
| Build Group: | XE |
| Fate: | |
| Scrapped Australia 1945/46 | |
11 pages added or updated in the last 3 month
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| Length overall | 217 ft |
| Beam | 23 ft 6 inch |
| Depth | 11 ft |
| Displacement | 872 tons (surface) |
| 990 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 350 ft |
| Speed | Surface 15 knots (design) |
| Surface 14.75 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 6000 miles at 10 knots (design) |
| Armament (i) | 6 x 21 inch bow tubes |
| 1 21 inch stern tube | |
| (13 torpedoes carried) | |
| 1 x 3 inch gun | |
| 3 x 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| 1 x 20mm Oerlikon cannon | |
| Complement | 4 Officers and 34 Ratings. |
| Note | {i) The armament of submarines of this class varied considerably. For example: 23 boats were fitted with the six bow tubes only; 18 vessels, intended to operate in the Far East, had their 3 inch guns replaced by 4 inch guns; whilst, in some boats, the Oerlikon cannon replaced, rather than supplemented, the three machine-guns. |
| Class: | 1944 - 1952: XE Class |
| Built By: | Broadbent (Huddersfield) |
| Build Group: | XE |
| Fate: | |
| Scrapped Australia 1945/46 | |
11 pages added or updated in the last 3 month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation. Or you can make a big one if you like :)
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
Comments
Comment by: Hannah White on February 19th, 2023
My grandfather was on this submarine when it was lost. My dad rarely spoke of it, he was only 2yrs old when his dad was at war. I just like that I can look this up and see grand dad has been remembered somewhere. I would have loved to have met my grandfather John Henry White.
Comment by: Carolyn McFarland on February 5th, 2021
Thank you very much for putting together this information on HMS Seahorse. My uncle died on the submarine and is the last man mentioned in the submariner's list, Harry Spencer Windley, known by his family as Brian. My grandmother was devastated by his passing, he was her firstborn son, and I don’t think she ever recovered, as there was no body to bury. Thank you again.
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