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Re: British submarine H.5 sinking
Posted by:
Ron Young
()
Date: December 25, 2007 02:39PM
Hi Beppe
On February 26th 1918, H5 sailed from Berehaven on patrol, her Jolly Roger streaming proudly from the periscope standards. H5 was a happy boat. No fewer than five of her ratings held the DSM. There was a special guest on board in the form of Ensign Earle F W Childs, an American Liaison and lieutenant in the United States Navy. Wild rumours circulated at the time that Lt Childs was a scientist, appointed to the boat to carry out secret tests but there is no evidence to support this. He was merely an enthusiastic young officer on a ‘makee learn’ trip.
Lt. Forbes had been issued with instructions to patrol a line extending 10-miles east from Carnarvon Bay light-ship; along latitude 53° 06’ N, between longitude 4° 30’W and 4° 50’W. H5 was expected to return to port by 0900hrs on March 2nd. She failed to return. There is a twist to this story. On March 6th, the master of the British steamer RUTHERGLEN docked at Holyhead. He reported that: at 2030hrs on the 2nd, he had spotted a U boat at position 53° 4’N 4° 40’W. As the U boat crossed his bows at speed in the dark, he had turned in to ram it. The submarine was struck to the fore of the conning tower and sank. Immediately afterwards, RUTHERGLEN had steamed through a group of survivors struggling in the icy water. Whether the master of RUTHERGLEN acted from some warped sense of patriotism or desire for the bounty, is unknown, but what is certain is that no attempt was made to stop and rescue these men.
Because the position of this attack corresponded to H5’s patrol line, there is no doubt that H5 rather than a U-boat, had been the victim. Submarines based in Harwich and Blyth were constantly under attack from merchant shipping. The promised payment of a bounty to any merchantman sinking an enemy submarine, posed a far greater danger to British submarines, than the threat to any marauding U- boats. However Admiralty and Board of Trade saw fit to continue the practice and the crew of H5 paid with their lives. Because of the impact such a revelation might have on morale, the true identity of RUTHERGLEN’s victim was kept secret for fifty years. And the final twist of fate - on 28 July 1919, a British Prize Court awarded the crew of H5 a £175 bounty for sinking U 51. This figure was based on £5 per German crewman killed. U 51 was actually carrying a crew of thirty-six however, so the Prize Court slightly under-paid the bounty but by that time it hardly mattered. The much-decorated crew of H5 was already dead. The master of RUTHERGLEN was apparently decorated and the crew received their ‘blood money’. The H5 relatives, if they were told anything at all, were simply informed that the boat had been ‘mined’. In November 2001, the son of Lt. Forbes was still alive and living in Gloucester. He had only learnt the year previous year of his father having been a victim of ‘friendly fire’.
Cheers Ron
On February 26th 1918, H5 sailed from Berehaven on patrol, her Jolly Roger streaming proudly from the periscope standards. H5 was a happy boat. No fewer than five of her ratings held the DSM. There was a special guest on board in the form of Ensign Earle F W Childs, an American Liaison and lieutenant in the United States Navy. Wild rumours circulated at the time that Lt Childs was a scientist, appointed to the boat to carry out secret tests but there is no evidence to support this. He was merely an enthusiastic young officer on a ‘makee learn’ trip.
Lt. Forbes had been issued with instructions to patrol a line extending 10-miles east from Carnarvon Bay light-ship; along latitude 53° 06’ N, between longitude 4° 30’W and 4° 50’W. H5 was expected to return to port by 0900hrs on March 2nd. She failed to return. There is a twist to this story. On March 6th, the master of the British steamer RUTHERGLEN docked at Holyhead. He reported that: at 2030hrs on the 2nd, he had spotted a U boat at position 53° 4’N 4° 40’W. As the U boat crossed his bows at speed in the dark, he had turned in to ram it. The submarine was struck to the fore of the conning tower and sank. Immediately afterwards, RUTHERGLEN had steamed through a group of survivors struggling in the icy water. Whether the master of RUTHERGLEN acted from some warped sense of patriotism or desire for the bounty, is unknown, but what is certain is that no attempt was made to stop and rescue these men.
Because the position of this attack corresponded to H5’s patrol line, there is no doubt that H5 rather than a U-boat, had been the victim. Submarines based in Harwich and Blyth were constantly under attack from merchant shipping. The promised payment of a bounty to any merchantman sinking an enemy submarine, posed a far greater danger to British submarines, than the threat to any marauding U- boats. However Admiralty and Board of Trade saw fit to continue the practice and the crew of H5 paid with their lives. Because of the impact such a revelation might have on morale, the true identity of RUTHERGLEN’s victim was kept secret for fifty years. And the final twist of fate - on 28 July 1919, a British Prize Court awarded the crew of H5 a £175 bounty for sinking U 51. This figure was based on £5 per German crewman killed. U 51 was actually carrying a crew of thirty-six however, so the Prize Court slightly under-paid the bounty but by that time it hardly mattered. The much-decorated crew of H5 was already dead. The master of RUTHERGLEN was apparently decorated and the crew received their ‘blood money’. The H5 relatives, if they were told anything at all, were simply informed that the boat had been ‘mined’. In November 2001, the son of Lt. Forbes was still alive and living in Gloucester. He had only learnt the year previous year of his father having been a victim of ‘friendly fire’.
Cheers Ron
