Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte


“E. 9” in port in the Baltic And E. 9’s successes continued apace. We Dive at Dawn takes up the story:


‘On 5 May 1915, both E. 1 and E. 9 left their base for a real offensive operation against the Germans, who were known to have been concentrating a naval force at Danzig. E. 9 was to operate to the south of the entrance to the Gulf of Finland, whilst E. 1 went farther south to the neighbourhood of Bornholm. Five days later, after the Germans had captured Libau, E. 9 moved south to work on the line of communication between Danzig and Libau.


Almost immediately E. 9 fell in with the enemy. She sighted a convoy of three large transports, escorted by three cruisers. Both the convoy and the escorting cruisers were strongly screened by destroyers. Horton attacked at once. He dived under the destroyer screen on the port bow of the cruisers and fired both his bow torpedoes at one of the cruisers. Both torpedoes ran deep and missed. By this time E. 9 was right in the middle of the enemy ships. With the helm hard over, Horton brought his port-beam tube to bear on the leading transport and fired. The range was only 200 yards, and again the torpedo passed under its target. Still turning at high speed, and by this time under heavy fire from the warships, Horton fired his stern torpedo at the second transport. At last a hit! A column of water and smoke shot up just before the funnel. But she did not sink at once, and Horton was in no mind to leave her to be towed to safety. From the moment he had fired his bow torpedoes his crew had been straining to reload. The tube was reloaded and ready. Horton turned E. 9 and, in spite of the storm of shells falling round his periscope making it very difficult to see, fired the bow tube at the crippled transport. That finished her.


E. 9 dived deep and set about evading the hunt, which was now up with a vengeance. Destroyers seemed to be dashing about in all directions above E. 9. What was worse, some of the destroyers were using explosive sweeps to search for the submarine, and one of these was exploded uncomfortably close to E. 9. But she got safely away to Reval, where she embarked more torpedoes.


Both E. 1 and E. 9 continued their patrols until 1 June, but neither made further contact with the enemy. On that day E. 1 developed a serious defect in one of her main motors, and had to go back to Reval to refit, leaving E. 9 to carry on alone.


E. 9 had an eventful time. On 4 June she was told that a German submarine had sunk the Russian minelayer Yenisei south of the entrance to the Gulf of Finland. She dashed off, and actually sighted the U-boat, but the latter dived just as E. 9 dived to attack, and she was not seen again. During the afternoon of the same day Horton found German naval forces coaling. There were two destroyers coaling and two destroyers waiting to go alongside the collier. A light cruiser was standing by. E. 9 was ambitious. Horton manoeuvred her so as to attack the cruiser and the collier simultaneously. There was nothing wrong with E. 9’s attack, but the torpedo fired from the beam tube missed the light cruiser. At the same moment, however, both bow torpedoes got home on the collier, sinking both her and one of the destroyers that was coaling alongside. E. 9 had a narrow escape from being rammed by one of the destroyers which were standing by, but avoided her; and the enemy soon cleared off, fearing further torpedo attacks. E. 9 thereupon surfaced and picked up a few survivors from the sunken collier and destroyer.


But bigger game was to follow. Edwards’ We Dive at Dawn continues:


It was not until 2 July that E. 9 again made contact with the German naval forces. At this time there was operating in the Baltic a Russian cruiser patrol. This patrol ran into a German cruiser patrol in a fog. Nothing very decisive occurred, and the Russian force, although superior, made off in face of the offensive action of the German squadron. E. 9 found herself right in the path of the Germans. Norton was momentarily at a loss, owing to lack of information and the low visibility. He got in an attack, however, and fired both bow torpedo-tubes at the leading German ship. Both torpedoes hit, but Horton had no time to watch their effect, for it was only by a rapid crash dive that E. 9 avoided being rammed by a destroyer, which hunted her for an hour afterwards. It was subsequently established that E. 9’s torpedoes had hit the Pommern, which ship had to be escorted back to harbour in a badly damaged condition. That same afternoon Horton sighted the German cruiser Roon and two light cruisers but was too far off to get in an attack. That was the end of E.9’s exploits for the time being, for she had developed defects which necessitated lying up at Reval.’


Collis was awarded the D.S.M. for the period leading up to 4 July 1915 (his recommendation refers), and was twice decorated by the Russians, the latter distinctions being verified on his Certificate of Service.


In August 1916, he removed to the E. 19, in which capacity he remained actively employed in the Baltic until June 1917. Commissioned as an Artificer Engineer, he next joined the battleship New Zealand in October 1917, but quickly removed to the cruiser Devonshire in the following month, and is believed to have remained similarly employed until the War’s end.


Post-war, Collis returned to the submarine branch, and served variously in the M. 1, L. 3, L. 6 and L. 16, including time in the Far East, between 1920 and his retirement as a Lieutenant-Commander (E.) in 1932. Recalled on the renewal of hostilities, he served on boom defence duties at Devonport 1939-45; sold with the recipient’s original Certificate of Service, which includes confirmation of his two Russian decorations.


www.dnw.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208  |  Page 209  |  Page 210  |  Page 211  |  Page 212  |  Page 213  |  Page 214  |  Page 215  |  Page 216  |  Page 217  |  Page 218  |  Page 219  |  Page 220  |  Page 221  |  Page 222  |  Page 223  |  Page 224  |  Page 225  |  Page 226  |  Page 227  |  Page 228  |  Page 229  |  Page 230  |  Page 231  |  Page 232  |  Page 233  |  Page 234  |  Page 235  |  Page 236  |  Page 237  |  Page 238  |  Page 239  |  Page 240  |  Page 241  |  Page 242  |  Page 243  |  Page 244  |  Page 245  |  Page 246  |  Page 247  |  Page 248  |  Page 249  |  Page 250  |  Page 251  |  Page 252  |  Page 253  |  Page 254  |  Page 255  |  Page 256  |  Page 257  |  Page 258  |  Page 259  |  Page 260  |  Page 261  |  Page 262  |  Page 263  |  Page 264  |  Page 265  |  Page 266  |  Page 267  |  Page 268  |  Page 269  |  Page 270  |  Page 271  |  Page 272  |  Page 273  |  Page 274  |  Page 275  |  Page 276  |  Page 277  |  Page 278  |  Page 279  |  Page 280  |  Page 281  |  Page 282  |  Page 283  |  Page 284  |  Page 285  |  Page 286  |  Page 287  |  Page 288  |  Page 289  |  Page 290  |  Page 291  |  Page 292  |  Page 293  |  Page 294  |  Page 295  |  Page 296  |  Page 297  |  Page 298  |  Page 299  |  Page 300  |  Page 301  |  Page 302  |  Page 303  |  Page 304  |  Page 305  |  Page 306  |  Page 307  |  Page 308  |  Page 309  |  Page 310  |  Page 311  |  Page 312  |  Page 313  |  Page 314  |  Page 315  |  Page 316  |  Page 317  |  Page 318  |  Page 319  |  Page 320  |  Page 321  |  Page 322  |  Page 323  |  Page 324  |  Page 325  |  Page 326  |  Page 327  |  Page 328  |  Page 329  |  Page 330  |  Page 331  |  Page 332  |  Page 333  |  Page 334  |  Page 335  |  Page 336  |  Page 337  |  Page 338  |  Page 339  |  Page 340  |  Page 341  |  Page 342  |  Page 343  |  Page 344  |  Page 345  |  Page 346  |  Page 347  |  Page 348  |  Page 349  |  Page 350  |  Page 351  |  Page 352  |  Page 353  |  Page 354  |  Page 355  |  Page 356  |  Page 357  |  Page 358  |  Page 359  |  Page 360  |  Page 361  |  Page 362  |  Page 363  |  Page 364  |  Page 365  |  Page 366  |  Page 367  |  Page 368  |  Page 369  |  Page 370  |  Page 371  |  Page 372  |  Page 373  |  Page 374  |  Page 375  |  Page 376  |  Page 377  |  Page 378  |  Page 379  |  Page 380  |  Page 381  |  Page 382  |  Page 383  |  Page 384  |  Page 385  |  Page 386  |  Page 387  |  Page 388  |  Page 389  |  Page 390  |  Page 391  |  Page 392  |  Page 393  |  Page 394  |  Page 395  |  Page 396  |  Page 397  |  Page 398  |  Page 399  |  Page 400  |  Page 401  |  Page 402  |  Page 403  |  Page 404  |  Page 405  |  Page 406  |  Page 407  |  Page 408  |  Page 409  |  Page 410  |  Page 411  |  Page 412  |  Page 413  |  Page 414  |  Page 415  |  Page 416  |  Page 417  |  Page 418  |  Page 419  |  Page 420  |  Page 421  |  Page 422  |  Page 423  |  Page 424  |  Page 425  |  Page 426  |  Page 427  |  Page 428  |  Page 429  |  Page 430  |  Page 431  |  Page 432  |  Page 433  |  Page 434  |  Page 435  |  Page 436  |  Page 437  |  Page 438  |  Page 439  |  Page 440  |  Page 441  |  Page 442  |  Page 443  |  Page 444  |  Page 445  |  Page 446  |  Page 447  |  Page 448  |  Page 449  |  Page 450  |  Page 451  |  Page 452  |  Page 453  |  Page 454  |  Page 455  |  Page 456  |  Page 457  |  Page 458  |  Page 459  |  Page 460  |  Page 461  |  Page 462  |  Page 463  |  Page 464  |  Page 465  |  Page 466  |  Page 467  |  Page 468  |  Page 469  |  Page 470  |  Page 471  |  Page 472  |  Page 473  |  Page 474  |  Page 475  |  Page 476  |  Page 477  |  Page 478  |  Page 479  |  Page 480  |  Page 481  |  Page 482  |  Page 483  |  Page 484  |  Page 485  |  Page 486  |  Page 487