HMS E20

HMS E20 was a British E-class submarine built by Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 25 November 1914 and was commissioned on 30 August 1915.

She was sunk, torpedoed by UB-14, on 6 November 1915.

E20 was fitted, possibly uniquely within her class, with a 6-inch Howitzer deck gun, forward of the conning tower.

She had five 18 inch (450 mm) torpedo tubes, two in the bow, one either side amidships, and one in the stern; a total of 10 torpedoes were carried.

Operating in the eastern Mediterranean, E20 was scheduled to rendezvous with the French submarine Turquoise on 6 November 1915.

However, on 30 October, Turkish forces sank the Turquoise off Nagara Point in the Dardanelles, refloating her shortly afterwards, her confidential papers retrieved intact.

Unaware of her plight, E20 attempted to keep the rendezvous.

The Imperial German Navy submarine UB-14, which was at Constantinople, was duly sent to intercept E20, reportedly going so far as to radio messages in the latest British code.

Upon arriving at the designated location, UB-14 surfaced and fired a torpedo at E20 from a distance of 500 metres (550 yd).

E20's crew saw the torpedo, but it was too late to avoid the weapon.

The torpedo hit E20's conning tower and sank her with the loss of 21 men.

UB-14 rescued nine, including E20's captain who, had been brushing his teeth at the time of the attack.

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