The Royal Navy submarine E18 was lost, with all hands, on 2 June 2016. A joint memorial service is being held on 5th June at 13.00 in the Church of the Holy Spirit, Tallinn and at St. Ann’s, Portsmouth also at 10.00.
E18 entered service in the UK in 1915 and soon began North Sea patrols with the 8th Flotilla at Harwich. On her one and only patrol prior to leaving for the Baltic E18 departed Yarmouth on 9 July 1915. On 14 July 1915 when at the mouth of the Ems, deep in enemy waters the Commanding Officer, Lt Cdr Halahan brought E18 to the surface as he preferred the sea to using the toilet arrangements on board. While in this awkward situation a Zeppelin appeared, E18 dived but was easily visible from the air. E18 was then straddled with 12 bombs which caused no damage other than some embarrassment for Halahan in being caught ‘short’.
E18 was dispatched to the Baltic as part of the Royal Navy Submarine Flotilla to be based there. She left Harwich on 28 August with her sister-ship E19. In the Baltic E18 carried out many patrols. She sailed on the 25th May 1916 for her 7th Baltic patrol. On the 26th, at 4:42 PM, E18 torpedoed the German destroyer V100, blowing off her bow. Two days later, on the 28th, E18 was sighted by a German aircraft off Memel (now Klaipėda, Lithuania), E18 was last sighted on the 1 June 1916 at 1500 hrs sailing north by the German U-boat UB-30 northwest of Steinort. It is believed she was lost "most likely by striking a mine" on her return to Reval west of Osel.
In October 2009, the wreck of HMS E18 was discovered by a ROV deployed by Swedish survey vessel MV Triad. The wreck lies off the coast of Hiiumaa, Estonia. Photographs taken of the wreck show the submarine with its hatch open, suggesting that it struck a mine while sailing on the surface.
Website: There is a dedicated website at HMS E18 with more of the submarine's history and many good images of the wreck.
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