HMS G11 was a G-class submarine of the Royal Navy, built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 28 March 1915, launched on 22 February 1916, and commissioned on 13 May 1916 during the First World War.
Design
The G-class submarines were designed primarily for operations in the North Sea and to counter the perceived threat of long-range German submarines. G11 displaced about 703 tons on the surface and 837 tons submerged, carried a crew of 31, and was armed with a mixture of 18-inch and 21-inch torpedo tubes plus deck guns.
First World War Service
Like her sister boats, HMS G11 spent the war on patrol duties in the North Sea, searching for German U-boats and protecting British waters. Her role was largely defensive, forming part of the Royal Navy's submarine screen against German naval activity.
Her commanding officer in 1918 was the famous submarine officer Lieutenant Richard Douglas Sandford VC, a recipient of the Victoria Cross.
Loss After the Armistice
Ironically, G11 survived the war but was lost after the Armistice.
On 22 November 1918, eleven days after the fighting had ended, G11 was returning from a patrol in the Dogger Bank area to her base at Blyth, Northumberland. She was under the temporary command of Lieutenant Commander George Fagan Bradshaw because Sandford was in hospital suffering from typhoid fever.
Navigating in dense fog, the submarine overshot Blyth and ran aground on rocks beneath the cliffs near Howick, about 30 miles north of her intended destination. The vessel's log had previously failed, and the temporary commander underestimated the boat's speed in poor visibility.
The impact tore off the keel and fatally damaged the submarine. The crew abandoned ship, but two crewmen drowned during the evacuation:
- Telegraphist George Philip Back
- Stoker Pliny Foster
Back's body was recovered and buried at Longhoughton, while Foster's body was never found.
The Wreck Today
Parts of G11's wreck can still be seen near Howick at low tide. Although much of the submarine was later salvaged and some sections were blown apart, fragments of the hull, tanks, fittings, and escape hatch remain scattered among the rocks and are a known local diving site.
Key Facts
- Name: HMS G11
- Class: G-class submarine
- Builder: Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness
- Commissioned: 13 May 1916
- Commanding Officer: Richard Douglas Sandford VC
- Lost: 22 November 1918
- Cause: Ran aground in thick fog near Howick, Northumberland
- Fatalities: 2 crew members drowned during evacuation
- Wreck: Remains still visible at low tide near Howick
HMS G11 is one of several Royal Navy submarines that survived wartime operations only to be lost in an accident shortly after the end of the First World War.
