HMS G7 was a G-class submarine of the Royal Navy built by Armstrong Whitworth. She was launched on 4 March 1916 and commissioned on 21 August 1916 during the First World War.
Design
G7 was one of the Admiralty's G-class boats, designed for North Sea operations and anti-submarine patrols. She displaced about 703 tons surfaced and 837 tons submerged, carried a crew of 30, and was armed with four 18-inch torpedo tubes and one 21-inch torpedo tube.
Wartime Service
Like her sister submarines, G7 spent most of her service patrolling the North Sea in search of German U-boats.
One of her best-documented actions occurred on 15 April 1917, while patrolling between Lerwick and Bergen. G7 encountered the German submarine U-30 and fired a torpedo. A brief gun action followed before U-30 submerged and escaped. Although G7 did not sink the German submarine, she disrupted U-30's attack on two Norwegian merchant ships, Svanfos and Borgila.
Loss
In October 1918, under the command of Lieutenant Charles A. C. Russell, G7 was operating from Blyth on North Sea patrols. Contact with the submarine was lost on 23 October 1918, and after she failed to return, she was officially declared lost on 1 November 1918.
For many years the cause of her disappearance remained unknown. The prevailing theory was that she struck a mine while on patrol.
More recently, a wreck discovered in the Farnes Deep off the Northumberland coast has been identified as G7. Research suggests that the wreck is indeed G7, although the exact cause of her sinking is still uncertain. A mine explosion remains the most likely explanation.
Historical Significance
HMS G7 is notable because:
- She successfully challenged the German submarine U-30 in 1917.
- She disappeared shortly before the end of the First World War.
- She is generally regarded as the last British submarine lost during World War I.
- Her wreck was likely identified nearly a century after her disappearance.
Key Facts
- Name: HMS G7
- Class: G-class submarine
- Builder: Armstrong Whitworth
- Commissioned: 21 August 1916
- Commanding Officer at loss: Lt Charles A. C. Russell
- Last contact: 23 October 1918
- Declared lost: 1 November 1918
- Probable location: Farnes Deep, North Sea
- Significance: Last British submarine lost in the First World War.
