*British, WW1, HMS E7, Original Photograph and WW1 Brass Model of a Submarine*
Approximate Measurements:
Brass model: 19.5cm x 7.5cm x 1.8cm deep
Photograph: 22cm x 13.6cm
The model features a wonderful unnamed WW1 Brass British submarine – likely E Class. The photograph is marked on the front “HM Submarine “E7″ – sunk in the Dardanelles”, it is unmarked on the reverse. This photograph originally formed part of the Lou Britton British Submarine Collection, which was acquired by the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport in 2007. HMS E7 was a British E-class submarine built at Chatham Dockyard, laid down on 30 March 1912, and commissioned on 16 March 1914 at a cost of £105,700.
Design
E7 displaced 652 long tons (surface) and 795 long tons (submerged), with a length of 180 ft and a beam of 22 ft 8.5 in. Powered by two 800 hp diesel engines and two 420 hp electric motors, she could reach speeds of 16 knots (surface) and 10 knots (submerged). Her range was 3,225 miles at 10 knots (surface) and 85 miles at 5 knots (submerged). Armed with four 18-inch torpedo tubes, she carried eight torpedoes and later added a deck gun during the Dardanelles campaign. Designed to dive to 100 ft, some E-class submarines exceeded depths of 200 ft. The crew comprised three officers and 28 men.
Service History
At the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, E7 was based at Harwich with the 8th Submarine Flotilla. She participated in the Second Heligoland Bight Patrol and later undertook a 24-day patrol in the Sea of Marmara in June 1915, sinking 13 ships and damaging others.
On 4 September 1915, E7 became entangled in Ottoman anti-submarine nets off Nagara Point. Despite Ottoman efforts to destroy her with mines, the German U-boat commander Oberleutnant zur See Heino von Heimburg dropped a hand-deployed mine on E7. Damaged and unable to escape, E7 was surfaced, abandoned, and scuttled by her crew. While primarily credited to Ottoman forces, some sources suggest von Heimburg played a significant role in her destruction.
The British E-class submarines started out as improved versions of the British D-class submarine. The E class served with the Royal Navy throughout World War I as the backbone of the submarine fleet. The last surviving E class submarines were withdrawn from service by 1922.
*Condition*
The brass model is in good condition with some marks and scratches. It has a partially hollowed back. The photograph is in very good condition. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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