*British, WW2, HM Submarine Seahorse – Original Photograph*
Original Photograph of WW2 Submarine HMS Seahorse. This photograph originally formed part of the Lou Britton British Submarine Collection, which was acquired by the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport in 2007.
Approximate Dimensions: 17.9cm x 12.7cm (Marked on the back – “6759 Seahorse May ’37”)
HMS Seahorse was a first-batch S-class submarine, built for the Royal Navy in the 1930s. Ordered in March 1931, she was laid down at Chatham Dockyard in September 1931 and launched on 15 November 1932. Commissioned in 1934, she served primarily in the North Sea and Norwegian waters during World War II.
At the outbreak of World War II, Seahorse was assigned to the 2nd Submarine Flotilla. During her first patrol southwest of Stavanger, Norway, she was mistakenly attacked by a British aircraft. After repairs, she conducted several more patrols. On 13 November 1939, she encountered the surfaced German submarine U-36 but missed with her torpedoes. On 18 November, she sighted two German destroyers, Z21 Wilhelm Heidkamp and Z19 Hermann Künne, but failed to attack due to a lack of manoeuvring position. She continued her patrols with limited success, encountering several German vessels but never achieving a successful strike.
On 26 December 1939, Seahorse embarked on her sixth and final patrol, tasked with patrolling Heligoland Bight and then moving to the Elbe River mouth. Her expected return was 9 January 1940, but she never returned. Initially presumed to have struck a mine, later German records suggested she may have been sunk by the German First Minesweeper Flotilla on 7 January after a prolonged depth charge attack. Alternatively, it is possible she was rammed and sunk by the German Sperrbrecher IV on 29 December. Seahorse became the first British submarine lost to enemy action during the war.
*Condition*
Excellent used condition. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
RQMAOXAH_6455193869
