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HMS Collingwood sailors attend service memorial
8 June 2016
On Sunday 5 June sailors from HMS Collingwood attended a remembrance to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the loss E18 and all 33 men on board.
The service took place at St Ann’s church, HM Naval Naval Base, lead by Reverend James Francis, Royal Navy, and was attended families of those who lost there lives and serving and former submariners.
Lieutenant Oliver James, Submarine Engagement Officer for HMS Collingwood, lead the group of sailors from the Fareham base that included 13 Engineering Technicians who will become submariners, Submarine Officers on System Engineering Management Course, and members of the training staff.
Lieutenant James said of the service “On behalf of the Submariners from HMS Collingwood, we were delighted to represent the Royal Navy and Submarine Service at the centenary memorial service for E18 and show our support for the E18 Families Group.
The ceremony was a great way to show our young sailors and future submariners the proud history of the Submarine Service
"The ceremony was a great way to show our young sailors and future submariners the proud history of the Submarine Service and that the ethos and values we hold are as relevant today as they were then.”
The crew of His Majesty’s Submarine E18 lost their lives on Friday 2nd June 1916 when they struck a mine in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Estonia.
The story of those men and their vessel is the story of a little-known First World War campaign, when British and Russian submariners were allied in the fight against their German counterparts.
The fate of E18 remained a mystery for over 93 years, until the wreck was found by a Swedish survey team.
Using accurate information provided by Darren Brown, great-grandson of crew member Albert Robinson, the team located the wreck on 19 October 2009.