Able Seaman George Hamilton, HM Submarine C25, RN

G. S. HAMILTON

ABLE SEAMAN RN. J/26612

H.M. SUBMARINE "C.25"

6TH JULY 1918 AGE 21

 

LOVED IN LIFE EVER REMEMBERED IN DEATH

 

George Sidney Hamilton was born in 1898, the son of George, a shoemakers dressman from Norwich then aged 27 and Jane, a dressmaker from London then aged 22.

George had a sister, Maud, two years older than him and the 1903 census recorded the family living at 6 Nicholas Street in St. Stephens area of Norwich.

George married Elizabeth and they lived at 212 Silver Road, Norwich.

George is buried in grave 46. 504. at Earlham Cemetery, Norwich, Norfolk.

 

George enlister into the Royal Navy and on the day of his death he was serving as an able seaman (AB) aboard one of the RN's 38 C class submarines, C25.

At about noon on 6th. July 1918 C25 was on the surface about 15 miles (24 km) miles east of Orford Ness, Suffolk when the submarines commanding officer, Lt. David Courtenay Bell, aged 23, called Sub. Lt. Ronald M. Cobb to come to the bridge to look at a flight of five sea-planes coming from the west. They paid them little attention thinking they were British planes heading for France. The aircraft were five German sea-planes returning from a daylight raid on Lowestoft in Suffolk and Walmer in Kent. The aircraft held their course until they were clear of the boat when they turned and swooped on the submarine from out of the sun. Small bombs were dropped and bullets were fired at C25 and, as a result, the coxswain PO William G. Borrow (237304), aged 27, was badly wounded and AB George S. Hamilton (J/26612), aged 21, were killed in the conning tower.

As the Sub. Lt. was on his way up to the bridge the order was given to dive so he flooded all main ballast and went full ahead on the main motor. However, they could not shut the lower conning tower hatch as it was jammed by the leg a dead body on the bridge. Try as they might there was no budging the corpse, so at this point Chief Engine Room Artificer C. J. Crawford returned aft where he secured a hacksaw and a large knife. Clearing the men away from the hatchway and without a moment's hesitation set about amputating the dead man's jammed leg at the thigh, thus clearing the hatch. It seems highly likely this body could have been that of George.

The attack had caused several small holes appeared in the thin pressure hull and water started to come in. An order was given to surface and the ballast tanks were blown. At that point the boat had not actually started to dive from the earlier order. Sub Lt. Cobb then ordered ‘Surface Action Stations’.

The Sub. Lt. went up the conning tower and found Lt. Bell, Leading Seaman William Barge (J/124), Signalman Charles Arthur Buttle (J/9244), aged 23, and the Lewis gunner, AB John Marcian Walsh (J/10812), aged 25, all dead. The Lewis gun was missing although three drums of ammunition had been fired. As the firing from the sea-planes was still going on the Sub. Lt. came back below for about 15 minutes and started to repair damage. He then went back on the bridge with two engine room artificers but had to come below again as a further attack was starting. This attack continued for another 5 minutes and then, having waited a further 10 minutes he returned to the bridge. Sub. Lt. Cobb was in an unenviable position. Although the engine room artificers got the surface engine running the steering gear was jammed both from the control room and the bridge steering positions. Both compasses were out of order and there was no sun to steer by and no land in sight. The radio was not working, the Aldis lamp was broken and the grenade rifle was damaged.

At about 12.45 p.m. C25 sighted and identified herself to submarine E51, commanded by Lt. Commander Hugh R. Marrack, by firing Very lights. The wounded coxswain P/O Burrow was transferred to the E51, the commanding officer of E51 came aboard C25 to examine the damage. Signals were made to a depot ship and a tow was established. Despite the efforts to get the Coxswain to proper medical attention he later died of his wounds. Further attacks by the sea-planes were made between 3.18 p.m. and 3.45 p.m. during which time Cobb and his crew remained below decks. Eventually the modified Acheron-class destroyer HMS Lurcher (H65), attached to the 9th. Submarine Flotilla at Harwich, Essex arrived on the scene and opened rapid fire on the aircraft driving them away. Lurcher then took over the tow and towed C25 back to Harwich.

 

Name: HMS C25

Class: C class submarine

Builder: Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria

Laid down: 27th. February 1908

Launched: 10th. March 1909

Commissioned: 28th. May 1909

Fate: Sold for scrap, 5th. December 1921

Complement: 2 officers and 14 ratings

Length: 142 ft. 3 in. (43.4 m)

Beam: 13 ft. 7 in. (4.1 m)

Draught: 11 ft 6 in. (3.5 m)

Displacement - surfaced: 290 tons

Displacement - submerged: 330 tons

Engine: 1 x 16 cylinder Vickers petrol engine

Engine output: 600 hp (477 kW)

Electric motor: 1

Electric motor output: 300 hp (223 kW)

Speed - surfaced: 13 knots (15 mph - 24 km/h)

Speed - submerged: 8 knots (9.2 mph - 15 km/h)

Surface range at 12 knots: 910 nautical miles (1,050 miles - 1,690 km)

Test depth: 100 ft. (30.5 m)

Armament:

2 x 18 in. (450 mm) bow torpedo tubes

1 x Lewis gun

Done