25 May 1915

ANZAC - By mid-May the German submarines which had been despatched to the eastern Mediterranean were to arriving in the Eastern Mediterranean. Of these the most effective would be the U21, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Otto Hershing, which had set off from the German naval port of Wilhelmshaven on 25 April. En route she was spotted many times and in anticipation of her arrival off the Gallipoli beaches anti-submarine precautions were adopted.



On 17 May the number of battleships lying off Helles was reduced from seven to four and at Anzac the number was halved to only two. In the remaining ships a diligent anti-submarine watch was kept, anti torpedo nets were hung out and escorting destroyers tried to keep the U Boats away from their prey. The U21 reached Gallipoli on 25 May and went straight into action. At first the anti-submarine defences seemed to work. Destroyers spotted her periscope and prevented an attack on the HMS Swiftsure off Helles, whiled a torpedo fired at HMS Vengeance was spotted and successful avoiding action taken. Moving north a new target in the form of the HMS Triumph was stalked off Anzac. At 12.25 U21 struck and although the torpedo was spotted it was too late. Ordonary Seaman W. G. Northcott recalled events in his interview for the BBC Great War series recorded back in 1963.

"I was range finder up in the aloft position. One day midday I came down to get my ration of rum. I'd just drunk it when I heard a lot of commotion, guns firing, so I immediately returned to my position. On my way up a torpedo struck us. Then when I did get up I saw one of our boys aiming his rifle at a torpedo coming through the water. Unfortunately he missed but he stuck to his post firing at this torpedo trying to divert it. No luck so it came through and hit us. We didn't know that the Germans had invented a net cutter on the front of the torpedo. We were protected by huge steel nets pushed out on booms to try and stop the torpedos. But they just passed straight through and hit us. I could feel the ship listing over. Remembering I had a brand new pair of boots on which I'd bought the previous day I took them off and hung them on the rigging thinking to myself that if nothing happened they'd still be there and I came down the rigging. By this time the ship was heeled pretty bad and the majority of the ratings were catching hold of the nets, the leeside, the side in the water. I didn't like the idea, I don't know why, and I jumped off and got in the water, Shortly after the destroyer Chelmer came up and started picking us out. Then she put her bows on the stern of the ship which by now had heeled almost on one side. A lot of the men got on board of her that way." (Ordinary Seaman W. G. Northcott, HMS Triumph)

As a result of England's skilful handling of HMS Chelmer only 75 men from the Triumph were lost. The arrival of the German submarines changed the whole situation for the British supporting fleet. The loss of the Triumph caused the emergency withdrawal of all the remaining battleships to the protected anchorage of Imbros.

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SOURCE: W G Northcott IWM SR 4187