HMS Aboukir (1900)

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HMS Aboukir was a Cressy class cruiser of 12,000 tons. Her triple expansion engines and twin screws gave her a top speed of 21 knots. She carried 2 × 9.2 in and 12 × 6 in guns. She was built by Fairfield Shipbuilding & Engineering Co Ltd, Govan, Scotland, in 1902.

The Cressy-class vessels had rapidly become obsolete due to the great advances in naval architecture in the years leading up to the First World War. At the outbreak of the war, these ships were so clearly unfit for combat that they were mostly staffed by reserve sailors. The British Admiralty was planning to withdraw them, when the Aboukir and two of her sisters, the Cressy and Hogue were lost to submarine attack. The Aboukir was one of four units that made up Rear Admiral Henry H Campbell's Seventh Cruiser Squadron. Owing to the obsolescence of these ships, the squadron was nicknamed the Live Bait Squadron.

In September 1914 Aboukir and her sister ships the Hogue and Cressy were patrolling the Broad Fourteens of the North Sea. Owing to poor weather they were without destroyer escort. While steaming at 10 knots in line ahead early morning on 22 September, they were spotted by the U-9, commanded by Lt. Otto Weddigen.

Weddigen ordered his submarine to submerge and closed the range to the unsuspecting British ships. At close range, he fired a single torpedo at the Aboukir. The torpedo broke the back of the Aboukir and she sank within 20 minutes with the loss of 527 men.

The captains of the Cressy and Hogue thought the Aboukir had struck a floating mine and came forward to assist her. They stood by and began to pick up survivors. At this point, Weddigen fired two torpedoes into the Hogue, mortally wounding that ship. As the Hogue sank, the captain of the Cressy realised that the squadron was being attacked by a submarine, and tried to flee. However, Weddigen fired two more torpedoes into the Cressy, and sank her as well.

The entire battle had lasted less than an hour, and cost the British three warships, 62 officers and 1397 ratings. Coming on the heels of the loss of the light cruiser HMS Pathfinder earlier to another submarine attack, this incident established the U-boat as a major weapon in the conduct of naval warfare.

United Kingdom