The story of submarines in the First Word War is very much dominated by the German U-boat and names such as Hersing, Schwieger (who sank the Lusitania) or even von Trapp of Austro-Hungary but the Royal Navy's submarines were no less of a threat and menace to German shipping with Lieutenant Commander Max Horton proving every bit as deadly as his Teutonic contemporaries.
Max Kennedy Horton was born in Anglesey on 29th November 1883 to Robert and Ester and at the age of 14 he enrolled as an officer cadet at HMS Britannia on 15th September 1898 gaining the rank of Midshipman on 15th September 1900 and three years later to Sub-Lieutenant.
His first posting was the battleship Majestic before proceeding to other surface vessels until the 1st October 1904 where his career took a turn that would propel him forward - he was assigned to a course for the "Instruction of Submarines" and being made up to Lieutenant Commander the following February.
By the commencement of the First World War Max Horton commanded the new HMS E9 and had previously commanded the coastal submarines C8 and the D6. The E-class were designed for lengthy patrols beyond the coastal waters and could carry out patrols of the German coastline.
During the First Battle of Heligoland he had been part of the submarine screen to defend the cruisers and had also been part of the intercepting submarine force that tried to catch withdrawing German ships after their raid on Yarmouth but to no avail. His greatest exploits had been operating off the coast of Heligoland as part of nuisance raids against the German fleet. At daybreak on the 13th September the E-9 surfaced six miles south-south west of Heligoland having spent the night on the bottom of the sea some 120 feet down. Horton was greeted by the sight of the aviso Hela only two miles away, he quickly ordered two torpedoes launched and to dive quickly away. They briefly surfaced and saw Hela was listing heavily but when they came under fire he dived away again not returning to the scene for an hour and when he did Hela was gone and only trawlers were seen. The Hela had sunk in twenty minutes with the loss of only three men who had been at the torpedo impact point and the rest of the crew being rescued by a nearby U-boat. On their return to port Horton started a tradition which is still in practice today by raising the Jolly Roger flag as a reference to Admiral Wilson who had referred to submariners as "underhanded, unfair, and damned un-English" and the crews should be hanged as pirates. With each success the flag was hoisted and other crews imitated it as well with the Admiralty unable or unwilling to stop them.
His next victory as on the 6th October when the torpedo boat S-116 and S-117, who were on patrol off the Ems estuary came into his sights and launched two torpedoes one of which struck its target causing the S-116 to break in two and quickly sink with the death of 7 men.
On the 15th October 1914 the E-9 under Horton, the E-1 under Lt Commander Noel Laurence and the E-11 under Lt Commander Martin Dunbar-Nasmith were dispatched on an exceptionally dangerous mission into the Baltic to disrupt German shipping in the German lake.
With stalemate locking up the Eastern Front Russia called for assistance and the only possible aid would have to be delivered by the Royal Navy. Jackie Fisher had proposed a naval landing on the Northern coast of Germany which would open up a third front, threatening Berlin and causing the armies at the Fronts to be depleted. The presence of the German High Seas Fleet and the mine barrage prohibited a fleet action but the dispatch of submarines to sow discord and disrupt the merchant ships that were operating through the Kattegat was the next best option and Horton was the best choice for leading one of the submarines.
The raid into the Baltic would be dangerous and daring with the British having not made any plans as to how to repair or resupply the submarines once they had arrived and told the Captains to head for the Russian base at Libau (without telling the Russians). For the three boats it would be impossible to escape but the crews were told to head for Arkangel or sneak through Sweden to get back home when the time came.
The journey into the Baltic was full of dangers with shallows that made it impossible to pass submerged. Naturally this was where the German torpedo boats patrolled and this was where E-11 encountered trouble and was forced to turn back. E-1 and E-9 successfully passed the sand banks three hours apart on the 17th October. The E-9’s journey to Libau was a lot hairier than the E-1s but the cool headed professionalism of Horton ensured they made it firing flares and flying a huge Royal Navy ensign as they neared port so the Russians knew who they were.
Operations began immediately with the search for German ships and even into the winter months where the sea spay would freeze in the air and the coats of those on watch had to be gently chipped at with a hammer and chisel so they could be removed. On one occasion the water was so cold that E-9 was encased in ice, valves frozen solid and ballast tank hatches frozen shut. Despite the dangers Horton ordered the submarine to dive and was proved right that the temperature of the ice below would thaw the boat.
The main reason for the submarines was to interdict trade, especially the iron ore trade from Sweden but with the Baltic’s water freezing and the ships going via the Norwegian North Sea coast meaning the freshly promoted Commander Horton would have to wait for warmer weather.
Despite Laurence putting a torpedo into the battlecruiser Moltke and deterring a fleet action in support of the army on 19th August 1915 causing a nervous Kaiser to order his precious battle fleet not to enter the Baltic except for “exceptional” reasons it was Horton that the German’s despised referring to the Baltic as “Horton’s Sea”. His abilities were so feared that sea trials of new vessels were not carried out. He sank a destroyer which was coaling and the collier in the same raid as well as several large transports caught at sea including one which caused a standoff with a Swedish warship which Horton won by quoting international laws to the Swedish Captain. The Germans even put a bounty out on him and there is a story that a beautiful young woman was sent to poison him but she was so struck by Horton’s wit and charm that she could not go through with it and volunteered her handlers for arrest!
When the Admiralty summoned the officers of the two submarines back home for redeployment Horton initially refused to go suggesting he could be the Senior Submarine Officer in the area and the Russians did not want him to go home because of his record and endless luck. The Admiralty however felt that his attitude towards those he considered not up to scratch and for bluntness meant he wouldn’t be suited to the role. Instead he was brought home and reassigned to the J-6 but his luck had run out and the only target they got close to attacking was the U-61 but Horton missed.
Horton’s war career saw him decorated with a DSO and bar, the Order of St George (4th Class) from Russia along with the Order of St Vladimir, St Anna (2nd class) and St Stanislaus (2nd Class)
Horton worked up an impressive record. I had no idea there was so much submarine warfare in WW1!
Fascinating story, thank you Chris.