The ‘suicide squadron’: Submarines in Gosport

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While German U-boats were a constant menace to shipping, British submarines also achieved success during the war. The service had its headquarters in Gosport together with bases around the UK. Submarines developed rapidly in size and sophistication as the war progressed, but the risks to crewmen were high. Submariners were volunteers who could earn double the pay of ordinary Royal Navy sailors. One in three servicemen died during the war, often in accidents rather than through enemy action. Submariners were selected partly for their strong constitution to cope with the many hardships of life at sea: fatigue, stress, extreme temperatures, sea-sickness, damp, oxygen-deprivation and battery fumes, as well as the constant stench of diesel and toilet-buckets. British submarines were notably successful in disrupting Turkish supplies and shipments of ore in the Baltic, as well as helping to maintain the crucial naval blockade in the North Sea. Before the war they had been denounced by one Rear Admiral as “underhand, unfair and damned un-English”, but they quickly became a vital part of the war effort. Location: Gosport, PO12 2AB Image: Elvis Picture shows ( l-r ) HMS Splendid