HMS E43


HMS E43 was a British E-class submarine built by Swan Hunter, Wallsend. She was laid down on 22 December 1914 and was commissioned on 20 February 1916. On 19 January 1917 E43 collided with off Harwich in the North Sea; E36 sank with all hands. E43 was sold on 3 January 1921 but became stranded under tow west off St Agnes Head, Cornwall on 25 November 1921.

Design

Like all post-E8 British E-class submarines, E43 had a displacement of at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of and a beam of. She was powered by two Vickers eight-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines and two electric motors. The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of. British E-class submarines had fuel capacities of of diesel and ranges of when travelling at. E43 was capable of operating submerged for five hours when travelling at.
E43 was armed with a 12-pounder QF gun mounted forward of the conning tower. She had five 18 inch torpedo tubes, two in the bow, one either side amidships, and one in the stern; a total of 10 torpedoes were carried.
E-Class submarines had wireless systems with power ratings; in some submarines, these were later upgraded to systems by removing a midship torpedo tube. Their maximum design depth was although in service some reached depths of below. Some submarines contained Fessenden oscillator systems.

Crew

Her complement was three officers and 28 men.