HMS J1 (later HMAS J1) was a Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 J class submarine

British J class submarine

The J class of submarines was a seven submarine class developed by the Royal Navy prior to the First World War in response to claims that Germany was developing submarines that were fast enough to operate alongside surface fleets...

 built by HM Dockyard at Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

 in Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

 and launched on 6 November 1915.

Service history

J1 operated in patrols in the North Sea

North Sea

In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...

. In November 1916 a German force of half a destroyer flotilla, three dreadnoughts, and a battlecruiser set out from port to rescue two submarines and that were stranded in fog off Jutland

Jutland

Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...

. On the return having only rescued one of the submarines the force passed J1 off Horns Reef

Horns Reef

Horns Rev is a shallow area in the eastern North Sea, about 15 km / 10 miles off the westernmost point of Denmark, Blåvands Huk...

 on 5 November 1916.
Two of the dreadnoughts, SMS Kronprinz

SMS Kronprinz

Two ships of the German Navy have been named SMS Kronprinz:*SMS Kronprinz - Armored frigate built for the Prussian Navy in 1867*SMS Kronprinz - König class battleship built for the German Imperial Navy shortly before World War I, later renamed Kronprinz Wilhelm....

 and SMS Grosser Kurfürst

SMS Grosser Kurfürst (1913)

SMS Grosser Kurfürst"SMS" stands for "Seiner Majestät Schiff" was the second battleship of the four-ship . Grosser Kurfürst served in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The battleship was laid down in October 1911 and launched on 5 May 1913...

 were torpedoed by J1, earning her commanding officer Cdr N. F. Laurence a Bar

Medal bar

A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...

 for his Distinguished Service Order

Distinguished Service Order

The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...

.
The dreadnoughts did not sink, but reached port and underwent repairs.

The submarine was later transferred to Gibraltar for operations in the Mediterranean. On the 9 November 1918 during an engagement with UB-57  J1 launched a depth charge from a specially fitted launcher.

J1 was transferred along with five other J class submarines to Australia on 25 March 1919. She operated out of Geelong until she was paid off on 12 July 1922.

J1 was sold to the Melbourne Salvage Company on 26 February 1924. The hulk was scuttled in the ship graveyard

Ship graveyard

A ship graveyard or ship cemetery is a location where the hulls of scrapped ships are left to decay and disintegrate, or left in reserve...

 off Port Phillip

Port Phillip

Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...

Heads at 38°18′58"S 144°33′13"E on 26 May 1926.

The J1 wreck, also known as "38 Metre Sub", "135 Foot Sub", or "New Sub", is submerged in 38 metres (124.7 ft) of water. It is accessible by experienced divers.