The Submarine Mining Service was a branch of the Royal Engineers (RE) tasked with defending Britain's dockyards using fixed mines (also known as 'torpedoes' in the early days) and later electric searchlights. From 1871 the RE formed a number of submarine mining (SM) companies, stationed at defended ports in the UK and around the Empire. 30th Submarine Mining Company at Plymouth acted as the depot company for the Submarine Mining School.Baker-Brown, pp. 222–4, 234.Watson & Rinaldi, pp. 7–9.
As the commitments of the service expanded the Regular RE companies were supplemented by SM companies (later 'divisions') formed within the Militia. The first was raised in 1878 as the Hampshire Engineers (Submarine Miners) at Gosport, expanded in 1883 to form the Southern Division Submarine Mining Militia of four companies stationed at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham dockyards.Baker Brown, pp. 2–13.Watson & Rinaldi, p. 10. By 1892 these had been expanded to 10 divisions covering the main naval dockyards in the UK.Army List, various dates. A high level committee on RE manpower chaired by Lord Sandhurst in 1885–6 recommended a rapid expansion of the SM service, including the Militia.Baker-Brown, p. 9.
A few SM companies were also formed in 1883–4 within Engineer Volunteer Corps (EVCs) of the Volunteer Force. However, the War Office decided in 1886 that the higher standard of training required by submarine miners made it more convenient to treat these companies as separate units, and seven Volunteer SM divisions were formed.Westlake, pp. 15–7.
After the submarine mining branch was abolished in 1907, the Regular units were converted into Fortress Companies, the Militia units were disbanded and most of the Volunteer units were reduced to small units working the searchlights for the gun defences. The following year these were incorporated into the Fortress Royal Engineer units of the Territorial Force.
List of RE Submarine mining units Regulars Units formed in the Regular RE:
TitleFormedStationDisposal4th Submarine Mining Company1887Gosport and Spithead4th Fortress Company 190521st Submarine Mining Company1885Harwich21st Fortress Company 190522nd Submarine Mining Company1886Gosport, later Yarmouth, Isle of Wight22nd Fortress Company 190527th Submarine Mining Company1888Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Bermuda27th Fortress Company 190528th Submarine Mining Company1887Chatham Dockyard and Gravesend, later Malta28th Fortress Company 190530th Submarine Mining Company1886Gosport and Spithead30th Fortress Company 190533rd Submarine Mining Company1888Cork Harbour33rd Fortress Company 190534th Submarine Mining Company1885Malta, later Gravesend34th Fortress Company 190535th Submarine Mining Company1887Pembroke Dock35th Fortress Company 190539th Submarine Mining Company1888Chatham and Sheerness Dockyard39th Fortress Company 190540th Submarine Mining Company1888Halifax, Nova Scotia40th Fortress Company 190548th Submarine Mining Company1900Esquimault Dockyard and Victoria, British Columbia48th Fortress Company 1905
Militia Units formed in the Militia:Hart's, various dates.Hay, pp. 227–31.
TitleFormedStationDisposalHampshire Engineers (Submarine Miners) (Southern Division 1883) 1873 Portsmouth1st (Hampshire) Submarine Mining Company1878PortsmouthPortsmouth Division2nd (Hampshire) Submarine Mining CompanyPortsmouth Division3rd (Devonshire) Submarine Mining Company1885PlymouthPlymouth Division4th (Kent) Submarine Mining Company1884 ChathamThames and Medway DivisionPortsmouth DivisionFrom Hampshire Companies 1888GosportDisbanded 1908Needles DivisionFrom Portsmouth Division 1894Fort Victoria, Isle of WightDisbanded 1908Plymouth DivisionFrom Devon Company 1888PlymouthDisbanded 1908Thames & Medway DivisionFrom Kent Company 1888ChathamSeparate Thames and Medway Divisions 1902Thames DivisionFrom Thames & Medway Division 1902GravesendDisbanded 1908Medway DivisionFrom Thames & Medway Division 1902SheernessDisbanded 1908Harwich Division1888HarwichDisbanded 1908Milford Haven Division1888Pembroke DockDisbanded 1908Severn Division (South Wales & Severn 1889, Western Division 1894)1888Pembroke DockDisbanded 1908Humber DivisionFrom Volunteers 1891Paull-on-HumberEast Riding Fortress Royal Engineers (TF)Watson & Rinaldi, p. 12. 1908Falmouth DivisionFrom Volunteers 1892FalmouthDisbanded 1908
Volunteers Units formed in the Volunteers:
TitleFormedStationDisposalSevern Division Submarine Miners1886 from 1st Gloucestershire EVC 1885CardiffGlamorgan Fortress Royal Engineers and Welsh Divisional Telegraph Company 1908Humber Division Submarine Miners1886HullTo Militia 1891Tees Division Submarine Miners1886MiddlesbroughNorth Riding Fortress Royal Engineers 1908Falmouth Division Submarine Miners1888FalmouthTo Militia 1891Forth Division Submarine Miners1887LeithCity of Edinburgh (Fortress) Royal Engineers 1908Tay Division Submarine Miners1887DundeeDisbanded 1907Tyne Division Submarine Miners1888 from 1st Newcastle upon Tyne and Durham EVCNorth ShieldsDurham Fortress Royal Engineers 1908Clyde Division Submarine Miners1888 from 2 companies 1st Lanarkshire EVCGreenockRenfrewshire Fortress Royal Engineers 1908Mersey Division Submarine Miners1888 from K Company 1st Lancashire EVCLiverpoolLancashire Fortress Royal Engineers 1908
Notes
References Brig-Gen W. Baker Brown, History of the Corps of Royal Engineers, Vol IV, Chatham: Institution of Royal Engineers, 1952. Republished by Ray Westlake, Military Books, 1987, and by Naval & Military Press, 2015, Graham E. Watson & Richard A. Rinaldi, The Corps of Royal Engineers: Organization and Units 1889–2018, Tiger Lily Books, 2018, . R.A. Westlake, Royal Engineers (Volunteers) 1859–1908, Wembley: R.A. Westlake, 1983, .