| Max Kennedy Horton |
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On the morning of September 13 , 1914 , the German light cruiser SMS ''Hela'' was torpedoed six miles southwest of Heligoland by the British submarine HMSM ''E 9'', commanded by Max Horton. ''Hela'' was hit amidships and sank. All but two of her crew were rescued by the German submarine ''U 18'' and another German ship. Although pursued most of the day by German naval forces, ''E 9'' managed to reach Harwich safely. Entering the port, Horton initiated the tradition of British submariners of hoisting the pirate flag Jolly Roger after a sinking. Three weeks later Horton sank the German destroyer ''S 116''. For sinking the cruiser and the destroyer Horton was awarded the DSO . On December 31 , 1914 , Horton was promoted to Commander. Sent to the Baltic Sea, Horton sank another destroyer and a number of merchant vessels and damaged the German armored cruiser SMS ''Prinz Adalbert''. In 1917 Horton was awarded bar to his DSO for long and arduous services in command of overseas submarines, three years later as a captain he was awarded a second bar to his DSO for distinguished service in command of the Baltic submarine flotilla. During the 1920s Horton served as captain of HMS ''Conquest'' and of the battleship HMS ''Resolution'' . In 1932 Horton was promoted Rear Admiral with flag onboard the battleship HMS ''Malaya'' . Three years later he took command of the 1st Cruiser Squadron with flag onboard HMS ''London'' . Promoted to Vice Admiral in 1937 , he commanded the Reserve Fleet. In 1940 he was promoted to admiral and given command of the submarine fleet. On November 17 , 1942 , Horton was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches Command . He instituted a series of tactical changes in the way the escort ships were to be used. Organizing them into "support groups" and "hunter-killer groups", they were to operate at longer distances from the convoys, available to support convoys under attack or to attack submarines spotted by reconnaissance planes. In August 1945, Max Horton at his own request was placed on the retired list in order to facilitate the promotion of younger officers. He was awarded the Knight Grand Cross in the Order Of The Bath . |
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