John Gaimes

Lieutenant-Commander John Austin Gaimes, DSO, was a submarine commander for the Royal Navy. He died 20 January 1921, at the age of 33, when HMS K5 sank with the loss of all hands during a mock battle in the Bay of Biscay.

History of service

• 1901, posted to the training shipHMS Britannia.
• Served as second-in-command of the destroyer HMS Syren for a year.
• Volunteered for British submarine command in 1908, appointed January 1909.
• Served on the C-class submarines.
• Appointed command of HMS A9 on 5 October 1911.
• A year later, appointed command of HMS B9.
• March 1913, captained HMS C37 in Hong Kong.
• 10 April 1917, commanded submarine in Harwich flotilla.
• Located the secret Heligoland passage, marked out by buoys for German warships to follow.
• June 1918, awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for war services.
• After World War I, commanded submarines attached to depot ship HMS Dolphin at Portsmouth.
• November 1919, appointed to cruiser HMS Inconstant for steam-driven vessels of the K-class in the First Flotilla.
• 1 April 1920, appointed command of HMS K5.