Gibraltar at War

A Naval Bastion

Even after the passing of the Age of Sail, tiny Gibraltar (2.6 sq.miles) remained vital to the British Empire and a thorn in the side of its enemies. In both world wars it guarded Britain’s lifeline through the Suez Canal to Asia. In the late 19th century, Great Britain, viewing the strategic value of Gibraltar as a naval base, had greatly expanded and modernized its harbor.  Under the reforming leadership of First Sea Lord, Admiral John "Jacky" Fisher, Gibraltar became the base for the Atlantic Fleet. At this time, Malta was also built up as an advance base and both locations would prove invaluable in supporting the Gallipoli and Egypt/Palestine campaigns when a world war came.

About the Rock

The Rock is not Gibraltar but a big part of it. Gibraltar is a roughly 2.6-square-mile peninsula protruding from the southeast coast of the much larger Iberian Peninsula, of which, the Rock covers about 40 percent. The peninsula is not quite the southernmost point of Iberia, nor does it guard the narrowest point of waterborne passage, though its tip ends just 14 miles from the coast of North Africa. But it is the Rock that gives the peninsula its military significance. Planted squarely on the peninsula, it slopes upward 1,400 feet on its steep eastern face, making it seem custom-built to resist invasion by land. 

The peninsula’s settled area (population18,000 at the time of the war), such as it is, nestles safely below the Rock’s western face. Seaward to the south, the approach is not so daunting and there are tiny landing strips available to soldiers; still, a protracted campaign to capture Gibraltar from this direction would require constant support from the sea. In the Age of Sail and to a somewhat lesser extent in the 20th century, control of Gibraltar required total and prolonged naval dominance of the western Mediterranean. The maintenance of naval supremacy depended in turn on control of Gibraltar.

A British Cemetery at the Foot of the Rock

The Coming of War

As anticipated, during the Great War, the Strait of Gibraltar was a key location. The influential American naval historian Captain Dudley W. Knox succinctly noted that “Gibraltar was “the ‘gateway’ for more traffic than any other position in the world. Gibraltar was the focus for the great routes to and from the east through the Mediterranean, and from it extended the communications for the armies in Italy, Saloniki, Egypt, Palestine, and Mesopotamia.”

Besides the missions of  supplying and repairing Allied shipping, the forces based at Gibraltar were initially concerned with several threats to Allied maritime traffic:

1. Approaching and departing the Straits of Gibraltar to and from the Azores, France, and the British isles;

2. In the immediate danger zone from German submarines in and around the Straits; and

3. Departing and approaching the Straits to and from North Africa, Italy, Malta, and the Eastern Mediterranean.

The U-boat Menace

The Imperial German Navy had begun to deploy submarines to the Mediterranean as early as April 1915, at the same time as the British and French were involved in the Dardanelles campaign. Soon, the Central Powers began to put into operation prefabricated submarines assembled at the Austro-Hungarian base at Pola in Istria in the northern Adriatic.

These boats began the submarine warfare campaign against allies shipping in the Mediterranean. This appearance of U-boats in the Mediterranean in 1915 found the British unprepared. The kaiser’s submarines passed through the straits and below the Rock with impunity, going on to raid Allied shipping. The British garrison looked on in frustration but could do nothing to stop them. In order to try to control this threat in the Mediterranean, British, French, and Italian warships attempted various types of anti-submarine operations. Without an organized allied naval command and effective methods, the efforts were mostly ineffective. Sinkings increased month to month. In 1916, the Allies lost 415 ships.

Things began to change, however, when the convoy system was implemented in 1917.  Gibraltar became the main site for assembling the convoys traveling through the Mediterranean and the main base for escort ships. Nonetheless, while the convoyed ships were better protected, U-boat commanders continued feasting on un-escorted ships almost to the end of the war.  Records indicated 325 ships were lost in 1918 in the theater.

Scout Cruiser USS Birmingham (CL-2) was the flagship for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet Patrol Force operating from Gibraltar

The American Contribution

Once the United States entered the war it began building a significant naval presence at Gibraltar. Eventually, the U.S. Navy at Gibraltar comprised 41 vessels — mainly small vessels such as gunboats, revenue cutters, antiquated destroyers, and steam-powered yachts brought into naval service— manned by a force of officers and men that averaged 314 officers and 4,660 sailors. During July and August, 1918, the Patrol Force escorted 25 percent of all Mediterranean convoys to French ports, and 70 percent of all convoys to English ports from the vicinity of Gibraltar.  Today, a beautiful memorial honoring this American contribution stands on the west side of the peninsula. (Article HERE.)

The Contributions of Gibraltarians

Unlike the Second World War, the good people of Gibraltar did not experience any enemy attacks during the Great War. The civilian population suffered some displacements due to the large influx of military personnel and many individuals served in voluntary service and medical units. Thirteen of its citizens, however, were killed serving with Allied forces during hostilities.  

Sources:  Putting Cargoes Through: The U.S Navy at Gibraltar during the First World War, 1917-1919; "The Rock of Legend: Gibraltar," Edward Lengel, Historynet, 1917.