Losses

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Timeline of losses

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A Tribute To Submariners

I have often looked for an opportunity of paying tribute to our submariners.

There is no branch of His Majesty's Forces which in this war has suffered the same proportion of total loss as our submarine service.

It is the most dangerous of all services.

That is perhaps the reason why the First Lord tells me that the entry into it is keenly sought by Officers and Men.

I feel sure the House would wish to testify its gratitude and admiration to our Submariners for their Skill - Courage and Devotion which has proved of inestimable value to the sustenance of our country.

Winston Churchill

We Will Remember Them

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Losses by name

Click the to view the boats Roll Of Honour

1902 - 1920: A Class
Struck on the starboard side, near the conning tower by the steam ship Berwick Castle

A2
1902 - 1920: A Class
Foundered in Bomb Ketch Lake Portsmouth in January 1920. Sold 22/10/1925 to H J Pounds of Portsmouth

1902 - 1920: A Class
Rammed and sunk by the HMS Hazard on 2nd February 1912. Used as a target and sunk on 17th May 1912.

A4
1902 - 1920: A Class
16/10/1905 - Sunk in a collision in Devenport harbour and was raised again before being sold for breaking on 16th January 1920 to J.H. Lee of Bembridge IOW.

1902 - 1920: A Class
Broken up in 1920.

1902 - 1920: A Class
16/1/1914 - Sank in Whitsand Bay near Plymouth. Remains 135 feet down as a maritime grave

1902 - 1920: A Class
8 May 1905 - Sank in Plymouth Sound after internal explosion but was raised and repaired. Eventually stricken in July 1916 and sold for breaking on 18th October 1920 to Phillips of Dartmouth.

Affray (P421)

1943 - 1977: Amphion Class
Lost on 16th April 1951 through flooding caused by fractured snorkel in Hurd Deep, off Alderney

Artemis (P449)
1943 - 1977: Amphion Class
Sold for scrap in 1972 after sinking alongside at Dolphin trot 1.

B10

1903 - 1906: B Class
On 9th August 1916, B10 was tied up alongside the Depot Ship Marco Polo in Venice. During an air raid by Austrian aircraft B10 was damaged by a bomb and sank.The Submarine was later raised and placed in dry dock for refit/repair. During these repairs the Submarine was set on fire by a welder’s torch and was written off.

1903 - 1906: B Class
Sank off Dover after collision with SS Amerika

C11

1903 - 1906: C Class
Sunk on 14/7/1909 after collision with SS Eddystone of off Cromer. All but 3 crew perished.

C12
1903 - 1906: C Class
October 1918 - Sank off Immingham after collision with HM destroyer

C14

1903 - 1906: C Class
10 December 1913 - Sank off Plymouth Sound after collision with Hopper, salvaged and returned to active service. Scrapped December 1921.

C16

1903 - 1906: C Class
C16 which was dived and at periscope depth was in a collision with HMS Melampus on 16th April 1917. The submarine was damaged and hit the bottom at 60 feet. It appears that all the crew survived the collision and the bottoming but, through a series of misfortunes, all attempts at escape failed and the whole crew was lost. The submarine was later recovered and refitted and saw further war service. The submarine was sold for scrap to C A Beard of Upnor on 12 August 1922.

C17
1903 - 1906: C Class
Sunk in collision with HMS Lurcher in May 1917. Repaired but scrapped in November 1919.

C26

1903 - 1906: C Class
Deliberately scuttled in the Baltic off Helsingfors to prevent their capture by the German Army. The Care and Maintenance Party (under Lieutenant Downie) who carried out the scuttling also destroyed all of the stores and torpedoes of the Baltic Flotilla before returning home safely via Petrograd & Archangel. The submarine was subsequently salvaged in August 1953

C27
1903 - 1906: C Class
Deliberately scuttled in the Baltic off Helsingfors to prevent their capture by the German Army. The Care and Maintenance Party (under Lieutenant Downie) who carried out the scuttling also destroyed all of the stores and torpedoes of the Baltic Flotilla before returning home safely via Petrograd & Archangel.

C29

1903 - 1906: C Class
On 29th August 1915 Submarine C29 (Lieutenant Commander William R Schofield) ran into an unknown mine field off of the Humber and the submarine was lost with all hands. C29 was working with the trawler Ariadne in an operation against U-Boats. At the time, C29 was being towed whilst dived and was in contact with the Ariadne when the mine exploded.

C31

1903 - 1906: C Class
Submarine C31 was sent to the area off Zeebrugge in Belgium for a two-day patrol on the 4th January 1915 with orders to report at Harwich on the 7th. Nothing more was heard from C31 and on the 10th and 11th January two destroyers (Lurcher and Firedrake) attempted to find out what had happened but were thwarted by the stormy weather prevailing. It was thought that the submarine had been sunk by enemy patrol craft but it may well have been mined. The date of the loss of C31 is accepted as being Thursday 7th January 1915.

C32
1903 - 1906: C Class
Stranded 24th October 1917 in Gulf of Riga and destroyed by own forces.

C33

1903 - 1906: C Class
On 4th August 1915 Submarine C33 was operating in the North Sea in conjunction with the trawler Malta in an operation against the U-Boats. In the early evening the two vessels parted company. After a wireless message later the same evening nothing more was heard from C33. It is believed that the Submarine strayed into a minefield, hit a mine and was lost with all hands.

C34

1903 - 1906: C Class
On 17th July 1917 Submarine C34 was on the surface to the east of Fair Isle, in position 59 degrees 30 minutes North 0 degrees 05 minutes West, when she was torpedoed by the German Submarine U-52 (Walther Hans). The only survivor was Sto1 Frank Scoble O/N K22307 Frank Scoble was rescued by U-52 and taken Prisoner of War. He is understood to have returned home after the War.

C35
1903 - 1906: C Class
Deliberately scuttled in the Baltic off Helsingfors to prevent their capture by the German Army. The Care and Maintenance Party (under Lieutenant Downie) who carried out the scuttling also destroyed all of the stores and torpedoes of the Baltic Flotilla before returning home safely via Petrograd & Archangel.

Cachalot (N83)
1930 - 1946: Grampus Class
30 July 1941 - Scuttled off Benghazi to avoid capture

1907 - 1919: D Class
Sunk on 25th November 1914 by a German patrol boat off Borkum Island.

1907 - 1919: D Class
Erroneously sunk when mistaken for a U-boat on the 12th March 1918 by a French airship while in the Channel.

1907 - 1919: D Class
Sunk by a mine thrown out of a German warship off Great Yarmouth on 3rd November 1914.

1907 - 1919: D Class
Torpedoed by the German U-Boat UB-73 on 28th June 1918 near Northern Ireland.

1911 - 1924: E Class
Deliberately scuttled in the Baltic off Helsingfors to prevent their capture by the German Army. The Care and Maintenance Party (under Lieutenant Downie) who carried out the scuttling also destroyed all of the stores and torpedoes of the Baltic Flotilla before returning home safely via Petrograd & Archangel.

E10

1911 - 1924: E Class
Submarine E10 had been sent to patrol off the North-North West of Heligoland on 18th January 1915. The submarine parted company with the sister submarine E5 in the early evening of 18th January and was not seen again. It was thought at the time that E10 was mined on or about 18th January – the recent discovery of the wreck of the submarine confirmed that she did hit a mine. All hands were lost in this incident. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission records that the loss took place on 21 January 1915 which, it is assumed, is the day the submarine should have arrived back at Harwich.

E13

1911 - 1924: E Class
On 19th August 1915 Submarine E13 was attempting to make the passage through the Skaggerack and the Kattegat and into the Baltic Sea to join other British Submarines operating with the Russian Navy. The Submarine experienced a gyro compass failure and ran aground on the Danish Island of Saltholm. Despite the presence of Danish Warships in the area Submarine E13 was shelled into a wreck by German warships, which opened fire without warning. Fifteen of the crew were killed in the attack and the remainder swam to safety but were then interned by the Danes.

E14

1911 - 1924: E Class
On 28th January 1918 Submarine E14 was badly damaged when one of her torpedoes exploded shortly after firing and was further damaged by shore based artillery after running aground at Kum Kale before finally sinking.

E15

1911 - 1924: E Class
17 April 1915 - Ran aground at Kephez Point in the Dardanelles and subsequently torpedoed by HMS Majestic & Triumph to avoid capture by the Turks.

E16

1911 - 1924: E Class
On 22 August 1916, E16 was sighted on the surface some thirty-five miles east of Yarmouth by the sister submarine E38. A group of warships was also sighted by E38 a short while later. Splashes were seen on the surface in the distance which may have been depth charges exploding. There were also reports of German warships attacking a periscope on the same day. E16 did not return from patrol and was presumed to have been lost.

E17
1911 - 1924: E Class
In the morning of Thursday 6th January 1916 E17 was on patrol north of the island of Texel. The Submarine struck an uncharted bank and was badly damaged. The Dutch Cruiser Noord Brabant closed to investigate the problem but Lieutenant Commander Moncrieffe dived the Submarine to escape - believing that the Cruiser was hostile. The damage forced Moncrieffe to surface. The crew was taken off and interned in Holland for the duration. Initially the crew was interned at Den Helder but they were later moved to Groningen where other Royal Navy internees were held. E17 sank later in the morning of 6th January.

E18

1911 - 1924: E Class
E18 was due to report in to Dagerot on the 2nd of June. Recently laid mines along the submarine's course home the likely cause for E18's loss

E19

E20

1911 - 1924: E Class
Torpedoed and sunk on 5th November 1916 by German U-boat U14 in the Sea of Marmara

E22

1911 - 1924: E Class
Torpedoed and sunk by U18 in the North Sea on 25th April 1916. Two members of the crew picked up and landed at Zeebrugge.

E24

1911 - 1924: E Class
E24 sailed from Harwich on Tuesday 21 March 1916 with orders to carry out a Mine Laying Operation in the Heligoland Bight. The Submarine did not return from this operation and is assumed to have been mined on or about Friday 24 March 1916.

E26

1911 - 1924: E Class
On 3rd July 1916 E26 was operating off the estuary of the Ems River when the submarine was attacked by German forces. Both gunfire and bombs were used. E26 did not return from her patrol. The crew were all lost.

1911 - 1924: E Class
Submarine E3 had been detailed to patrol off the Island of Borkum in the North Sea. However Submarine E3 was sighted, whilst on the surface, by the German U-Boat U-27. The Commander of U-27 fired his torpedoes and sank E3. It is reported that four of the crew were seen in the water after the Submarine sank but the Commander of U-27 (Lieutenant Commander Bernhard Wegener) was unwilling to close the area to make a rescue as he was concerned that there was another British Submarine in the area. When he finally closed the area of the sinking all four had vanished. As a result all of the crew of Submarine E3 died in the sinking.

E30

1911 - 1924: E Class
Lost on 22nd November 1916 in the North sea. Possibly mined off Orford Ness

E34

1911 - 1924: E Class
Believed mined on 20th July 1918.

E36

1911 - 1924: E Class
E36 was lost with all hands in the North Sea, believed to have been hit, whilst dived, by E43 on Friday 19th January 1917.

E37

1911 - 1924: E Class
E37 was lost on the night of 30th November/1st December 1916 although the CWGC Records quote a date of Sunday 3rd December 1916. Lieutenant Commander Robert Fellowes Chisholm had sailed from Harwich in company with E54 (Lieutenant Commander Robert Raikes). It is thought that E37 was lost in a minefield off Orford Ness.

E41

1911 - 1924: E Class
15/8/1916 - Sank off Harwich after collision with HMS E4 Scrapped in September 1922

E47

1911 - 1924: E Class
Lost on 20th August 1917 for reasons unknown.

E49

1911 - 1924: E Class
On 2th March 1917 Submarine E49 left the Shetlands for patrol. As the Submarine was clearing the Balta Sound she hit a mine which had been laid by the German U-Boat UC-76 on 10th March 1917. E49 sank with all the crew and is lying in 16 fathoms (96 feet) of water off Huney Island.

1911 - 1924: E Class
On 7th March 1916 Submarine E5 was on patrol in the North Sea north of Juist Island when it was sighted by a German Battle Cruiser SMS Seydlitz. An attack was carried out on the Submarine - apparently without effect. Later a Submarine, believed to be E5, was sighted by German Cruiser SMS Regensburg further east and close by a German minefield off the west of the Ems River. Submarine E5 was not seen again and is thought to have been lost in the minefield.

E50

1911 - 1924: E Class
Submarine E50 was lost in the North Sea on, or about 1/2/1918. The Submarine is believed to have struck a mine near the South Dogger Light Vessel.

1911 - 1924: E Class
Mined off Harwich on 26th December 1915. Lost with all hands.

1911 - 1924: E Class
On 4th September 1915 Submarine E7 was attempting a passage through the Dardanelles into the Sea of Marmora when the starboard propeller became entangled in the anti-submarine nets at Nagara. Despite all efforts the submarine was unable to break free and to avoid being depth charged to destruction the Commanding Officer surfaced the submarine to abandon ship and then scuttled the submarine. All of the crew survived and were made Prisoners of War. However four of the crew died in captivity.

E8
1911 - 1924: E Class
Deliberately scuttled in the Baltic off Helsingfors to prevent their capture by the German Army. The Care and Maintenance Party (under Lieutenant Downie) who carried out the scuttling also destroyed all of the stores and torpedoes of the Baltic Flotilla before returning home safely via Petrograd & Archangel.

G11

1914 - 1921: G Class
Ran aground and was wrecked off Howick, Northumberland, returning from Dogger Bank patrol in thick fog on 22nd November 1918. Two crew members lost.

G7
1914 - 1921: G Class
In 1918 HMS G7 (Lt Charles A C Russell RN) operated out of Blyth patrolling the North Sea. Contact was lost on the 23rd October and she was declared lost on 1st November, the last British submarine lost in WW1

1914 - 1921: G Class
Submarine G8 sailed on a North Sea patrol in January 1918 and failed to return. It is believed that she was lost in a German minefield on or about 14th January 1918.

1914 - 1921: G Class
Submarine G9 was on patrol in the North Sea on 16th September 1917 having left her base on the Tees on 9th September. The Submarine was in position between 60 degrees 30 minutes North and 61 degrees 30 minutes North. G9 apparently fired a torpedo at the ‘M’ Class Destroyer HMS Pasley believing the Destroyer to be a German U-Boat. The torpedo did not explode and HMS Pasley rammed the submarine, which sank. There was one survivor, Stoker William Alfred Drake. The remainder of the crew of G9 was lost.

Grampus (N56)

1930 - 1946: Grampus Class
HMS Grampus was reported missing on her first War Patrol. In the Mediterranean. The Submarine was 'lost with all hands' on 16th June 1940 off Syracuse having been detected and depth charged by Italian torpedo boats Circe, Clio and Polluce.

Graph (P715)
1941 - 1944: VIIC Class

Lost on 20 March 1944 when she ran aground on the west coast of the Island of Islay, Scotland

H10

1917 - 1945: H Class
H10 sailed on a North Sea patrol in January 1918 and failed to return. It is believed that she was lost in a German minefield.

H29

1917 - 1945: H Class
Sank in Devonport Dockyard in August 1926. After being raised was scrapped in 1927

1917 - 1945: H Class
Mined attempting to penetrate the Austrian anchorage at Cattaro in the Adriatic sea on 15th July 1916. Lost with all hands.

H31

1917 - 1945: H Class
Sunk by German patrol vessels off the Dutch Coast or mined in Bay Biscay 24 Dec 1941

H4
1917 - 1945: H Class
Foundered in the English channel Sept 3 1918 while under tow to be scrapped. She was salvaged and used as a target the following year.

H41
1917 - 1945: H Class
Sunk alongside at Blyth on 18th October 1919 after being holed in a collision, by the propeller of HMS Vulcan.

H42

1917 - 1945: H Class
Sunk in Collision with HMS Versatile off Gibraltar 23rd March 1922

H47

1917 - 1945: H Class
9 July 1929 - Sank off Pembrokeshire Coast following collision with HMS L12

H49

1917 - 1945: H Class
On 17th October 1940, HMS H49 (Lt. Richard Evelyn Coltart, DSC, RN) sailed from Harwich with orders to patrol off Texel, on the Dutch coast. On the following day, to the west of Texel in the Netherlands by H49 was depth charged by the German auxiliary submarine chasers UJ-116 and UJ-118. One survivor was picked up. He was L/Sto George William Oliver D/KX 77876, but the other 26 members of the crew were lost.

H5
1917 - 1945: H Class
Submarine H5 had sailed for a patrol in the Irish Sea. In the morning of Saturday, 2nd March 1918 the Submarine was sighted after it had crossed the bows of a steamer, the SS Rutherglen. The Captain of the Rutherglen believed that he had come across a U-Boat and he rammed the submarine resulting in the loss of all the crew. SS Rutherglen was herself sunk on 24th April 1918 after being torpedoed by a U-Boat whilst on passage between Gibraltar and Genoa.

1917 - 1945: H Class
In 1940 she was scuttled at Dan Helder, salvaged by the Dutch and served as UD1 until March 1943.

1915 - 1929: J Class
Submarine J6 was sunk on 15th October 1918. At the time J6 was on the surface near Blyth. In the afternoon the Q Ship HMS Cymric sighted what was thought to be a German Submarine and made an attack with her guns. The submarine was unable to establish her identity as the Signalman attempting to hoist the Recognition Signal was killed by shell fire.

K1
1915 - 1926: K Class
Submarine K1 was sunk, deliberately, by gunfire from the Cruiser HMS Blonde on 18th November 1917. K1 was sunk after being damaged in a collision with K4 off the Danish Coast. The collision occurred when K1 last power after sea water instead of oil fuel was accidentally sprayed into the boilers after changing over fuel tanks. All of the crew-members were transferred to HMS Blonde before the submarine was sunk. There were no casualties.

K13

1915 - 1926: K Class
K13 which sank on 29th January 1917 when carrying out Acceptance Trials in the Gareloch off shore of the Shandon Hydropathic Hotel. Shortly after lunch the Submarine dived to carry out some final checks when the after end of the Submarine was flooded through the Engine Room Ventilators which had failed to shut properly. All personnel in the after part of the submarine were drowned. The survivors from the front end of Submarine K13 were rescued on 31st January. The Submarine was raised on 15th March 1917 and was refitted and returned to service as K22. Scrapped in December 1926.

K15
1915 - 1926: K Class
Sank in Portsmouth harbour 25 June 1921

K17

1915 - 1926: K Class
Submarine K17 was lost on the night of 31st January 1918. The submarine, which had been steaming on the surface in formation during a night exercise, was hit by HMS Fearless. K17 had altered course to avoid a collision with two trawlers that had been sighted. HMS Fearless, which was following K17, hit the submarine at 21 knots. Many of the crew managed to abandon ship before the submarine sank but were run down whilst in the water by escorting Destroyers which were unaware that any accident had taken place. The incident in which K17 was lost came to be referred to as the 'Battle of May Island'.

1915 - 1926: K Class
Sunk after colliding with HMS Inflexible during a night exercise off May Island on 31st January 1918. The same day as her sister K17. There were no survivors from Submarine K4

1915 - 1926: K Class
Foundered and sunk in the Bay of Biscay on 20th January 1921 for reasons unknown.

L10

1916 - 1945: L Class
The only L Class to be lost in the war. Sunk north of Terschelling by German destroyer S33 off river Texel, 30th October 1918

L24

1916 - 1945: L Class
Sunk in collision with HMS Resolution off Portland 10th January 1924

1916 - 1945: L Class
Involved in a collision with a dredger in 1929. Scrapped

L55

1916 - 1945: L Class
Sunk 9th June 1919

1916 - 1932: M Class
Rammed and was sunk on 12th November 1925 by SS Vidar off Start Point. Wreckage was not found until 1990 by Royal Navy and more recently by divers in 1999.

1916 - 1932: M Class
Foundered due to a leak in the hangar door on 26th January 1932

Narwhal (N45)

1930 - 1946: Grampus Class
Narwhal left Blyth on 22nd July 1940. On the afternoon of 23rd July, an aircraft reported attacking a submarine in the area where Narwhal should have been. Narwhal did not report again, it was assumed this attack sank the submarine with all hands.

Odin (N84)

1925 - 1946: Odin Class
Believed to be sunk by gunfire from Italian destroyer Strale & TB Baleno in the Gulf of Taranto on 14 June 1940 Odin (Lt. Cdr. Kenneth Maciver Woods, RN) went missing on her 1st Mediterranean War Patrol in June 1940 and was reported to have been ‘lost with all hands’ in the Gulf of Taranto about seventeen nautical miles east-north-east of Punta Alice, Crotone, Italy by the Italian destroyers Strale and Baleno on 14th June 1940, although this cannot be proved beyond doubt.

Olympus (N35)

1925 - 1946: Odin Class
The boat was used for magic carpet trips to and from Malta. On 8th May she was detailed to evacuate survivors from the bombed submarines, P36, P39 and Pandora. Olympus was mined six miles from St Elmos Light. There were twelve survivors.

Orpheus (N46)

1925 - 1946: Odin Class
HMS Orpheus was declared overdue on 27th June 1940. The likely cause of her loss with all hands is that she was mined off Benghazi.

Oswald (N58)

1925 - 1946: Odin Class
On 1st August 1940 HMS Oswald was rammed by the Italian Destroyer Vivaldi off Cape Spartivento. The Submarine sank and three of the crew members were lost. The remainder of the crew survived and were taken as Prisoners of War.

Otus (N92)
1925 - 1946: Odin Class
The last submarine of this type to be taken out of service in April 1946. Scuttled in September 1946 off the coast of Durban.

Oxley (P55)

1924 - 1945: Oberon Class
HMS Oxley was torpedoed, in error, by HMS Triton (Lieutenant Commander Hugh Patrick de Crecy Steel, Royal Navy) in the North Sea (off Norway) on Sunday 10th September 1939. HMS Oxley had accidentally strayed into the patrol area allocated to HMS Triton and had failed, for various reasons to respond to challenges. The Submarine Crew included a large proportion of Reservists, some of whom had served in Submarines in WWI, had only just been recalled for further Active Service. There were only two survivors – the Commanding Officer Lt Cdr Harold Godfrey Bowerman and Able Seaman Herbert Gluckes C/J105279

P222

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Sunk on 12th December 1942. Probably depth charged off Capri by Italian DE Fortunale.

P311

1935 - 1970: T Class
Mined north of Corsica on or about 2 Jan 1943.

P32

1936 - 1958: U Class
Submarine P32 was on patrol off Tripoli on 18th August 1942 when a convoy of five ships was sighted. The Commanding Officer attempted to dive under a minefield to give himself a better chance of attacking but the Submarine hit a mine that exploded, sending Submarine P32 to the bottom. Eight men in the fore-ends were killed by the collision and twenty-two survived the bottoming. Three of the crew including the Captain made an escape from the Conning Tower whilst the remainder attempted an escape from the Engine Room. Only two of the Crew made a successful escape. Lt Abdy and CPO Kirk survived as POWs.

P33

1936 - 1958: U Class
Believed to have been mined off Tripoli on the 18th August 1941. HMS P31 left Malta on 6th August 1941 for a patrol off Tripoli. Submarines HMS P32 and HMS Unique left at the same time and were in adjacent patrol areas. Both of these Submarines heard depth charging on 18th August coming from the area where Submarine P33 was patrolling. It is assumed that this depth charge attack was responsible for the loss of Submarine P33 with all hands.

P36
1936 - 1958: U Class
Bombed in Sliema creek Malta 1 Apr 1942. Salvaged and scrapped 22/8/58

P38

1936 - 1958: U Class
Depth charged by Italian TB Circe and Usodimare off Tunisian coast on 23 Feb 1942.

P39
1936 - 1958: U Class
Bombed in Valleta harbour on 26 March 1942. Salvaged, Broken up in 1954.

P48

1936 - 1958: U Class
Depth charged by Italian corvette Ardente in the Gulf of Tunis 25 Dec 1942

P514

1941 - 1945: R1 Class
In an appalling case of mistaken identity, the boat was rammed and sunk by a Canadian convoy escort HMC MS Georgian off Newfoundland, 21st June 1942

P615

1940 - 1957: Turkish Class
Sunk by U123 on 18th April 1943 off Liberia.

Pandora (N42)

1927 - 1946: Parthian Class
1st April 1942, a JU87 dropped a bomb directly down the conning tower hatch while the boat was moored at Hamilton Wharf, Malta. The casualties were all from duty watch. P36, moored at the Lazaretto, was sunk in the same attack.

Parthian (N75)

1927 - 1946: Parthian Class
Lost after striking a mine in southern Adriatic on 6th August 1943.

Perseus (N36)

1927 - 1946: Parthian Class
On 6th December the boat was mined off Cephallonia. The sole survivor was L/S John Capes whose extraordinary escape has become a legend within the Submarine Service

Phoenix (N96)

1927 - 1946: Parthian Class
Phoenix sailed on patrol in the Central Mediterranean from Alexandria on 3rd July 1940. A long-range attack was made on two Italian Battle Ships and four destroyer escorts and one hit was claimed. Phoenix continued on to the patrol area off Sicily where a minefield was to be laid. The Submarine was ‘lost with all hands’ on 10th July 1940, probably after a depth charge attack by the Italian Torpedo Boat Albatros off the San Croce Lighthouse at Augusta in Sicily.

Porpoise (N14)

1930 - 1946: Grampus Class
Bombed by Japanese aircraft in the Malacca Strait 19 Jan 1945.

Poseidon (N99)
1927 - 1946: Parthian Class
Lost after a collision with SS Yuta off Wei-Hai-Wei in the Gulf of Korea 9th June 1931.

Rainbow (N16)

1929 - 1946: Rainbow Class
4th October 1940, while attacking a convoy Rainbow collided with the Italian M/V Antonietta Costa and was lost with all hands.

Regent (N41)

1929 - 1946: Rainbow Class
Mined in the Strait of Taranto 18th April 1943.

Regulus (N88)

1929 - 1946: Rainbow Class
Lost, possibly mined in the Guild of Taranto 26 November 1940.

Safari (P211)
1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Lost on 1st August 1946 en route to shipbreakers

Sahib (P212)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Depth charged on 24 April 1943 off Sicily by Italian CVT Euterpe and scuttled.

Salmon (N65)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
This Submarine sailed for a North Sea patrol on 4th July 1940 and was expected to return to base on 14th July 1940. The Submarine is thought to have been sunk, ‘with all hands’, after hitting a mine in position 57˚22’N 05˚00’E on 9th July 1940.

Saracen (P247)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
14 August 1943 - Depth charged off Corsica by Italian CVT Minerva

Seahorse (S98)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Mined while moving between Zones E and B in the Heligoland Bight.

Seal (N37)

1930 - 1946: Grampus Class
Seal had been detailed to conduct a mine-lay in the Kattegat. Following the mine-lay the submarine was disabled and was un-manoeuvrable after accidentally hitting a mine. The Crew were forced to surrender to German Air and Surface forces. Although attempts were made to scuttle the Submarine Seal was salvaged by the German Navy who tried unsuccessfully to operate. One of the crew was lost during the events leading up to abandoning ship.

Shark (N54)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
HMS Shark was sunk on 6th July 1940 after being caught on the surface off the coast of Norway. Several bombs exploded close astern and severely damaged the propulsion. The Submarine dived in an attempt to get to safety but resurfaced in order to charge up the batteries and attempt to escape under cover of darkness. Both engines were restarted but the Port Engine was out of line and the rudder was jammed hard to port. The Submarine was relocated by enemy aircraft and attacked again. Unable to dive owing to a lack of high-pressure air, a low battery and flooding the Commanding Officer attempted to fight his way out but was forced, eventually, to surrender. 27 of the crew were uninjured, 12 (including the Commanding Officer) were wounded and 2 were killed. HMS Shark sank as the Germans were attempting to tow it to Stavanger.

Sickle (P224)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Believed lost when she struck a mine in the Kythera Channel. Sickle was the last British submarine to be lost in the Mediterranean during WW2

Sidon (P259)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Used as a target after an explosion on 16th June 1955 whilst alongside in Portland harbour.

Simoom (P225)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Sunk on 19th November 1943 possibly by mines in the Dardanelles.

Snapper (N39)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Lost in the Bay of Biscay cause unknown on 11th February 1941.

Spearfish (N69)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Believed sunk by U34 off coast of Norway on 1st August 1940. Sole survivor AB William Pester later killed in an accident 01-07-1945.

Splendid (P228)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Sunk on 21st April 1943 by a German destroyer Hermes off west coast of Corsica.

Starfish (S19)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Depth charged and sunk by German minesweeper M7 in the Heligoland Bight on 9 Jan 1940

Sterlet (N22)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
HMS Sterlet (Lt. Cdr. G R S Haward, RN) is believed to have been sunk on 18th April 1940 in the Skaggerak south of Larvik in Norway in position 58º55'N, 10º10'E after an attack by the German antisubmarine trawlers UJ-125, UJ-126 and UJ-128 although it is possible that she might have survived the attack and was mined while returning to base.

Stonehenge (P232)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Lost presumed sunk of the Nicobar Island on or about 20/3/44

Stratagem (P234)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Sunk on 22nd November 1944 by a Japanese destroyer off Malacca.

Sunfish (N81)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Lost on 27th July 1944 while serving as Russian sub.

Swordfish (N61)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
7 November 1940 - Mined of St. Catherine's Point Isle of Wight

Syrtis (P241)

1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Sunk on 28th March 1944 possibly by mines off Bodio Norway.

Talisman (N78)

1935 - 1970: T Class
The Italians claim to have sunk a submarine on the 17/9/1942 to the north west of Malta. this is believed to have been the Talisman

Tarpon (N17)

1935 - 1970: T Class
HMS Tarpon left Portsmouth for Rosyth on 5th April 1940. She was diverted to patrol around Norway on 6th April 1940. Around 0600 hours on 10th April 1940 by the Tarpon encountered the German 'Q-ship' Schiff 40 (Schürbek) west of Jutland, Denmark in approximate position 56º43'N, 06º33'5"E. Tarpon attacked the German vessel with two torpedoes both of which missed. It is assumed that Tarpon was sunk with all hands by depth charges in a counter-attack by Schiff 40. Tarpon was reported overdue on 22nd April 1940. Tarpon was probably the first British submarine to be lost to depth charges in WW2.

Tempest (N86)

1935 - 1970: T Class
13th Feb, 1942 the boat was detected and depth charged by the Italian Circe in the Gulf of Taranto. Following an epic struggle the submarine was forced to the surface in heavy seas. The Italians botched the rescue and there were just twenty-four survivors.

Tetrarch (N77)

1935 - 1970: T Class
Lost cause unknown in Western Med or about 2 November 1941.

Thames (N71)

1929 - 1945: River Class
HMS Thames was lost with all hands on 3rd August 1940. The Submarine was on its first patrol in the North Sea following a refit. The cause of the loss is not known but may have been the result of striking a mine.

Thetis (N25)
1935 - 1970: T Class
Foundered whilst on trials in Liverpool bay on 1st June 1939. Salvaged and became Thunderbolt. As a result of her demise the Thetis bolt was invented and fitted to all rear tube doors.

Thistle (N24)

1935 - 1970: T Class
In the early hours of 10th April 1940 Submarine HMS Thistle (Lt Cdr Herbert James Caldwell) was on the surface charging batteries off Skudenses in Norway when she was sighted by the U-Boat U-4 (Hinsh). Two torpedoes were fired at very close range, the first missed but the second hit and Thistle was sunk with all hands.

Thorn (N11)

1935 - 1970: T Class
Depth chargedby Italian TB Pegaso off Torbruk on 7 Aug 1942.

Thunderbolt (N25)

1935 - 1970: T Class
Depth charged by by Italian MA/SB Cicogna north of Sicily 14 Mar 1943

Tigris (N63)

1935 - 1970: T Class
27 February 1943 - Probably depth charged off Capri by German UJ2210

Totem (P352)
1935 - 1970: T Class
Lost in January 1968

Traveller (N48)

1935 - 1970: T Class
Lost cause unknown in the Gulf of Taranto on or around 4th December 1942.

Triad (N53)

1935 - 1970: T Class
On 15th October 1940, the Italian submarine Enrico Toto (C.C. Bandino Bandini) encountered HMS Traid south west of Calabria in position 38º16'N, 17º37'E. The Submarines passed at close range on opposite courses as the Italian submarine engaged with machine-gun fire and three rounds of 4" from her deck gun, claiming two direct hits. HMS Triad fired back scoring a hit on the conning tower of Enrico Toti but this caused only slight damage and wounded two sailors. Triad’s torpedo missed the Italian submarine by a few yards. Triad pulled away and dived but Enrico Toti had fired a torpedo which made a direct hit. Triad was lost with all hands.

Triton (N15)

1935 - 1970: T Class
Sunk by Italian TB in Adriatic sea on 8 Dec 1940.

Triumph (N18)

1935 - 1970: T Class
The boat was mined on or around 6th January 1942. She had earlier struck a mine in December 1940 but miraculously survived. There were no miracles the second time.

Trooper (N91)

1935 - 1970: T Class
Lost possibly mined in the Aegean sea on or about 17th October 1943.

Truant (N68)
1935 - 1970: T Class
Wrecked in December 1946 while en-route to the breakers.

Truculent (P315)

1935 - 1970: T Class
Sank after a collinsion with MV Divina in the Medway estuary 12th January 1950. Salvaged in March 1950. Scrapped in September 1950 at Grays.

Turbulent (N98)

1935 - 1970: T Class
Presumed mined off Sardinia 14 March 1943

Umpire (N82)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Mistaken for a U boat by anti submarine trawler Peter Hendriks off the Wash and rammed on 19 July 1941

Unbeaten (N93)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Mistaken for a U boat in the Bay of Biscay and bombed by the RAF on 11 Nov 1942

Undaunted (N55)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Possibly sunk off Zuara, Libya by Italian TB Pegaso on 12th May 1941.

Undine (N48)
1936 - 1958: U Class
Depth charged by German minesweepers M1201, M1204 and M1207 in Heligoland Bight and scuttled 7 Jan 1940

Union (N56)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Sunk by Italian patrol craft off Tunisian coast on 20 July 1941.

Unique (N95)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Lost 24-10-1942 cause unknown to the west of Gibraltar

Unity (N66)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Sank in surface collision with SS Atle Jarl off River Tyne 29 April 1940

Untamed (P58)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Sold on 13 February 1946 to be broken up for scrap at Troon.

Upholder (N99)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Depth charged by Italian TB Pegaso off Tripoli on 14 April 1942

Urge (N17)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Reported lost whilst on passage from Malta to Alexandria on 29th April 1942. Experts believe that the HMS Urge was fatally struck by a German mine shortly after leaving Malta's Grand Harbour, while the vessel was still surfaced.

Usk (N65)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Mined and sank off Cape Bon 3 May 1941.

Usurper (P56)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Depth charged by German patrol boat UJ2208 in Gulf of Genoa 3rd October 1943

Utmost (N19)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Depth charged by Italian TB Groppo off the west coast of Sicily on 24 November 1942.

Vandal (P64)

1936 - 1958: U Class
Foundered in the Firth of Clyde on 24th February 1943.

X10
1942 - 1946: X Class
Scuttled in North Sea after failed attack on Scharnhorst on 3 Oct 1943

X22

1942 - 1946: X Class
7 February 1944 - Sunk in Pentland Firth following collision with HMS Syrtisnk, Lost with all hands.

X3
1942 - 1946: X Class
4 November 1942 - Sank on exercise in Loch Striven

1942 - 1946: X Class
Lost during an attack on on German Battleship Tirpitz in Altenfjord Norway on 22 Sept 1943

X6
1942 - 1946: X Class
Lost during an attack on on German Battleship Tirpitz in Altenfjord Norway on 22 Sept 1943

1942 - 1946: X Class
Lost during an attack on on German Battleship Tirpitz in Altenfjord Norway on 22 Sept 1943

X8
1942 - 1946: X Class
Scuttled en-route to Norway to attack Lutzow on 17 Sept 1943

1942 - 1946: X Class
16 September 1943 - Lost on passage to Norway to attack Scharnhorst

XE11
1944 - 1952: XE Class
Was in collision with a boom defence vessel 6 Mar 1945

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The boatswain's pipe is one of the oldest and most distinctive pieces of personal nautical equipment and was once the only method other than human voice of passing orders to men on board ship.

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