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Triumph (N18)

Built By: Vickers (Barrow)
Build Group: T 1
Fate: The boat was mined on or around 21st January 1942. She had earlier struck a mine in December 1940 but miraculously survived.

There were no miracles the second time.
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph
Triumph bow damage
Triumph bow damage

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Three launches in one day, Triumph, Ursula & Unity

HMS Triumph Found

In 2023 a prominent Greek diver and researcher announced on he had discovered the lost British submarine HMS Triumph, whose true fate had been shrouded in mystery ever since the vessel and its entire crew disappeared in 1942.

The submarine had disappeared without a trace, with all 64 crew members on board, some 81 years earlier, in the midst of World War II. Various attempts to find it had been mounted at various times by teams from the United Kingdom, Malta and Russia, all without success.

The wreckage was discovered on the seabed by Greek diver Kostas Thoctarides and his team, after a search lasting roughly 25 years. Thoctarides told the state-run Athens-Macedonian News Agency:

It was the hardest and most expensive mission I have ever carried out in my life. The history of the submarine is multifaceted and unique in naval chronicles, as it is inseparably connected with the national resistance and secret services of the time, which operated during the occupation.

The key to unlocking the secret that had remained hidden for more than eight decades, he said, was “research using primary historical sources. There had to be an extensive study of the archives, both in the UK and in Germany, as well as in Italy and in Greece.”

It lies with an eight-degree starboard list, dozens of kilometers from the shore. The periscopes and hatches are down, indicating that it was in a deep dive during its last moments, while its depth and directional rudders indicate that it was moving at a steady depth, the diver explained. On its turret are the wooden helm, compass and a four-inch cannon that is slightly raised. The hatches on either side of the cannon leading to the interior are also shut. On the fore side of the bridge, the door leading to the gunnery is open, all hatches are closed. The right torpedo tube has opened and an MK VIII torpedo is half-out of the submarine.

The submarine appears to have sunk due to a powerful explosion in the fore section but the cause of the explosion is still unclear.

Our research continues, chiefly on a historical level as new evidence and facts come to light, which combined with the information that we now have from the wreck and the assistance of naval experts specializing in submarines and torpedoes will unlock the secrets of the HMS Triumph

Thoctarides described the site as:

A watery grave for 64 heroes that inspires awe.

First launched in 1938, the Triumph joined the war in earnest in May 1939 and carried out 20 military missions in total. It first sailed to the Aegean at the end of March 1941 to scout the shores of the Dodecanese islands and land officers on Greek shores. She notched up a number of successes, sinking a large number of enemy ships, including the Italian submarine Salpa. She also undertook difficult missions to land Special Operations Executives (SOE) and MI9 agents and rescue trapped soldiers who needed to escape to Alexandria in Egypt.

On December 26, 1941, the Triumph set sail from Alexandria for its 21st and last mission before it was due to return to England for a general repair and maintenance. It had orders to carry out two special operations and, in the meantime, to patrol the specific section of the Aegean. On board the vessel were some very unusual crew members, SOE and MI9 Agent, Lieutenant George Atkinson, Greek SOE wireless expert, Diamantes Arvanitopoulos (codename Diamond), New Zealand liaison officer, Captain Craig, two British Army commandos from the Northamptonshire Regiment and Royal Artillery and five tons of emergency supplies.

Atkinson’s mission (codename Isinglass) was to meet up with a Greek resistance cell in Athens and then liberate 18 selected Allied soldiers who had been held prisoner by the Italians. Atkinson carried substantial quantities of money in cash and gold coins, destined as MI9 and SOE assistance to specific individuals in occupied Athens, as well as two sets of radio transmitters for communication with Cairo.

Captain Craig was in charge of the second secret mission codenamed "Coney Island", which was to coordinate the liberation of 30 British fugitives who were on the island of Antiparos. In Atkinson’s pocket was his Operation paper with typed heading "Not To Be Taken Ashore". With his mission complicated by dual SOE & MI9 instructions, he was to overlook this warning.

During the night between December 29 and December 30, 1941, the Triumph sailed into the bay of Despotikos, where it let off the special team and supplies. The captain, John S Huddart, told the 30 fugitives that he had orders to carry out a patrol of the Aegean and would return to collect them on January 9-10 in order to take them to Alexandria. He also radioed the successful conclusion of the first leg of the mission. This was the last communication ever received from the vessel.

All members of the SOE team were arrested on Antiparos and Atkinson's Operation paper, which contained the names of 37 members of the Greek resistance in Athens, with their aliases and code numbers, fell into enemy hands. The information was passed on to German authorities and all 37 were rounded up and executed, along with Atkinson. The others were taken to concentration camps.

The Triumph continued its patrol, making its presence felt near the islands of Milos and Naxos. On January 9, 1942, at 11.45am. it attacked the cement freighter Rea as it was being towed by the vessel Taxiarchis south of Sounio, with the torpedo exploding on the rocks.

Thoctarides Added:

Recently, in the same part of the deep, we identified another three British Mk VIII torpedoes of the same type as that carried by the Triumph, this fact makes us believe that the Triumph launched more than one torpedo during its last attack. The last time the submarine was sighted in motion was by an Italian pilot flying in the area, about four nautical miles southeast of Sounio.
This hitherto lost piece of information helped complete the puzzle of the submarine’s history. After this, all traces of the vessel disappear and on January 23, 1942, the British Admiralty declared that the submarine must be considered lost, all hands.


In June 2024 42 members of the HMS Triumph Family sailed to her wreck off Cape Sounio in the Aegean to hold a commemorative service for her year of 1941 in the Mediterranean and lay 64 ivy wreaths over the wreck, one for each man lost.

Roll of Honour

64
Died: 21-01-1942
Baxter, Claude  MID P/K 58839
Leading Stoker Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 41
Biggleston, Arthur Ivor  DSM** C/M 35623
Engine Room Artificer 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 36
Bowles, Harry  C/KX 93859
Stoker 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 22
Brown, Geoffrey  C/JX 190464
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 20
Cairns, John  D/SSX 18172
Leading Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 25
from Aberdeen
Child, Alfred Robert  (Royal Marine) 915218
Bombardier (RA) Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 25
7 Commando
Clements, George Frederick  MID C/SSX 24276
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 23
Coakley, Patrick  D/KX 88094
Leading Telegraphist Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 27
Cochrane, Archibald Kellock  MID P/JX 129493
Petty Officer Telegraphist Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 31
Collins, Edward Arthur  (RNVR)
Lieutenant Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 25
Collison, Frank Gerald  DSM P/JX 131634
Petty Officer Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 29
Connor, Edward  D/JX 204301
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 21
Cross, George Henry  D/JX 168092
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 31
Crummey, Richard Terence  DSM* D/JX 137472
Telegraphist Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 24
Davies, Alfred Edward  P/JX 139965
Leading Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 24
Dempster, William Alexander  P/MX 73711
Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 24
Don, Robert William Douglas  DSC**
Lieutenant Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 22
Duffay, Colin Gordon Hugh  DSM D/JX 133011
Petty Officer Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 28
Esau, Leonard Walter  D/JX 199788
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 27
Gates, Herbert James  P/K 64340
Leading Stoker Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 40
Glen, John  C/MX 76056
Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 35
Goddard, William Jack  DSM P/KX 109508
Stoker 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 25
Hall, William Hollingsworth  MID P/SSX 21160
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 21
Harding, Walter Edward  C/KX 114393
Stoker 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 28
Harrison, George Robert Hedrick  MID D/JX 130866
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 30
Hinds, John  P/JX 141259
Leading Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 24
Howard, Richard  P/JX 155046
Leading Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 20
Huddart, John Symons 
Lieutenant Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 31
Commanding Officer
Hutchinson, Donald George  DSC* D/J 93910
Leading Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 38
Janvrin, Michael Claud  MID
Lieutenant Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 23
Jones, Luther  P/JX 138985
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 35
Kelly, Colman  P/KX 91522
Leading Stoker Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 24
Kilty, Thomas James  D/JX 138661
Leading Signalman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 24
Lancaster, Frederick Arthur  C/JX 154342
Leading Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 20
McGee, William  C/KX 94368
Stoker 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 21
Neville, Ronald William Pardoe  MID P/KX 90477
Leading Stoker Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 24
Neville, William Henry  C/JX 182358
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 23
Newby, George  D/SSX 33724
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 19
Nott, Reginald  DSM* P/J 107537
Chief Petty Officer Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 34
O'Brien, Cornelius  C/MX 50147
Petty Officer Cook Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 26
Peterkin, Alfred Kenneth  (RNR) DSC*
Lieutenant Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 29
Phillips, Thomas  DSM** P/M 27338
Chief Engine Room Artificer Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 39
Ranson, William Albert  C/KX 96542
Stoker 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 22
Robinson, Arthur  DSM* P/KX 79424
Stoker 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 32
Rosendale, Edric Dudley  P/KX 109528
Stoker 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 25
Russell, Herbert Frederick  MID P/MX 58033
Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 24
Severn, Clive  (Royal Marine) 5887258
Corporal Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 22
11 Commando
Sheldon, Cyril Arnfield  BEM* C/K 64020
Stoker Petty Officer Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 35
Stephens, Harold  D/MX 74120
Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 21
Stockham, Wilfred Harry  DSM** P/K 65586
Chief Stoker Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 35
Stone, Harle  C/JX 150128
Telegraphist Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 21
CWGC has Stone, Harold
Taylor, John Edward  P/SSX 32650
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 20
Theobald, Robert James  DSM* C/J 103645
Petty Officer Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 35
Turner, John James  D/KX 79918
Stoker 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 31
Underwood, John Edward  DSM C/SSX 27499
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 22
Walmsley, James  C/LX 21728
Leading Steward Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 29
Waterall, George Desmond 
Midshipman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 18
Waye, Reginald Frederick Dennis  DSM C/JX 137731
Leading Telegraphist Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 25
White, William John  DSM** C/JX 149044
Telegraphist Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 21
Wickham, Walter Leonard John  P/KX 85211
Stoker Petty Officer Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 28
Wilkinson, Fred  D/MX 48140
Engine Room Artificer 2nd Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 35
Wilson, Ernest Edward George  DSM P/KX 81816
Stoker 1st Class Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 30
Wilson, Raymond  P/JX 148463
Able Seaman Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 21
Wright, Geoffrey Michael Denys  MBE*
Engineer Lieutenant Died: 21-01-1942 Aged: 29

Events

19-03-1937 Laid Down
16-02-1938 Launched
02-05-1939 Completed
26-12-1939 Whilst on patrol North East of Heligoland on 26 December 1939, HMS Triumph hit a drifting mine which blew eighteen feet off her bows fully exposing her six internal and two external torpedo tubes. Although all the tubes were loaded, none of her warshots exploded. Unable to dive she was escorted back to Rosyth by Hudson aircraft where repairs were carried out.
05-03-1941 HMS Triumph torpedoes sinks the Italian merchants Marzamemi and Colomba Lofaro near Capo dell'Armi, Calabria, Italy.
03-05-1941 HMS Triumph sinks the Italian auxilary patrol vessel V 136/Tugnin F. with gunfire about 10 nautical miles west of Marsa el Brega, Libya.
30-05-1941 HMS Triumph torpedoes and damages the Italian armed merchant cruiser Ramb III at Bengasi, Libya.
05-06-1941 HMS Triumph sinks the Italian auxiliary patrol vessels Valoroso, V 190/Frieda and V 137/Trio Frassinetti with gunfire in the Gulf of Sirte off Beurat, Libya.
27-06-1941 HMS Triumph on patrol off the Egyptian coast sinks the Italian submarine Salpa
06-07-1941 After a long gun battle HMS Triumph sinks the Italian merchant Ninfea and the Italian tug Dante de Lutti off Ras Tajunes, Libya. During this battle Triumph is also damaged and is forced to abandon her war patrol and retreat to Malta for repairs.
26-08-1941 As an Italian battlefleet returns from a sortie against Force H, Triumph torpedoes and damages heavy cruiser Bolzano north of Sicily.
18-09-1941 HMS Triumph torpedoes and damages the Italian tanker Ardor off Capo Colonna.
23-09-1941 HMS Triumph torpedoes and sinks the German merchant Luvsee north-east of Sibenek.
24-09-1941 HMS Triumph damages the Italian tanker Poseidone and the Italian merchant Sidamo off Ortona, Abruzzi, Italy.
23-10-1941 HMS Triumph sinks the Greek sailing vessels Panagiotis and Aghia Paraskeva with gunfire in the Gulf of Petali, Greece.
25-10-1941 HMS Triumph torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Monrosa in the Gulf of Athens, about 3 nautical miles north-west of Patroklou island, Greece.
24-11-1941 HMS Triumph torpedoes and sinks the Italian tug Hercules in Iraklion harbour, Crete. Triumph also damages the German merchant Norburg.
26-12-1941 Triumph set sail from Alexandria for its 21st and last mission before it was due to return to England for a general repair and maintenance. It had orders to carry out two special operations and in the meantime, to patrol the specific section of the Aegean.
09-01-1942 Near the islands of Milos and Naxos.Triumph attacked the cement freighter Rea as it was being towed by the vessel Taxiarchis south of Sounio, with the torpedo exploding on the rocks.
23-01-1942 Lost with all hands. Presumed mined off the island of Milo, southeast of the Greek mainland.

She had earlier struck a mine in December 1940 but miraculously survived. There were no miracles the second time.
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