Perseus (N 36)

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Perseus (N 36)

Built By:	Vickers (Barrow)
Build Group:	P
Fate:	On 6th December 1941 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

Perseus (N 36)

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Commanders

1930:	Lieutenant Commander	George Arthur Wallis Voelcker
1935:	Lieutenant Commander	William Eric Banks
1939:	Lieutenant Commander	Peter Joseph Howell Bartlett
1941:	Lieutenant Commander	Edward Christian Frederic Nicolay	DSO

Served in China and in 1940 she went to the Mediterranean.

1930: Portsmouth.
1931-1940: China Station.
1940-1941: Mediterranean, Alexandria.

March 1940 - Patrolling Sunda Strait observing German shipping in the Dutch East Indies harbours.

1940-1941 - Sinks two ships of some 6,000 tons.

Adoption

By Dr Peter Schofield

The memorial near the porch of The Collegiate Church of St Mary, Stafford

Not a Warship Week plaque although it notes she was adopted by Stafford.

Roll of Honour

Died: 06-12-1941
Burford, William Joseph P/SSX 28802
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 22

Bury, Alfred C/KX 85297
	Leading Stoker	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 27

Carpenter, Henry John C/KX 91062
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 22

Caselton, Herbert Robert D/JX 200382
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 24

Chetham, Percy Charles Hugh P/J 92112
	Leading Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 38

Codrington, Thomas Michael Geoffrey (RNR) DSC
	Lieutenant	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 24

Craig, Thomas Fraser D/SSX 17358
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 25

Craig, Thomas Henry D/JX 136197
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 26

Craw, Andrew Mackie D/SSX 29779
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 20

Deacon, Harry Jeffrey C/J 113765
	Petty Officer	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 32

Dickerson, Ronald Frederick Francis D/JX 159406
	Ordinary Telegraphist	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 18

Dickson, John McDonald D/KX 89139
	Stoker 1st Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 25

Dobson, Gordon C/JX 127847
	Leading Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 30

Duell, George Albert P/MX 50439
	Petty Officer Cook	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 27

England, GeorgeArthur D/JX 183994
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 22

Francis, Claude P/MX 60192
	Engine Room Artificer 4th Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 24

Gilbert, William Albert Edward P/JX 136821
	Leading Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 25

Griffin, Jack Stanley P/MX 69988
	Engine Room Artificer 4th Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 26

Gunter, Robert Frederick P/KX 112291
	Stoker 1st Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 24

Hammond, Norman Frank P/SSX 28564
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 21

Hartley, Albert Ernest D/LX 23842
	Steward	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 28

Henderson, Crawford D/JX 143656
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 22

Hodson, Raymond Edward D/KX 105140
	Stoker 1st Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 20

Holden, James William C/JX 151775
	Telegraphist	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 21

Hull, William P/MX 53813
	Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 26

Johnson, Alexander DSM
	Warrant Engineer	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 40

Jones, Cyril P/SSX 22128
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 21

Kearey, Frederick Albert C/KX 89086
	Leading Stoker	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 23

King, Roland Francis D/KX 77851
	Leading Stoker	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 33

Lattimore, Stanley George P/KX 75890
	Stoker Petty Officer	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 27

Law, Alexander Storrie C/KX 116859
	Stoker 2nd Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 27

Lehane, Francis C/KX 85218
	Leading Stoker	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 27

Lillford, Charles D/KX 88705
	Leading Stoker	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 25

Lloyd, Abbot Moore C/JX 159457
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 21

Luckham, Horace John D/JX 208475
	Ordinary Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 20

Mapstone, Alistair Arthur Beresford P/JX 148951
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 28

McDonald, Daniel MID P/JX 131771
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 20

Mead, Charles Ernest P/SSX 28326
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 20

Meek, Reginald Charles Fisher P/JX 129408
	Petty Officer	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 30

Neale, Peter Thomas C/JX 143914
	Leading Signalman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 22

Nicolay, Edward Christian Frederick DSO
	Lieutenant Commander	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 34

O'Riordan, Denis P/KX 88597
	Leading Stoker	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 24

Oldridge, Frederick William John D/KX 90881
	Stoker 1st Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 22

Oxley, Eric George C/J 110824
	Petty Officer	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 32

Peacock, Charles Cranston D/KX 86396
	Leading Stoker	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 27

Plant, Douglas Frank P/SMX 22
	Engine Room Artificer 4th Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 23

Preddy, Thomas Norman D/KX 80586
	Stoker Petty Officer	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 30
	Ex.Jx127141

Rees, Thomas John D/KX 85461
	Stoker 1st Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 26

Render, Jack C/SSX 29326
	Telegraphist	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 21

Richardson, Cyril George C/J 114005
	Leading Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 31

Robertson, Andrew Spence
	Sub Lieutenant	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 23

Robertson, Frank Sangster (RNR) LT/X 10053
	Able Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 34

Stanley, Sidney James C/SKX 165
	Stoker 2nd Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 22

Symons, Leonard Henry D/JX 140715
	Leading Seaman	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 23

Tait, Joseph (RNR) MID
	Lieutenant	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 28

Wardrop, Henry Vallance DSM D/J 72812
	Chief Petty Officer Telegraphist	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 40

Whalley, John D/MX 48772
	Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 32

Whyte, Andrew Moffat D/MX 60091
	Engine Room Artificer 4th Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 32

Wotherspoon, John William Jackson P/MX 45661
	Engine Room Artificer 1st Class	Died: 06-12-1941	Aged: 30

Events

02-07-1928	Laid Down

22-05-1929	Launched

15-04-1930	Completed

06-12-1941	HMS Perseus sunk 7 miles north of Zante (Zakinthos) Island, west coast of Greece in Ionian Sea - by Italian mines. Originally attributed to contact with Royal Italian Naval forces, probably a submarine was based on Mediterranean Fleet intelligence estimates. However, these estimates came into question in 1943 when the then 33 year old John Capes showed up at Alexandria via the British consulate in Turkey, claiming to be a survivor of His Majesties Submarine Perseus. He stated that the ship had been mined on the night of 6/7 December 1941, and that it sank in 170 feet of water with the stern section holding air. He had been in the Petty Officer Stokers mess with several others at the moment of the mining sharing a bottle of rum. He and three others made it into the stern section alive, sealed it off, and after coming to rest on the sea floor in pitch darkness, donned their DESA escape gear and commenced flooding the after spaces in preparation to making a free ascent escape. All four left the submarine, with Capes being last. Before departing, he polished off the remaining rum, and then left through the after escape hatch. He came to the surface alone and then was faced with swimming 7-9 miles to Cephalonia. He did so, met up with Greek partisans, and then spent 20 months with them before successfully reaching Turkey. The other three survivors of the mining did not make it to the surface alive, most probably due to a failure to exhale completely throughout the ascent, which was made, as it turned out, from 20 feet deeper than it was thought possible. To say that Capes story was thought to been overly remarkable by many is an understatement. Many did not believe it, nor did they believe Capes was in fact himself, though those making those conclusions had to admit that, the crew list being classified, it was unlikely an imposter could have come up with the facts he had. None the less, his statements concerning the location of the sinking did not jive with Admiralty estimates, and many considered him a fraud to the day he died. However, in 1996, Greek divers located HMS Perseus on the ocean floor, exactly where Capes said it would be. It was in 170 feet of water, and the rear escape hatch was open. Upon looking into the open hatch, the divers clearly saw on the floor below the rum bottle emptied by Capes just before his departure. All of this was photographed. Though Capes had been dead for some 15 years when the sub was discovered, it can truly be said that he had the last laugh on those that doubted his story. It is probably the single most remarkable survival story to come out of WW II.

Comments

Comment by: Tilemachos Beriatos on October 13, 2020

Hello, I would like to provided you with some information that you may find helpful, regarding the location of the wreck: Please consider thwt the wreck of Royal Navy submarine "HMS Perseus" lies closer to Kefalonia Island (around 4 Km off the coast) compared to Zakynthos (11 Km), therefore technically it should be referred to as a wreck off Kefalonia Island.

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Length overall	289 ft 2 inch
Beam	28 ft
Draught	13 ft 8 inch
Displacement	1760 tons (surface)
	2040 tons (submerged)
Diving Depth	500 ft
Speed	Surface 17 to 17.5 knots (design)
	Surface 17.5 knots (service)
	Submerged 9 knots (design)
	Submerged 8.5 knots (service)
No. of shafts	2
Propeller	3 blades, 6 ft 5 inch dia
Endurance	Surface: 11400 miles at 8 knots (design)
	Surface: 10750 miles at 8 knots (service)
	Submerged: 60 miles at 4 knots (design)
	Submerged: 8.5 miles at 8.5 knots or 70 miles at 4 knots (service)
Armament	6 x 21 inch bow tubes
	2 x 21 inch stern tubes
	(14 torpedoes carried)
	1 x 4 inch gun
Complement	53

Class:	1935 - 1970: Improved S Class
Built By:	Cammell Laird (Mersey)
Build Group:	S3
Fate:
HMS Stratagem sailed from Trincomalee on 10th November 1944 with orders to patrol in the vicinity of Malacca where it was believed the Japanese were loading ships with bauxite ore. On the afternoon of the 18th Stratagem attacked and sank the tanker Nichinan Maru. On 22nd November a Japanese aircraft spotted the submarine and directed a destroyer to where it had dived. Just after midday the destroyer attacked, the first depth charge causing the submarine's bow to strike the bottom. The submarine was plunged into darkness and the forward part began to flood. Attempts to shut the watertight door to the forward compartment failed and the crew were forced to make their escape. Ten crew managed to escape, of which eight were taken Prisoner of War. Only three of these (who were taken to Japan) survived captivity. The other five were executed in Singapore by the Japanese.

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Perseus (N 36)

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