| Built By: | Cammell Laird (Mersey) |
| Build Group: | T 2 |
| Fate: | Scrapped in March 1947 at Briton Ferry. |
| 1941: | Lieutenant Commander | Patrick James Cowell | DSC MID |
| 1941: | Lieutenant | Hugh Stirling Mackenzie | |
| 1941: | Lieutenant | Peter Scawen Watkinson Roberts | |
| 1943: | Lieutenant | Arthur Richard Hezlet | DSC MID |
| 1943: | Lieutenant | Hugo Rowland Barnwell Newton | DSC |
| 1943: | Lieutenant Commander | John Wentworth McCoy | DSC |
| 1944: | Lieutenant Commander | Michael Frederic Roberts Ainslie | DSO DSC MID |
Lieutenant Peter Scawen Watkinson Roberts
On February 16th, in daylight, HM Submarine Thrasher attacked and sank a heavily escorted supply ship she was at once attacked by depth-charges and was bombed by aircraft. The presence of two unexploded bombs in the gun-casing was discovered when after dark the submarine surfaced and began to roll. Lieutenant Roberts and Petty Officer Gould volunteered to remove the bombs, which were of a type unknown to them.
Petty Officer Thomas William Gould
On February 16th, in daylight, HM Submarine Thrasher attacked and sank a heavily escorted supply ship she was at once attacked by depth-charges and was bombed by aircraft. The presence of two unexploded bombs in the gun-casing was discovered when after dark the submarine surfaced and began to roll. Lieutenant Roberts and Petty Officer Gould volunteered to remove the bombs, which were of a type unknown to them.
HM Submarine Thrasher was one of the most successful submarines of the Second World War. She was definitely the most decorated, being the only submarine to have two VCs among her host of decorations.
Operation Source - September 1943
In September 1943 six in X-Craft were towed by six Submarines to attack German Capital Ships in the Kaa Fjord in Norway. In all (apart from the Towing Submarine Crew) forty-two X- Craft personnel took part in Operation Source, eighteen Passage Crew Members and twenty-four Operational Crew Members.
Roll of Honour |
1
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| Choulerton, James Derrick |
|
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Accidentally drowned in Wallasey Dock at Birkenhead in Cheshire He was the son of James and Bertha Choulerton of Sale |
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| 14-11-1939 | Laid Down |
| 28-11-1940 | Launched |
| 14-05-1941 | Completed |
| 17-07-1941 | HMS Thrasher heavily damages the French fishing vessel Virgo Fidelis with gunfire in the Bay of Biscay off San Sebastian, Spain. |
| 15-08-1941 | HMS Thrasher fires four torpedoes against the German transport Ankara off Cape Sunion, Greece. All torpedoes miss. |
| 20-08-1941 | HMS Thrasher sinks the Greek sailing vessel San Stefano with gunfire off Cape Malea, Greece. |
| 28-10-1941 | HMS Thrasher sinks the Italian sailing vessel Esperia with gunfire north-east of Benghazi, Libya. |
| 25-11-1941 | HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Attilio Deffenu about 20 nautical miles east of Brindisi, Puglia, Italy. |
| 10-01-1942 | HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Fedora about 35 nautical miles north-east of Cape Dukato, Greece. |
| 16-02-1942 | On February 16th, in daylight, HM Submarine Thrasher attacked and sank a heavily escorted supply ship she was at once attacked by depth-charges and was bombed by aircraft. The presence of two unexploded bombs in the gun-casing was discovered when after dark the submarine surfaced and began to roll. Lieutenant Roberts and Petty Officer Gould volunteered to remove the bombs, which were of a type unknown to them for which they each received the VC. |
| 09-04-1942 | HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Gala about 20 nautical miles west-south-west of Bengasi, Libya. |
| 13-04-1942 | HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the German army cargo ship Atlas south-west of Bengasi, Libya. She also sinks the Italian tug Pilo 210 with gunfire in roughly the same area. |
| 19-04-1942 | HMS Thrasher attacks the German barge F 184 with gunfire west of Derna, Libya. Return fire forced Thrasher to break off the attack. |
| 19-05-1942 | HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Penelope about 5 nautical miles north-west of Monopoli, Italy. |
| 23-06-1942 | HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Sant Antonio in the Gulf of Sirte. |
| 29-06-1942 | HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the Italian sloop Diana north of Tobruk, Libya. |
| 26-07-1942 | HMS Thrasher is bombed in error by a British Swordfish aircraft off Port Said, Egypt. She is under repair for about a month due to the damage sustained. |
| 04-09-1942 | HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Padenna about 40 nautical miles north of Tobruk, Libya. |
| 12-10-1942 | HMS Thrasher sinks a Greek sailing vessel with gunfire in the Aegean Sea, about 15 nautical miles east of Cape Drepano, Sithonia peninsula, Greece. |
| 13-10-1942 | HMS Thrasher sinks a sailing vessel with gunfire in the Aegean Sea about 10 nautical miles south-west of Cape Pinnes, Athos peninsula, Greece. |
| 19-10-1942 | HMS Thrasher sinks the Italian tug Roma with gunfire off Stampalia, Greece. |
| 20-10-1942 | HMS Thrasher torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Lero between Symi and Rhodos Islands, Greece. |
| 22-01-1945 | HMS Thrasher sinks four Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire of the west coast of Siam. |
| 27-01-1945 | HMS Thrasher sinks three Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire of the west coast of Siam. |
| 28-01-1945 | HMS Thrasher sinks three Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire of the west coast of Siam. |
| 16-03-1945 | HMS Thrasher sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire of the west coast of Burma. |
| 18-03-1945 | HMS Thrasher sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire of the west coast of Burma. |
| 19-03-1945 | HMS Thrasher sinks three Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire of the west coast of Siam. |
| 22-06-1945 | HMS Thrasher sinks three Japanese sailing vessels with gunfire off the west coast of Siam. |
| 25-07-1945 | HMS Thrasher sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire north of the Strait of Malacca. |
| 27-07-1945 | HMS Thrasher sinks four Japanese coasters and a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire in the northern part of the Strait of Malacca. |
| Length overall | 275 ft |
| Beam | 26 ft 6 inch |
| Depth | 14 ft 3 inch |
| Displacement | 1327 tons (surface) |
| 1575 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 300 ft |
| Speed | Surface 15.25 knots (design) |
| Surface 15.25 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 8.75 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 7500 miles at 15.25 knots (design) |
| (ii) Surface: 8000 miles at 10 knots (service) | |
| Submerged: 80 miles at 4 knots (design) | |
| Submerged: 80 miles at 4 knots (service) | |
| Armament | (i) 8 x 21 inch bow tubes (2 external) |
| 2 x 21 inch amidship tubes | |
| (16 torpedoes carried) | |
| 1 x 4 inch gun | |
| (ii) 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| Complement | 56 |
| Notes | (i) As an alternative load, Group 1 submarines could carry 18 mines. |
| (ii) These were later replaced by, or supplemented by one 20mm Oerlikon cannon. |
Excalibur (S 40) |
|
| Class: | 1955 - 1970: Explorer Class |
| Built By: | |
| Build Group: | Excalibur |
|
Fate: Broken Up 1970 |
|
Hunter Killers will follow the careers of four daring British submarine captains who risked their lives to keep the rest of us safe, their exploits consigned to the shadows until now.
Their experiences encompass the span of the Cold War, from voyages in WW2-era submarines under Arctic ice to nuclear-powered espionage missions in Soviet-dominated seas.
18 pages added or updated in the last Array month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
| Length overall | 275 ft |
| Beam | 26 ft 6 inch |
| Depth | 14 ft 3 inch |
| Displacement | 1327 tons (surface) |
| 1575 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 300 ft |
| Speed | Surface 15.25 knots (design) |
| Surface 15.25 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 8.75 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 7500 miles at 15.25 knots (design) |
| (ii) Surface: 8000 miles at 10 knots (service) | |
| Submerged: 80 miles at 4 knots (design) | |
| Submerged: 80 miles at 4 knots (service) | |
| Armament | (i) 8 x 21 inch bow tubes (2 external) |
| 2 x 21 inch amidship tubes | |
| (16 torpedoes carried) | |
| 1 x 4 inch gun | |
| (ii) 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| Complement | 56 |
| Notes | (i) As an alternative load, Group 1 submarines could carry 18 mines. |
| (ii) These were later replaced by, or supplemented by one 20mm Oerlikon cannon. |
Excalibur (S 40) |
|
| Class: | 1955 - 1970: Explorer Class |
| Built By: | |
| Build Group: | Excalibur |
|
Fate: Broken Up 1970 |
|
Hunter Killers will follow the careers of four daring British submarine captains who risked their lives to keep the rest of us safe, their exploits consigned to the shadows until now.
Their experiences encompass the span of the Cold War, from voyages in WW2-era submarines under Arctic ice to nuclear-powered espionage missions in Soviet-dominated seas.
18 pages added or updated in the last Array month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
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