Wednesday 30 May 2012

May 30th - In This Date - RN Submarine Service

1927 Oswald Submarine HMS Oswald laid down
1941 P33 Submarine HMS P33 completed
1957 Grampus Submarine HMS Grampus launched
1941 HMS Sealion HMS Sealion fires 6 torpedoes against the German submarine U-74 in the Bay of Biscay about 45 nautical miles south-west of Belle-Ile Island, France. All six torpedoes missed their target.
1941 HMS Torbay HMS Torbay sinks two sailing vessels with gunfire in the Aegean Sea.
1941 HMS Triumph HMS Triumph torpedoes and damages the Italian armed merchant cruiser Ramb III at Bengasi, Libya.
1941 HMS Utmost HMS Utmost makes a torpedo attack on a convoy off Sirte. All torpedoes miss their targets.
1943 HMS Untamed On 30th May 1943 HMS Untamed was exercising with ships of the 8th Escort Group off Cambeltown. At 0950 that morning Untamed dived and commenced the first run of the day. After three hours the submarine surfaced and prepared for the next run. Just after 1345 the submarine once again dived and the second exercise of the day began. This exercise involved the anti-submarine training yacht Shemara firing practice mortars against the submarine. The first two runs were successful with Untamed indicating her position after each with a white smoke candle.

At 1450 following the third run the submarine did not immediately indicate her position, The Shemara fired INDICATE POSITION charge, came to a stop and began tapping on the hull. The efforts of the Shemara were greeted by a yellow smoke candle. Shemara moved to a position by the marker and once again began tapping the hull. At this point a swirl of water was seen near the marker.

Shemara called a halt to the exercise and signalled the submarine to surface: there was no reply. A second surface signal was sent, again without result. At 1602 Shemara sent a signal for assistance to the Naval Officer in Command and continued to search for the submarine.

At 1716 the sound of the submarine blowing her tanks was heard. Using asdic the Shemara located the submarine. For the next ten minutes the sound of the submarine blowing her tanks and stopping and starting her engines could be heard.

At 1733 HMS Thrasher arrived to render assistance and tried to contact the Untamed. At 1745 all sound from the submarine ceased. Because of worsening weather conditions divers were not able to inspect the stricken submarine until 1115 on 1st June - 45 hours after she had dived. There was no reply to the divers tapping on the hull of the submarine and an inspection of the vessels hull showed no obvious damage.

Only when the Untamed had been salvaged did the cause of her loss become clear, the forward part of the submarine had been flooded through a sluice valve.
1943 HMS Trespasser While on patrol in the Gulf of Lyon HMS Trespasser fires three torpedoes at a dead whale ......... oops !
1944 HMS Ultor HMS Ultor fires 4 torpedoes at the German netlayer NT 38 off Cap Camarat, southern France. The torpedoes miss. She does sink the German auxiliary patrol vessel Vinotra III.
1944 Unruly HMS Unruly sinks a sailing vessel with scuttling charges off Suda Bay, Crete, Greece.
SAB

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