 HMS Trooper
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMS Trooper |
| Builder | Scotts, Greenock |
| Laid down | 7 May 1940 |
| Launched | 5 March 1942 |
| Commissioned | 29 August 1942 |
| Identification | Pennant number N91 |
| Fate | Sunk 17 October 1943 |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | British T class submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 275 ft (84 m) |
| Beam | 26 ft 6 in (8.08 m) |
| Draught | 16.3 ft (5.0 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | 4,500 nautical miles at 11 knots (8,330 km at 20 km/h) surfaced |
| Test depth | 300 ft (91 m) max |
| Complement | 61 |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | The wreck was discovered in October 2024 in the Icarian Sea in Greece, at a depth of 253 meters. |
HMS Trooper (N91) was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Scotts, Greenock, and launched in March 1942. On 3 October 2024 it was reported that HMS Trooper was discovered at a depth of 253 metres (830 ft) in the Icarian Sea in Greece.
Career
Trooper spent most of her short career serving in the Mediterranean. She sank the Italian tanker Rosario, the Italian merchant ship Forli, a sailing vessel and the Italian submarine Pietro Micca. She also damaged two other enemy vessels, and unsuccessfully attacked the Italian merchant Belluno (the former French Fort de France).
On her first operation, she took part in Operation Principal, which used human torpedoes to sink Italian ships in Palermo harbour.
Trooper sailed from Beirut on 26 September 1943, on her 8th War Patrol to cover in the Aegean Sea off the Dodecanese islands. On 14 October she challenged Levant Schooner Flotilla F8 off Alinda Bay, Leros. She failed to return on 17 October and was reported overdue on that day. She was presumed lost on German mines around Leros, but her wreck was later discovered in the Icarian Sea.
The Germans claimed that Trooper was sunk by Q-ship GA.45 on 15 October 1943. The submarine that GA-45 attacked was actually HMS Torbay which escaped undamaged.
Discovery
HMS Trooper was discovered at a depth of 253 metres (830 ft) in the Icarian Sea, north of the island of Donousa, in Greece. The submarine, found in three distinct sections (bow, mid-section, and stern), had likely been sunk by a German EMF mine containing 350 kilograms (770 lb) of Hexanite. This discovery, led by Greek researcher Kostas Thoctaridis, resolved an 81-year-old mystery, bringing closure to the families of the 64 crew members lost during the submarine's final mission.
References
- ^ "British submarine of World War II found in great depth in the Icarian Sea (photos)". Proto Thema (english version). 6 October 2024. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "Βρέθηκε βρετανικό υποβρύχιο του Β' Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου σε μεγάλο βάθος στο Ικάριο Πέλαγος". ProtoThema.gr. 6 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- HMS Trooper, Uboat.net
- "HMS Torbay". uboat.net. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
Bibliography
- Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) . Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
- Grant, David Renwick (2006). A Submarine at War: The Brief Life of HMS Trooper. Periscope Publishing.
- Hutchinson, Robert (2001). Jane's Submarines: War Beneath the Waves from 1776 to the Present Day. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-710558-8. OCLC 53783010.
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 Royal Navy |
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 Israeli Navy | |||||||||
 Royal Netherlands NavyZwaardvisch class |
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39°48′N 18°43′E / 39.800°N 18.717°E / 39.800; 18.717
This article about a specific naval submarine of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- British T-class submarines of the Royal Navy
- Ships built on the River Clyde
- 1942 ships
- World War II submarines of the United Kingdom
- Lost submarines of the United Kingdom
- World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea
- Maritime incidents in October 1943
- Submarines lost with all hands
- United Kingdom military submarine stubs