HM Submarine Thunderbolt

I will not make my interest in British Naval History a regular feature of this page, but members might be interested to know that on the 14th March 1942 the Royal Navy recorded the loss of what must be the unluckiest vessel ever to fly the White Ensign.

That day The British T Class Submarine HMS Thunderbolt, was on patrol in the Mediteranian  off the Italian coast,  when she was detected and sunk by the Italian Sloop Cigona. Thunderbolt went down in deep water with the loss of her entire crew of 69 men.

That loss whilst in itself was tragic enough, it was infact very unusual indeed. For in 1938 that Submarine then bearing the name "Thetis" was launched by her builders Camel Laird of Birkenhead.  Her completion had been delayed but on the 1st June 1939 she left her builders for her final Sea trials before being handed over to the Royal Navy.  She had set sail carrying her normal crew of 69 plus over 30 bulders and Naval workmen putting the final touches to the new boat.

She dived that morning with 103 men on board and was not seen again for many hours until searching vessels found the tip of her stern protruding from the surface of the sea just off Anglesea.  On realising that rescuers were at hand 4 men escaped from the submarine but the remaining 99 men did not attempt to escape and eventually ran out of air.  After some weeks elapsed the wreck of the submarine was beached on Anglsea.

it was learned from one of the escapees that due to excessive paint covering over a test hole,  the rear door of a torpedo hatch had been opened whilst the front door was open to the sea. As a result The front two sections of the boat flooded in a matter of seconds taking her to the bottom.

But by the time the wreck was recovered this country was at war with Germany. Had it still been Peacetime she would have been scrapped, but in wartime it was very different and new Submarines were in short supply.  So she was rebuilt  and recommisioned with a new crew  and sailed as HMS Thunderbolt.  She was initailly very successful sinking an italian submarine and other surface vessels. But in March 1942 her luck again ran out!  That one unlucky ship was effectively the only RN ship to be lost twice with all hands!

The Sea is a cruel Master!

TF