Pandora to Proteus
Page last Updated:
4-Jan-2008
| Name | Class | Pennant | Crew | Built | Builder
| Disposal Date | Method |
Pandora | P | 42P | 56 | 22-Aug-29 |
Vickers Armstrong | 01-Apr-42 | War Loss |  Previously Python.
Far East Dec 1930, arriving Hong Kong Feb 1931. Stayed on China Station until WW2.
CO was 'Tubby' Linton at the time of return from the Far East, and for
first patrols in the Med. Based Alexandria 1940-42.
Employed taking supplies to Malta August 1940. (Magic Carpet).
4 Jul 1940 torpedoed and sank the French sloop Rigault de Genouilly 6 miles north of Matifou, Algeria.
28 Sep 40, torpedoed and sank the Italian Famiglia (813 GRT) about 10 nm north-east of Al Haniyah, Libya, 33º00'N, 21º38'E.
Survived depth charge attack by Italian torpedo boat Cosnez, Sept 1940.
9 Jan 41, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchants Valdivagna (5400 GRT) and Palma (2715 GRT) about 5 nm ESE of Cape Ferrato,
Sardinia, 39º15'N, 09º44'E.
18 Jun 41, picked up survivors from the Dutch tanker Pendrecht which had been torpedoed and sunk on 8 Jun 41
about 500 nm NW of the Azores in position 45º18'N, 36º40'W by the German Type VIIB U-boat U-48.
CO was Lt. Robert Love Alexander, RN 1 Aug 1941 - 1 April 1942
Bombed and sunk by Italian aircraft at Hamilton Wharf, Valetta dockyard, Malta, 1-Apr-42, shortly after arriving on a
supply trip from Gibraltar. Wreck raised 1943. Dismantled 1957.
|
Parthian | P | 75P | 56 | 22-Jun-29 |
HMDY Chatham | 11-Aug-43 | War Loss | |
Known as 'Peanut' - this class had identity letters on the tower (Parthian being 'PN' - PeaNut.).
17 Jun 40, (Lt.Cdr. M.G. Rimington, RN) attacked but missed the Italian destroyer Nembo with torpedoes off Tobruk, Libya.
19 Jun 40, fired two torpedoes at the old Italian armoured cruiser San Giorgio off Tobruk. The torpedoes got
stuck in the net defences and/or mud.
20 Jun 40, torpedoed and sank the Italian submarine Diamante about 35 nautical miles north-north-west of Tobruk,
Libya, 32º42'N, 23º49'E.
20 Jul 40, landed an agent on Crete.
31 Aug 40, attacked but missed the Italian cruisers Giuseppe Garibaldi and Luigi di Savoia Duca Delgi Abruzzi in the
Ionian Sea about 105 nm ESE of Cape Spartivento, Italy, 37º45'N, 18º22'E.
9 Jan 41, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Carlo Martinolich (4208 GRT) about 10 nm east of Punta Stilo, Calabria,
Italy, 38º28'N, 16º44'E.
16 Mar 41, torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Giovanni Bocaccio (3141 GRT) about 55 nm east of Malta, 35º57'N, 15º40'E.
3 Jun 41, torpedoed and damaged the Italian oiler Strombo (5232 GRT) east of Limnos, 39º57'N, 25º38'E.
8 Jun 41, sank 2 sailing vessels and another small vessel at Mitylene, Lesbos, Greece. Parthian fired two torpedoes in the harbour.
25 Jun 41, torpedoed and sank the Vichy French submarine Souffleur south-west of Beirut in position 33º49'N, 35º26'E during
British/Free French campaign to occupy Lebanon and Syria.
Refitted in USA end of 41 to March 42. 1942-43 back in Med. Supply runs to Malta in July, October and November 42, transporting aviation
fuel and ammunition. To gain space, one battery was removed and no spare torpedoes were carried.
16 Nov 42, (Lt. M.B. St. John, RN) fired four torpedoes against a convoy made up of the small Italian tanker Labor (510 GRT) and
the German merchant Menes (5609 GRT) escorted by the Italian torpedo boats Calliope and Climene north-east of
Isola Marettimo, Italy, 38º03'N, 11º51'E. All torpedoes missed.
28 Mar 43, sank the Greek sailing vessel Archangelos (120 GRT) with gunfire and ramming in the Aegean Sea west of
Lesbos Island, Greece, 39º19'N, 25º18'E.
29 Mar 43, sank the Greek sailing vessel Angela Mitylene (120 GRT) off Mitylene, Greece.
4 May 43, sank the Italian sailing vessels Despina II and Spina Secundo (both 13 GRT) with gunfire off Kos, Greece.
5 May 43, attacked the German auxiliary minelayer Drache with gunfire about 7 nm NE of Doro, 38º20'N, 24º46'E.
7 May 43, sank the Italian sailing vessel Barbara about 10 nm north of Cape Stavros, Naxos, Greece.
25 Jun 43, attacked the German merchant Gerda Toft (1960 GRT) in the Aegean Sea off Cape Midia. May have hit with one dud torpedo.
Adopted by Boston, Lincolnshire 1942.
(Lt C.A. Pardoe RNR). Presumed mined in Adriatic July/August 1943, having sailed from Malta
on 22-July for patrol west of Greece and southern Adriatic. Ordered to patrol off Otranto on 26-July, but
new area given on 28-July. Overdue at Beirut on 11-Aug-43. Possibly mined off Brindisi, SE tip of Italy
or returning to Beirut.
 |
Perseus | P | 36P, N36 | 56 | 22_May_29 | Vickers
Armstrong, Barrow | 06-Dec-41 | War Loss |  Cdr
P.J.H. Bartlett OBE RN. (4th Submarine Flotilla) on patrols and routine
exercises on the China Station from August 1939 - July 1940 and then on
some unrewarding patrols in the Mediterranean and Aegean (August 1940 -
June 1941), also embracing a long refit in Malta during the blitz on the
island (October 1940 - April 1941).
26 Aug 40, torpedoed but missed the Italian merchant Filippo Grimani (3431 GRT) off Durazzo, Albania.
5 Sep 41, (Lt.Cdr. E.C.F. Nicolay, RN) torpedoed and sank the Italian tanker Maya (3867 GRT) south of Tenedos Island, 39º43'N, 25º57'E.
2 Oct 41, torpedoed and sank the German merchant Castellon (2086 GRT) about 50nm NW of Benghazi, Libya, 32º30'N, 19º09'E.
Missed the German merchant Savona (2120 GRT) during the same attack.
4 Dec 41, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Eridano (3586 GRT) 6nm from Cape Dukato, Lefkada island, Greece.
6 Dec 41, struck a mine and sunk 7 miles north of Zante (Zakinthos) island, west coast of Greece in Ionian Sea - by Italian mines.
Italian and other sources suggest that she was sunk by the Italian Balilla
class SM Enrico Toti on 1 Dec 41. 1 survivor -
Leading Stoker Capes. Also see Wreck of Perseus
and here.
|
Phoenix | P | N96 | 48 |
03-Oct-29 | Cammell Laird Birkenhead | 16-Jul-40 | War Loss |
CO Lt.Cdr. D.C. Ingram, RN, 29 July 1937 - April 1940;
Lt.Cdr. G.H. Nowell RN, April 1940 - 16 July 1940.
7 Jul 40, Phoenix reported the location of an Italian force of heavy warships to 'Force C', a
British group covering an Alexandria to Malta convoy.
8 Jul 40, torpedoed but missed the Italian battleships Guilio Cesare and Conte di Cavour about
200nm east of Malta in position 35º40'N, 18º20'E.
Attacked the Italian
tanker Dora in the Ionian Sea; counter-attacked and sunk by depth
charges from the Italian torpedo-boat Albatros off
Augusta, Sicily 16 Jul 40. |
Porpoise | Porpoise | N14 | 59 |
30 Aug 32 | Vickers Armstrong, Barrow | 19-Jan-45 | War Loss |
Minelayer.
16 Apr 40, (Cdr. P.Q. Roberts, RN) attacked but missed the German submarine U-3 about 10nm SW of Egersund, Norway
in position 58º18'N, 05º47'E.
16 May 40, laid minefield FD 11 (48 mines) off Kalvag, Norway in position 61º44'N, 04º54'E.
14 Jun 40, laid minefield FD 18 (50 mines) off the Ramsoyfjord, Norway in position 63º30'N, 08º12'E.
18 Jun 40, the German minesweeper M 5 (682 tons) is sunk north-west of Kristiansund, Norway in position 63º30'N, 08º09'E
when she hits a mine laid on 14 Jun 40 by Porpoise .
29 Jul 40, laid minefield FD 23 (50 mines) off southern Norway.
13 Sep 40, laid minefield FD 26 (48 mines) in the Bay of Biscay north-west of La Rochelle, France, 46º25'N, 02º00'E.
1941 based on Halifax, Nova
Scotia for North Atlantic convoy escort
(Lt.Cdr. J.G. Hopkins, RN) 7 Mar 41, while enroute to Halifax, Canada, made an unsuccessful
torpedo attack on an unknown submarine,
57º50'N, 19º50'W. The German submarine U-A was operating in this area so this may have been detected, but she reported no attack.
From September 1941, based on Alexandria and later Haifa for operations in the Mediterranean, including
submerged supply runs to Malta, minelaying and patrols against enemy
shipping. Malta Bus (Alexandria-Malta 9 times).
9 Dec 41, (Lt.Cdr. E.F. Pizey, DSO, RN) torpedoed and damaged the Italian passenger / cargo ship Sebastiano Venier (6311 GRT)
about 5 nm south of Navarino. The damaged ship was grounded and wrecked off Cape Methene.
The Sebastiano Venier was transporting more then 1800 Allied POW's. Despite the bad weather almost 1700 of these were rescued.
11 Jan 42, laid 50 mines off Suda Bay, Crete.
14 Jan 42, German auxiliary vessel 11V1 (former Greek Palaskas) sinks off Suda Bay after hitting a mine laid by Porpoise
on 11 January. The Italian torpedo boat Castore is damaged in the same minefield.
18 Jan 42, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Citta di Livorno (2471 GRT) about 15 nm north-east of
Cape Maleka, Crete in position 35º42'N, 24º24'E.
Operations Harpoon/Vigorous,
off Taranto, June 1942.
12 Aug 42, (Lt. L.W.A. Bennington, DSC, RN) laid a minefield (46 mines) off Ras el Tin, Libya.
12 Aug 42, also torpedoed and sank the Italian transport Ogaden (4553 GRT) 9nm from Ras el Tin, Libya.
The escorting Italian torpedo boat Montanari was missed.
15 Aug 42, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Lerici (6070 GRT) about 120nm north of Ras Amir, Libya, 34º50'N, 21º30'E.
19 Aug 42, attacked but missed the Italian merchant Iseo (2366 GRT) off Derna, Libya. During the counter attack by the Italian
escorts, Porpoise was damaged by depth charges from the torpedo boat Lince.
22 Aug 42, the Italian torpedo boat Generale Antonio Cantore (697 tons) hit a mine and sank west of Tobruk. The mine
was laid on 12 August 1942 by Porpoise.
3 Oct 42, laid a minefield (46 mines) west of Tobruk, Libya.
18 Nov 42, torpedoed and sank the Italian tanker Giulio Giordani (10534 GRT) about 45nm NE of Misurata, Libya, 32º58'N, 15º38'E.
19 Nov 42, torpedoed but missed the Italian auxiliary patrol vessel F 39 / Fertilia (223 GRT) off the Libyan coast.
23 Nov 42, sank the Italian auxiliary patrol vessel F 39 / Fertilia (223 GRT) with gunfire off Kerkennah, Tunisia.
Lt. Cdr. H.B. Turner DSC RN; Arrived Trincomalee (Ceylon) to join the 4th Submarine Flotilla.
June 1944 to January 1945 - Patrolling and minelaying in the Malacca Straights.
6 Jul 44, sank a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire in the Strait of Malacca. Also
on this day laid 30 mines (minefield ML 014) off the mouth of the Deli River, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies.
8 Jul 44, laid 16 more mines of the mouth of the Deli river and 10 mines in the Strait of Malacca.
9 Sep 44, the Japanese auxiliary submarine chasers Cha 8 and Cha 9 both sink about 7 nautical miles north of Belawan, Sumatra,
Dutch East Indies in position 03º54'N, 98º42'E after hitting mines laid by Porpoise on 6 - 8 July 1944.
10 Sep 44, the Japanese army tanker Takekun Maru (3029 GRT) sinks about 7nm north of Belawan, Sumatra, Dutch
East Indies in position 03º54'N, 98º42'E after hitting a mine laid by Porpoise on 8 July 1944.
Operation RIMAU, Sept 1944 - An operation
to land 24 special forces with the aim of sinking Japanese shipping in Singapore harbour. It all went wrong, fourteen
were killed and ten captured, the ten that were captured were interrogated and executed by their Japanese captors.
9 Dec 44, laid minefield ML 019 with 50 mines off Penang.
10 Dec 44, sank a small Japanese sailing vessel in the Strait of Malacca.
9 Jan 45 laid mines off Penang.
15 Jan 45, the Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Kyo Maru No. 1 (340 GRT) sunk on a mine off Penang, Malaya in
position 05º18'N, 100º20'E laid by Porpoise
27 Mar 45, the Japanese auxiliary minelayer Ma 1 (215 tons) is sunk about 5nm NE of Belawan, Sumatra,
Dutch East Indies in position 03º52'N, 98º45'E when she hit a mine laid by Porpoise on 6 - 8 July 1944.
18 May 45, the Japanese submarine chaser Ch 57 (420 tons) hits a mine and is damaged off Penang, Malaya in position 05º20'N, 100º08'E.
The mine was laid by Porpoise on 9 January.
16 Jan 45, sunk by Japanese aircraft in Malacca Strait, off Penang, 78th and last RN SM sunk by enemy action in WW2.
|
Poseidon | P | unknown | 50 |
21 Jun 29 | Vickers Armstrong Barrow | 19-Jun-31 | Sunk (Not War) |
 Not a WW2 boat, but listed here to complete the class.
Sank in China Sea, following collision with SS Yuta, 9 July 1931. Poseidon
was exercising 20 miles north of her home base of Wei Hai Wei when the steamer
Yuta was spotted some
distance away. Despite excellent visibility the two vessels collided and the submarine sank within two
minutes. Led to the introduction of Escape Compartments.
|
Proteus | P | N29 | 50 |
23 Jul 29 | Vickers Armstrong Barrow | 26 Feb 46 | Scrap |
Med 1935, based at Malta. Lt-Cdr P.
S. Francis, DSO, RN,. (see obituary).
On six patrols in the Aegean Sea, off the west coast of Greece and in the Gulf of Taranto, the Proteus sank three troopships,
a tanker, and a supply ship.
3 Nov 41, torpedoed and damaged the Italian tanker Tampico (4958 GRT) east of Andros Island, Greece, 37º53'N, 24º30'E.
Proteus was depth-charged by the Italian torpedo boats Monzambano and Castelfidardo but managed to escape.
10 Nov 41, torpedoed and sank the German troop transport Ithaka (1773 GRT) 2 miles south-west of Milos, Greece.
7 Dec 41, sank a sailing vessel with scuttling charges in the Kythira channel.
30 Dec 41, torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Citta di Marsala (2480 GRT).
5 Jan 42, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Citta di Palermo (5413 GRT) off Cape Dukato, Greece in position 38º33'N, 20º36'E.
8 Feb 42, attacked what was thought to be an enemy submarine west of Lefkada Island, Greece in position 38º41'N, 20º30'E.
It was however not a submarine but the Italian torpedo boat Sagittario. When the destroyer attempted to ram her, the
Proteus turned towards the enemy and the two ships collided head-on. A large hole was torn in the destroyer's bow, and the port
forward hydroplane
of the Proteus was sheared off and other gear distorted and she was forced to return to Alexandria.
28 Mar 42, torpedoed and sank the Italian troop transport Galilea (8040 GRT) 9nm SW of Antipaxos, Greece, 39º04'N, 20º05'E.
30 Mar 42, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Bosforo (3648 GRT) off Sapienza, Greece, 36º38'N, 21º15'E.
2 May 42, torpedoed and damaged the German merchant Otto Leonhardt (3682 GRT, former Greek Arethusa) west of
Lefkada, Greece, 38º41'N, 20º34'E.
5 May 42, sank the Greek sailing vessel Domenico Evangelista with gunfire about 25nm NW of Navarino, Greece, 37º07'N, 21º20'E.
30 May 42, torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Bravo (1570 GRT, former Yugoslavian Junak) west of Bengasi,
Libya, 32º21'N, 18º54'E.
31 May 42, torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Gino Allegri (6836 GRT) west of Bengasi, Libya, 32º31'N, 18º36'E.
The damaged ship is finally sunk by bombs from British aircraft.
Took part in Operation Harpoon/Vigorous, June 1942, as covering force off Taranto.
4 Aug 42, (Lt. R.L. Alexander, RN) sank a small Greek sailing vessel with gunfire in the Gulf of Nauplion.
6 Aug 42, sank a Greek sailing vessel with gunfire off Rhodos.
7 Aug 42, torpedoed and sank the German merchant Wachtfels (8467 GRT) about 10nm NW of Milos, Crete, 36º55'N, 24º10'E.
The Italian merchant Rondine (6079 GRT) is missed. Proteus also claimed the sinking of three sailing vessels this day.
8 Aug 42, sank the Greek sailing vessel Firesia (approx. 200 GRT) with gunfire south of Naxos, Greece, 36º49'N, 27º31'E.
13 Nov 42, attacked with four torpedoes, but missed, the Italian merchant Sivigliano (1270 GRT) north of Marettimo Island.
Scrapped by West of Scotland Shipbreaking 1946. |
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Rainbow to Rover