HMS/M Tally-Ho

HMS/M Tally-Ho

HMS/M Tally-Ho returning to Trincomalee after sinking the Japanese cruiser Kuma on 11 January 1944 with two hits from a seven-torpedo salvo at 1900 yards.

British submarines operated from Depot Ships lying at Trincomalee, Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka). From the end of 1943 there were generally eight T-Class, eight S-Class, Porpoise and Severn operating from this base.

The operating areas were mainly in the Malacca Straits, off Java, Sumatra and the South China Sea. There were very few big targets to be found in the area and, operating at the extremities of range for British boats, this was all that could be covered until later, when Fremantle in Australia was used, and then some of the American bases further north. With the Mediterranean in Allied control and very few targets in the North Sea, the British submarine force needed some employment and the British government were keen to show some support of USN activities in the Pacific theatre.

Japanese Anti-Submarine activity was sporadic and inefficient to some degree, though not without some success.

HMS/M Tally-Ho (Cdr. L.W.A. Bennington, RN), rather than submit to a hammering in shallow water where she could not even go below periscope depth, surfaced and demolished Chaser No.2 with five 4-inch rounds out of 19 fired on 6 October 1944 in the southern part of the Malacca Strait. Tally-Ho had been having a particularly successful war in the area and her victims included the Japanese cruiser Kuma on 11 January 1944 and the ex-Italian submarine UIT-23 (ex-Giuliani) on 15 February 1944, on the way to recover secret agents around the 18th. All of Bennington's six torpedo salvoes sank their targets and nine hits were registered for torpedoes fired. Nor did any of his gunnery targets escape, although one merchant ships got away damaged and one ran aground: on these nine successes, a total of only 204 4-inch shells expended.

Tally-Ho had one narrow escape, however, on 24 February 1944, when an enemy torpedo boat was encountered at night too close to avoid by diving. Some drastic manoeuvring on the surface prevented direct ramming but a glancing collision ripped open the port main ballast tanks. This did not prevent the submarine from diving to shake off her pursuer but the return passage to Trincomalee was made on the surface, in bad weather, with a heavy list to port.

On 24 February 1944, Tally-Ho met a Japanese torpedo-boat at night, too close to take avoiding action by diving. The enemy's attempt at ramming ripped open the port ballast tanks. However, Tally-Ho made it back to Trincomalee in bad weather and with a severe list to port.

Two pictures of Tally-Ho in dock in Colombo showing the damage made by the patrol boat.

Grimy Wartime picture of Tally-Ho's crew