HMS Cachalot (N83) explained
HMS Cachalot (N83) was one of the six-ship class of
Grampus-class mine-laying
submarine of the
Royal Navy. She was built at
Scotts,
Greenock and
launched 2 December 1937. She served in
World War II in home waters and the
Mediterranean. She was rammed and sunk by the Italian torpedo boat
Generale Achille Papa on 30 July 1941.
Career
In August, 1940, Cachalot torpedoed and sank the German submarine U-51 in the Bay of Biscay and in September the German auxiliary minesweeper M 1604 / Österreich hit a mine laid by Cachalot and sank.[1]
She was assigned to operate in the Mediterranean in 1941.
Sinking
Cachalot left Malta on 26 July, bound for Alexandria. At 2 o’clock on the morning of 30 July the Italian torpedo boat was spotted causing her to dive. Upon resurfacing she was attacked by the Italian vessel. Cachalot attempted to dive again but the upper hatch jammed, and the Italian destroyer rammed her. The crew scuttled the ship as they abandoned her and all personnel except for a Maltese steward were picked up by the Italians.[2]
Bibliography
- Caruana. Joseph. 2012 . Emergency Victualling of Malta During WWII. Warship International. LXIX . 4 . 357–364 . 0043-0374.
External links
32.8167°N 31°W
Notes and References
- http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3416.html HMS Cachalot
- Web site: RN Submarine Museum, Gosport. https://web.archive.org/web/20080209114105/http://www.rnsubmus.co.uk/general/losses.html. 9 February 2008.
