Submarine HMS L 27 (N 27)

29 Oct 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS L 27 (Lt. J.S. Huddard, RN) departed Portsmouth for her 8th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the English Channel. (5)

4 Nov 1940 (position 49.46, 0.11)
At 1224 hours, HMS L 27 (Lt. J.S. Huddard, RN), is damaged by an underwater collision in position 49°46'N 00°11'E (west-north-west of Fécamp, France). She had sustained considerable damage to the gun and bridge structure and had to abandon the patrol.

A trawler had been sighted some minutes before but it was estimated that this ship was not close enough to be a danger. Perhaps more ships had been present which had not been noticed. (5)

5 Nov 1940
HMS L 27 (Lt. J.S. Huddard, RN) ended her 8th war patrol at Portsmouth.

Repairs were estimated to take until mid December but later this had to be changed to mid January. (5)

3 Dec 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS L 27 (Lt. J.S. Huddard, RN) is docked at Portsmouth.
[The date she was undocked is currently not known to us.]

Submarine HMS Triumph (i) (N 18)

20 Nov 1941
Around 1015B/20, HMS Triumph (Lt. J.S. Huddart, RN) departed from Alexandria for her 20th war patrol. She is to patrol in the Aegean and to perform a special operation. Later she was ordered to shift patrol to the West coast of Greece.

For the daily and attack positions of HMS Triumph during this patrol see the map below.

(6)

23 Nov 1941
HMS Triumph (Lt. J.S. Huddart, RN) landed agents (including Chris M. Woodhouse) at Caruba Bay (west of Candia). (6)

24 Nov 1941
HMS Triumph (Lt. J.S. Huddart, RN) torpedoed and sank the Italian tug/salvage vessel Hercules (632 GRT, built 1910) and the tug Irini Vernikos inside Candia (Iraklion) harbour, Crete. The explosion of the torpedo caused also some damage to the German merchant vessels Norburg (2392 GRT, built 1922), that was being salvaged at the time, and to the Arkadia (1756 GRT, built 1927) behind her.

HMS Triumph also bombards the airport at Heraklion.

(All times are zone B/-2)
1141B/24 - Closed Candia harbour to 3500 yards from the breakwater. In the harbour were 2 merchant ships of 3000 and 1500 tons secured to the mole.

1144B/24 - Fired one torpedo against the 3000 tons merchant vessel But the torpedo was observed to hit a small vessel, thought to be an armed trawler, that was alongside the 1500 tons merchant vessel that was moored just astern of the 3000 tons vessel. The 'trawler' was seen to settle by the stern immediately.

A second torpedo was now fired against the 3000 tons merchant ship but it ran to the left and exploded at the far end of the harbour.

Triumph now left the area as air patrol were expected to arrive soon now.

--------------------------------------------

1803B/24 - Surfaced and set course towards the airport.

1822B/24 - Opened fire with the 4" gun from 3500 yards. Shells were seen to explode along the line of the aerodrome and the gun emplacements. It was not possible to note if any damage was caused.

1825B/24 - Ceased fire after 14 rounds. Cleared the area at high speed on the surface to the North-East. (6)

27 Nov 1941
Late in the evening, HMS Triumph (Lt. J.S. Huddart, RN) was ordered (by signal) to patrol in the South-West Aegean. Shortly afterwards this is changed to the Ionian Sea off Navarinon on the West coast of Greece as the Italian battle fleet was at sea. For the next few days Triumph was ordered to several patrol positions in the Ionian Sea to intercept the Italian battle fleet. (6)

1 Dec 1941
HMS Triumph (Lt. J.S. Huddart, RN) was ordered to patrol off Navarinon. (6)

11 Dec 1941
Around 1115B/11, HMS Triumph (Lt. J.S. Huddart, RN) ended her 20th war patrol at Alexandria. (6)

26 Dec 1941
HMS Triumph (Lt. J.S. Huddart, RN) departed Alexandria for her 21th war patrol. She is to patrol in the Aegean and to perform special operation ISINGLASS.

30 Dec 1941
HMS Triumph (Lt. J.S. Huddart, RN) reported by signal a successful first part of the special operation. Captain G. Atkinson, Lt. J.W.C. Craig (both from MI9) and wireless operator Diamantís Arvanitopoulos (code name DIAMOND) are landed at Antiparos. Triumph was supposed to pick them up with a party of stragglers who are being rounded up again on 9 January 1942 but she failed to show up at the rendezvous. The special operation will turn sour when the whole party will be captured by the Italians. Atkinson who has also offered his services to SOE (without disclosing it to MI9) will be found with a list of the principal personalities of the Greek Resistance on him. A list he should have memorized and destroyed. This will enable the Italian police to arrest several of them. In 1943, Atkinson, who has murdered an Italian officer, will be executed with Arvanitopoulos and Greeks who have sheltered them.

4 Jan 1942
the following events were report that may be linked to HMS Triumph;

At 1450 hours on 4 January 1942, in position 36°07'N, 24°14'E, the motor cutter Sofia from Panigaglia Netzsperrverband reported being missed by a torpedo wake. This could have been HMS Triumph but the attack is possibly bogus.

Two days later, a submarine was sighted South-East of Milos and at 1145 hours on 9 January, the tug Taxiarchis towing the large lighter Rhea reports being missed by a torpedo near Cape Sunion. Again this could be HMS Triumph but the attack could also be bogus. Given the fact that the party was supposed to be picked up at Antiparos during the night of 9/10 January 1942 it seems unlikely to us that HMS Triumph would be off Cape Sunion at the time of the reported attack.

Also Axis convoys leaving and proceeding to Piraeus do not report any attack; neither did the German submarine U-97 who rounded Cape Sunion on the surface a few hours after the Taxiarchis and Rhea.

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