| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | P |
| Pennant | N 75 |
| Built by | Chatham Dockyard (Chatham, U.K.) |
| Ordered | 2 Jan 1928 |
| Laid down | 30 Jun 1928 |
| Launched | 22 Jun 1929 |
| Commissioned | 13 Jan 1931 |
| Lost | 11 Aug 1943 |
| History | HMS Parthian was refitted in U.S.A. from late 1941 until March 1942. After this refit she went back to the Mediterranean and was used for supply runs to Malta. In May 1943 HMS Parthian (Lt. M.B. St. John, RN) sank several Italian sailing vessels while operating in the Aegean. HMS Parthian (Lt. Cyril Astell Pardoe, RNR) is presumed mined in Adriatic late July / early August 1943. Having sailed from Malta on 22nd July for patrol west of Greece in the southern Adriatic. She was ordered to patrol off Otranto on 26th July 1943. She was again given a new area to patrol on the 28th. She was reported overdue at Beirut on 11th August 1943. Most likely she was mined off Brindisi. The date given as lost (11 August 1943) is the date she was reported missing. |
Commands listed for HMS Parthian (N 75)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Lt.Cdr. Michael Gordon Rimington, RN | 27 May 1938 | Oct 1941 |
| 2 | Lt.Cdr. Drummond St. Clair-Ford, RN | Oct 1941 | 3 Dec 1942 |
| 3 | Lt. Michael Beauchamp St. John, RN | 3 Dec 1942 | 15 Jun 1943 |
| 4 | Lt. Cyril Astell Pardoe, RNR | 15 Jun 1943 | Jul/Aug 43 (+) |
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Noteable events involving Parthian include:
19 Jun 1940
At 1243 hours (no time zone given in patrol report) HMS Parthian (Lt.Cdr. M.G. Rimington, RN) fires two torpedoes from 6500 yards at the old Italian armoured cruiser San Giorgio in Tobruk harbour. Both torpedoed exploded about 3/4 nautical mile short of the target. Most likely they hit a boom net.
20 Jun 1940
HMS Parthian (Lt.Cdr. M.G. Rimington, RN) torpedoed and sank the Italian submarine Diamante about 35 nautical miles north-north-west of Tobruk, Libya in position 32?42'N, 23?49'E.
At 1445 hours (no time zone given in patrol report) HMS Parthian sighted a submarine running on the surface at 6500 yards. At 1502 hours 4 torpedoed were fired from 400 yards. 4 hits were claimed by the British. (see map)
20 Jul 1940
HMS Parthian (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Cayley, RN) landed an agent on Crete.
31 Aug 1940
HMS Parthian (Lt.Cdr. R.M.T. Peacock, RN) attacks the Italian cruisers Giuseppe Garibaldi and Luigi di Savoia Duca Delgi Abruzzi in the Ionian Sea about 105 nautical miles east-south-east of Cape Spartivento, Italy in position 37°45'N, 18°22'E. All torpedoes fired missed their target. (see map)
9 Jan 1941
HMS Parthian (Cdr. M.G. Rimington, DSO, RN) torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Carlo Martinolich (4208 GRT) about 10 nautical miles east of Punta Stilo, Calabria, Italy in position 38°28'N, 16°44'E. (see map)
16 Mar 1941
HMS Parthian (Cdr. M.G. Rimington, DSO, RN) torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Giovanni Bocaccio (3141 GRT) in the central Mediterranean about 55 nautical miles east of Malta in position 35°57'N, 15°40'E. (see map)
3 Jun 1941
HMS Parthian (Cdr. M.G. Rimington, DSO, RN) torpedoed and damaged the Italian oiler Strombo (5232 GRT) east of Limnos in position 39?57'N, 25?38'E. (see map)
8 Jun 1941
HMS Parthian (Cdr. M.G. Rimington, DSO, RN) sank 2 sailing vessels and another small vessel at Mitylene, Lesbos, Greece. Parthian fired two torpedoes in the harbour.
25 Jun 1941
HMS Parthian (Cdr. M.G. Rimington, DSO, RN) torpedoed and sank the Vichy French submarine Souffleur south-west of Beirut in position 33?49'N, 35?26'E. (see map)
16 Nov 1942
At 1048 hours HMS Parthian (Lt. M.B. St. John, RN) fires four torpedoes against a convoy made up of the small Italian tanker Labor (510 GRT), the German merchant Menes (5609 GRT) escorted by the Italian torpedo boats Calliope and Climene north-east of Isola Marettimo, Italy in position 38°03'N, 11°51'E. All torpedoes fired missed their target(s). (see map)
28 Mar 1943
HMS Parthian (Lt. M.B. St. John, RN) sank the Greek sailing vessel Archangelos (120 GRT) with gunfire and ramming in the Aegean Sea west of Lesbos Island, Greece in position 39°19'N, 25°18'E.
29 Mar 1943
HMS Parthian (Lt. M.B. St. John, RN) sank the Greek sailing vessel Angela Mitylene (120 GRT) off Mitylene, Greece.
4 May 1943
HMS Parthian (Lt. M.B. St. John, RN) sank the Italian sailing vessels Despina II and Spina Secundo (both 13 GRT) with gunfire off Kos, Greece.
5 May 1943
HMS Parthian (Lt. M.B. St. John, RN) attacked the German auxiliary minelayer Drache with gunfire about 7 nautical miles north-east of Doro in position 38?20'N, 24?46'E. (see map)
7 May 1943
HMS Parthian (Lt. M.B. St. John, RN) sank the Italian sailing vessel Barbara about 10 nautical miles north of Cape Stavros, Naxos, Greece