| Noteable events involving Thunderbolt include: 15 Dec, 1940 At 1017 hours the Italian submarine Capitano Tarantini (offsite link) was torpedoed and sunk south-west of the Gironde Estuary near Bordeaux, France in position 45º25'N, 01º22'W by the British submarine HMS Thunderbolt (Lt. C.B. Crouch, RN). (see map) 15 Jun, 1941 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) fires torpedoes at the German submarine U-557 in the North Atlantic in position 42º00'N, 47º00'W. The torpedoes however miss their target.
At 1155 hours (time zone +3) HMS Thunderbolt spots the conning tower of a German submarine about 3.5 nautical miles away. Due to the sea conditions contact was lost.
At 1243 hours contact was gained again at 5000 yards. At 1250 hours a salvo of 6 torpedoes was fired from 4300 yards (2 torpedoes misfired and did not left the torpedo tubes). No explosions were heard after 5 minutes so no hits were obtained.
At 1312 hours another two torpedoes were fired but these also missed. Lt. Crouch decided to prepair for gun action but the suprise was gone as the uboat was seen to follow up the torpedo tracks. Lt. Crouch decided to go deep. (see map) 7 Sep, 1941 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Sirena (974 GRT) about 50 miles west of Benghasi, Libya. 10 Sep, 1941 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) sinks the Italian auxiliary patrol vessel V 224 / Svan I (388 GRT) with gunfire in the Gulf of Syrte off Marsa el Auegia. 11 Sep, 1941 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the German merchant Livorno (1829 GRT) about 35 nautical miles west-south-west of Benghazi, Libya in position 31º58'N 19º23'E. (see map) 14 Sep, 1941 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) fires three torpedoes against the German merchant Tinos (2826 GRT) about 30 nautical miles north-west of Benghazi, Libya. All torpedoes fires missed their target. 10 Oct, 1941 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) sinks the Italian sailing vessel Citta di Simi (25 GRT) with gunfire some 12 miles north-east of Cape Sidero, Crete in position 35º31'N, 26º25'E. (see map) 25 Nov, 1941 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) sinks the German sailing vessel L VII (300 BRT) with gunfire off Kythera, Greece. 2 Jan, 1942 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) torpedoes and damages the Italian merchant Anna Capano (1216 GRT) off Argostoli, Keffalonia Island, Greece. 4 Jan, 1942 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) sinks the Italian auxiliary minesweeper R 195 / Nuovo San Pietro (32 GRT) with gunfire west off Keffalonia Island, Greece. 30 Jan, 1942 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) fires four torpedoes against the Italian torpedo boat Solferino in the Ionian Sea. 1 Feb, 1942 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Absirtea (4170 GRT) about 6 nautical miles bearing 320 of Cape Dukato, Greece in aproximate position 38º40'N, 20º30'E. (see map) 3 Feb, 1942 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) damages the Italian auxiliary submarine chaser AS 80 / Lanciotto Piero (180 BRT) with gunfire off Gheregambe. 6 Feb, 1942 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) attacks the German submarine U-431 south-west of Crete in position 34º36'N, 23º22'E. The German submarine escapes unharmed. (see map) 8 Feb, 1942 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO, RN) damages the Italian sailing vessel Maria Grazia Siliato with gunfire 12 nautical miles east of Brindisi, Italy.
13 Feb, 1943 HMS Thunderbolt (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO and Bar, RN) sinks the Italian auxiliary minesweeper No.112 / Mafalda (44 GRT) with gunfire off Isola Lungha (Dugi Otok, Croatia). 18 Feb, 1943 HMS Thunderbold (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO and Bar, RN) damages the Italian auxiliary patrol vessel F 95 / San Giorgio (364 GRT) with gunfire north-west of Pola in position 45º02'N, 13º35'E. (see map) 20 Feb, 1943 HMS Thunderbold (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO and Bar, RN) sinks an Italian sailing vessel with gunfire off Bari. 12 Mar, 1943 HMS Thunderbold (Lt.Cdr. C.B. Crouch, DSO and Bar, RN) torpedoes and sinks (later raised) the French merchant (in German service) Esterel (3100 GRT) off Capo San Vito, Sicily, Italy. |