| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | T |
| Pennant | N 38 |
| Built by | Cammell Laird Shipyard (Birkenhead, U.K.) |
| Ordered | |
| Laid down | 18 Nov 1937 |
| Launched | 20 May 1939 |
| Commissioned | 3 Jan 1940 |
| End service | |
| Loss position | |
| History | Damaged by a mine in April 1944. Sold to be broken up for scrap in November 1946 and scrapped at Llanelly. For an account on life aboard Taku see this website (offsite link). Commanding Officers: Lt.Cdr. Voltelin James Howard Van der Byl, RN Lt. John Frederick Beaufoy Brown, RN Lt.Cdr. Edward Christian Frederic Nicolay, RN Lt.Cdr. Peter Joseph Howell Bartlett, RN ??? Lt.Cdr. Jack Gethin Hopkins, RN Lt. Arthur John Wright Pitt, RN Lt. Percy Samuel Parmenter, RNR Lt. George Edward Hunt, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN |
Commands listed for HMS Taku (N 38)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | ||
| 1 | Lt.Cdr. Walter Selby Hall, RN | 19 Jun 1939 | 24 Feb 1940 | |
| 2 | Lt.Cdr. Voltelin James Howard Van der Byl, RN | 24 Feb 1940 | 8 Oct 1940 | |
| 3 | Lt. Hugh Bentley Turner, RN | 8 Oct 1940 | 17 Oct 1940 | |
| 4 | Lt. John Frederick Beaufoy Brown, RN | 17 Oct 1940 | 22 Apr 1941 | |
| 5 | Lt.Cdr. Edward Christian Frederic Nicolay, RN | 22 Apr 1941 | Aug 1941 | |
| 6 | Lt.Cdr. Peter Joseph Howell Bartlett, RN | Oct 1941 | 15 Oct 1941 | |
| 7 | Lt.Cdr. Jack Gethin Hopkins, RN | 8 Dec 1941 | 11 Oct 1942 | |
| 8 | Lt. Arthur John Wright Pitt, RN | 11 Oct 1942 | 6 May 1944 | |
| 9 | T/Lt. Percy Samuel Parmenter, RNR | 6 May 1944 | 28 Oct 1944 | |
| 10 | Lt. George Edward Hunt, DSC, DSO, RN | 28 Oct 1944 | Mar/Apr 45 | |
| 11 | Lt. John Peter Angell, RN | Mar/Apr 45 | Apr/May 45 | |
| 12 | Lt. William Henry Kett, DSC, RNR | Apr/May 45 | ||
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Noteable events involving Taku include:
17 Apr 1940
While searching for 5 German destroyers reported to be in her area HMS Taku (Lt.Cdr. V.J.H. Van der Byl, RN) fires 4 torpedoes against the British destroyer HMS Ashanti (Cdr. W.G. Davis, RN). Luckily all torpedoes fired missed their target.
8 May 1940
HMS Taku (Lt.Cdr. V.J.H. Van der Byl, RN) attacks a German convoy with ten torpedoes and torpedoes and damages the German torpedo boat Möwe (900 tons) east of Denmark in position 56º45'N, 06º12'E. After the attack Taku was depth charged for 10 hours. (see map)
2 Nov 1940
HMS Taku (Lt. J.F.B. Brown, RN) hit the the German tanker Gedania (8923 GRT) in the Bay of Biscay about 35 nautical miles south-west of Belle-Ile island in position 46º54'N, 03º50'W with a dud torpedo. (see map)
6 May 1941
HMS Taku (Lt.Cdr. E.C.F. Nicolay, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Cagliari (2322 GRT) in the Tyrrhenian Sea about 20 nautical miles north-north-west of Stromboli Island, Italy in position 39º11'N, 15º05'E. (see map)
11 Jun 1941
HMS Taku (Lt.Cdr. E.C.F. Nicolay, RN) torpedoes and sinks the German munitions transport Tilly L.M. Russ (1600 GRT, built 1926) at Bengasi, Libya.
At 2140 hours (time zone -3), Taku, while in position 1 nautical mile bearing 270 from the Bengasi breakwater light, fires one torpedo against a supply ship in the harbour. The torpedo hit the target and started a large fire. Three minutes later Taku proceeded up the Bengasi swept channel back out to sea.
12 Jun 1941
HMS Taku (Lt.Cdr. E.C.F. Nicolay, RN) intercepts a convoy and torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Silvio Scaroni (1367 GRT, built 1921) in the Gulf of Syrte 70 nautical miles bearing 283 off Benghazi, Libya in position 32º27'N, 18º42'E.
At 0435 hours (time zone -3), while in position 32º20'N, 18º49'E, HMS Taku sighted a convoy. The convoy is identified as an Italian Orione class torpedo boat, an Italian MAS boat and three merchant ships of 1500, 2600 and 2500 tons respectively.
At 0503 hours two torpedoes were fired against the last ship in line. One of these torpedoes was seen to hit just abaft the foremast. The ship sank.
At 0505 hours the torpedo boat was seen heading strait for Taku so Lt.Cdr. Nicolay went deep. (see map)
13 Jul 1941
HMS Taku (Lt.Cdr. E.C.F. Nicolay, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian passenger / cargo ship Caldea (2703 GRT, built 1928) 10 nautical miles bearing 312 of the Bengasi lighthouse, Libya.
At 0956 hours (time zone -3) Taku sighted the target about 7000 yards away. The target was escorted by three A/S trawlers. Taku closed for a torpedo attack.
At 1014 hours Taku fired four torpedoes. The first torpedo missed the target but the remaining three all hit. The ship sank and there was no counter attack on Taku.
15 Jul 1941
HMS Taku (Lt.Cdr. E.C.F. Nicolay, RN) sinks the Italian auxiliary minesweeper Vincenzo P. (270 GRT) about 25 nautical miles south-east of Auegia, Libya.
At 1430 hours (time zone -3) an armed tug and a schooner were sighted in position 30º56'N, 17º56'E. Weather conditions were unfavourable for gunnery action. Taku shadowed the ships.
At 2126 hours the ships were at anchor close inshore in position 30º41'N, 18º19'E. Taku surfaced to launch a folbot party. The folbot however broke in a wave and the idea of a folbot attack was abandoned. (A folbot is a folding kayak).
At 2314 hours the armed tug was engaged with gunfire from 300 yards. A lighter was sighted laying astern of the tug. The lighter was slipped and drifted ashore. The tug was hit, the crew slipped the anchor cable and beached itself.
Taku now shifted fire to the schooner. 12 rounds were fired from 150 yards. The schooner was then boarded. Charts, books, etc. were captured. The schooner was the Vincenzo P. and was loaded with provisions. The schooner was then sunk by gunfire. (see map)
15 Aug 1942
HMS Taku (Lt.Cdr. J.G. Hopkins, RN) attacks the German merchant Menes (5609 GRT) with 4 torpedoes about 90 nautical miles north-east of Benghazi, Libya in position 33º16'N, 21º16'E. All 4 torpedoes fired missed their target. (see map)
24 Oct 1942
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) sinks a small Greek sailing vessel with gunfire west of Kos, Greece in position 36º23'N, 27º00'E. (see map)
25 Oct 1942
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) attacks the Italian tanker Arca (2238 GRT) off Chios, Greece. The torpedoes fired however missed their target.
26 Oct 1942
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian tanker Arca (2238 GRT) south-west of Chios, Greece in position 38º04'N, 25º27'E. (see map)
27 Oct 1942
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) sinks the Greek sailing vessel Lora (121 GRT) with gunfire off Lemnos, Greece.
31 Oct 1942
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) fires four torpedoes against the Italian tanker Cerere (1267 GRT) about 10 nautical miles south of Cape Sounio, Greece in position 37º30'N, 24º03'E. All torpedoes fired missed their target. (see map)
14 Dec 1942
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian tanker Delfin (5322 GRT) in the Aegean Sea about 5 nautical miles north of Macrosini island, Greece in position 37º52'N, 24º06'E. (see map)
22 Dec 1942
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) sinks the Greek sailing vessel Niki (150 GRT) with gunfire in the Potidea Channel in position 40º13'N, 23º19'E. (see map)
7 Feb 1944
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) torpedoes and sinks the German merchant Rheinhausen (6298 GRT) about 20 nautical miles north of Stavanger, Norway.
12 Feb 1944
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) torpedoes and heavily damages the German merchant Harm Fritzen (4818 GRT) off Stavanger, Norway. The ship was run aground to prevent it from sinking. The ship was later salvaged.
13 Feb 1944
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) torpedoes and sinks the German merchant Hans Bornhofen (2130 GRT) in the Boknafjorden, 8 nautical miles south of Skudeneshavn, Norway in position 59º08'N, 05º24'E. (see map)
24 Mar 1944
HMS Taku (Lt. A.J.W. Pitt, RN) fires 5 torpedoes against a tanker in a German convoy about 25 nautical miles west of Namsos, Norway in position 64º33'N 10º37'E. The German merchant Moshill (2959 GRT, former Norwegian) was missed in this attack.
(see map)