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Allied Warships

HMS Taurus (P 339)

Submarine of the T class

NavyThe Royal Navy
TypeSubmarine
ClassT 
PennantP 339 
Built byVickers Armstrong (Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.) 
Ordered 
Laid down30 Sep, 1941 
Launched27 Jun, 1942 
Commissioned3 Nov, 1942 
End service 
Loss position
 
HistoryLoaned to the Royal Netherlands Navy on 4 June 1948 and commissioned into the Royal Netherlands Navy as Dolfijn (offsite link) the same day. Decommissioned and returned to the Royal Navy on 7 December 1953. Recommissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Taurus on 8 December 1953. Scrapped at Dunston-on-Tyne in April 1960.

Commanding Officers:
Lt.Cdr. Mervyn Robert George Wingfield, RN
September 1942 - 4 September 1944
DSO awarded on 17 November 1942
DSC awarded on 19 October 1943
DSC and Bar awarded on 8 February 1944

A/Lt.Cdr. Peter Edward Newstead, DSC, RN
4 September 1944 - still in command in October 1945 according to the Navy List. 


Noteable events involving Taurus include:

2 Mar, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks the small French merchant Clairette with gunfire off Cape Ferrat, southern France.

6 Mar, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Spanish merchant Bartolo (3120 GRT) off Marseille, southern France.

10 Mar, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Derna (1769 GRT) off Sete, southern France.

13 Mar, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks the French tug Ghrib (82 GRT) and two barges with gunfire off Cassis, southern France.

13 Apr, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks the Portugese Santa Irene (520 GRT) with gunfire about 30 nautical miles south-east of Bastia, Corsica, France in position 42º19'N, 09º53'E. (see map)

14 Apr, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks the small Italian tanker Alcione C. (521 GRT) with gunfire off the east coast of Corsica, France in position 42º16'N, 09º36'E. (see map)

15 Apr, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks the Italian sailing vessel Luigi (433 GRT) with gunfire 52 nautical miles south-west of Civitavecchia in position 41º32'N, 10º47'E. (see map)

27 May, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) departs Malta for her 5th Mediterranean war patrol at 1700 hours (no time zone given in the patrol report but this was most likely -3). Taurus is ordered to patrol in the northern Aegean.

3 Jun, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks two sailing vessels (one caique and one schooner) with gunfire in the Aegean Sea off Euboea island.

The first target (a laden caique of about 60 tons) was spotted at 1220 hours (no time zone given in the patrol report but this was most likely -3). At 1248 hours Taurus surfaced and engaged with the gun. 31 rounds were expended before the tarket sank in position 38º28'5N, 24º17'E.

While the above action was in progress a second vessel was sighted. This ship was identified as a schooner of about 120 tons sailing northwards. As soon as the first target was sunk Taurus submerged again (at 1257 hours) and an attack on the second target was commenced. At 1352 hours Lt.Cdr. Wingfield surfaced about 2000 yards on the beam of the target. 17 rounds were expended before the target sank in position 38º28N, 24º14'E.

After the attacks Taurus proceeded northwards. (see map)

5 Jun, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks two caiques with gunfire off Skiathos.

At 1830 hours (no time zone given in the patrol report but this was most likely -3) two southbound caiques, of 50 tons each, were sighted and an attack commenced.

At 1912 hours Taurus surfaced and and opened fire at 3000 yards. 6 rounds were fired at one of the caiques which then commenced to settle. The crew abandoned ship instantly.

Fire was now shifted to the other caique that was about a mile away. 6 rounds were fired, with no hits, before an aircraft was seen approaching from the east. Taurus dived immediately.

With the aircraft gone Taurus surfaced at 1937 hours and re-started the attack on the caique that had not been hit. At 1943 hours this caique was sunk in position 39º25'N, 23º15'E.

Fire was now shifted to the first caique attacked and this one burst into flames before sinking at 1948 hours a mile north of the other one. (see map)

6 Jun, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks a Greek caique with gunfire west of Mitylene, Greece in position 39º15'N, 25º45'E.

At 1526 hours (no time zone given in the patrol report but this was most likely -3) Taurus surfaced and sank a 50 tons caique with gunfire. Soon after the first rounds were fired the caiques crew hoisted a white flag, so Lt.Cdr. Wingfield allowed the to abandon their ship with a dinghy.

At 1830 hours, just as Lt.Cdr. Wingfield wanted to surface to sink another caique, an aircraft was sighted that continued to patrol the area. This attack eventually had to be abandoned. (see map)

11 Jun, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks two caiques with gunfire and one by ramming off Piscopi, Greece.

At 1600 hours (no time zone given in the patrol report but this was most likely -3) Taurus sighted a medium sized caique of 40 tons to the north-west near Piscopi Island. Taurus surfaced and chased the target and opened fire with the deck gun at 2000 yards. The target sank at 1730 hours in position 36º26'N, 27º32'E.

Another caique was sighted inshore so Taurus closed to sink this one as well. 7 rounds were enough to sink this caique of 25 tons in position 36º26'N, 27º27'E. This 2nd caique was flying the Italian flag. (see map)

15 Jun, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) ends her 5th Mediterranean war patrol at 0830 hours (no time zone given in the patrol report but this was most likely -3) when she arrives at Beirut.

8 Jul, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks two Greek sailing vessels through ramming off Skyros, Greece.

Taurus also torpedoes and damages the Greek merchant Konstantinos Louloudis (4697 GRT) off Skyros, Greece.

9 Jul, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks four sailing vessels with two torpedoes and gunfire at Kastron harbour, Chios, Greece. Two sailing vessels were damaged in the attack.

12 Jul, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, RN) sinks the small Greek Romano (39 BRT) and 12 small sailing vessels with gunfire in the Gulf of Saloniki.

13 Nov, 1943
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, DSC, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Japanese submarine I-34 (offsite link) south of Panang, Malaya in position 05º17'N, 100º05'E. (see map)

6 Feb, 1944
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN) sinks a Japanese tugboat and a barge with gunfire south-west of Sumatra.

18 Apr, 1944
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN) lays mines off Penang.

22 Apr, 1944
HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN) sinks the Japanese salvage vessel Hokuan I-Go (558 GRT) and a tug with gunfire off Malaya in position 07º10'N, 99º20'E. (see map)

27 Apr, 1944
The Japanese submarine I-37 is damaged when she hits a mine that was possibly laid by HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN) on 18 April 1944 south of Penang in position 05º03'N, 100º12'E. (see map)

12 May, 1944
The Japanese transport ship Kasumi Maru (971 GRT) is sunk in Straits of Malacca in position 03º50'N, 99º30'E after hitting a mine laid by HMS Taurus (Lt.Cdr. M.R.G. Wingfield, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN) on 18 April 1944. (see map)


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