Robert Elphinstone Campbell DSC, RN
| Birth details unknown |
| Ranks
Retired: 19 Jan 1957 Decorations
|
Warship Commands listed for Robert Elphinstone Campbell, RN
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| HMS L 27 (N 27) | Lt. | Submarine | 11 Jun 1940 | Oct 1940 |
Career information
We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.
Events related to this officer
Submarine HMS L 27 (N 27)
13 Sep 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS L 27 (Lt. R.E. Campbell, RN) departed Portsmouth for her 4th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the English Channel. (1)
18 Sep 1940
At 2359 hours, HMS L 27 (Lt. R.E. Campbell, RN), fired two torpedoes at a group of (at least) four ships that were sighted bearing 355 degrees, St. Valery lighthouse, 25 nautical miles. The ships are thought to have been minesweepers but were most likely the German torpedo boats T 5, T 6, T 7 and T 8 that had departed Cherbourg for German at 2200 hours. (2)
22 Sep 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS L 27 (Lt. R.E. Campbell, RN) ended her 4th war patrol at Portsmouth. (1)
24 Sep 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS L 27 (Lt. R.E. Campbell, RN) departed Portsmouth for her 5th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the English Channel. (1)
1 Oct 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS L 27 (Lt. R.E. Campbell, RN) ended her 5th war patrol at Portsmouth. She was immediately docked for repairs to her damaged A/S dome. The date she was undocked is currently not known to us. (1)
12 Oct 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS L 27 (Lt. R.E. Campbell, RN) departed Portsmouth for her 6th war patrol. She was ordered to patrol in the English Channel. (3)
15 Oct 1940 (position 49.45, -1.30)
At 1535 hours, HMS L 27 (Lt. R.E. Campbell, RN), made a torpedo attack on an escorted German transport ship north-east of Cherbourg, France in position 49°45'N, 01°30'W. Three torpedoes were fired, four were intended but tube no.3 misfired due to a malfunction. Three big explosions were heard and HE ceased after the last explosion but in fact the target was not hit. It was though though that the target had been sunk.
The target of this attack was the German Sperrbrecher 3 / Belgrad (4418 GRT, built 1937) which was underway with several minesweepers from the 12th Mineweeper Flotilla. Sperrbrecher 3 sighted the first torpedo which was a surface runner coming from the starboard side and missed her ahead and two more torpedoes missed her under and then surfaced to the port side. Sperrbrecher 3 then dropped depth charges.
Following this attack six German minesweepers from the 1st Minesweeper Flotilla were sailed to hunt the submarine. (1)
16 Oct 1940 (position 0.00, 0.00)
HMS L 27 (Lt. R.E. Campbell, RN) ended her 6th war patrol at Portsmouth. (1)
Sources
- ADM 199/1830
- AM
- ADM 173/1830
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.
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