uboat.net

  Front page - Fighting the U-boats - Allied Warships

Follow us on Twitter
@uboatnet

Notable events involving Tedworth include:

8 Oct 1939
Around 0335A/8, HMS Triad (Lt.Cdr. R.McC.P. Jonas, RN), departed from Portsmouth for Dundee. She was escorted by HMS Tedworth (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) W.J. Stride, MBE, RN) until 1845A/8 when HMS Triad joined a northbound convoy [most likely FN 18]. (1)

25 Feb 1943
HMS Usurper (Lt. D.R.O. Mott, DSC, RN) was conducting exercises on Inmarnock Water when she was ordered to search in the Clyde area for her missing sister ship HMS Vandal (Lt. J.S. Bridger, RN).

The following submarines / ships were also ordered to search for HMS Vandal (which was not found until 1994); HMS Graph (Lt. P.B. Marriott, DSO, RN), HMS L 27 (Lt. W.N. Eade, RNR), HMS Severn (Lt.Cdr. A.N.G. Campbell, RN), HMS Stubborn (Lt. A.A. Duff, RN), HMS Whitehall (Cdr. C.L.de H. Bell, RD, RNR), HMS Breda (Capt.(Retd.) A.E. Johnston, RN), HMS Kingfisher (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) G.H. Gandy, RN), HMS La Capricieuse (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Dobson, RNR), HMS Cygnet (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) F.B. Proudfoot, RN), HMS Tedworth (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) G.H. Warren, RN) and HrMs Jan van Gelder (Lt. P.L.M. van Geen, RNN). (2)

30 May 1943
Upon completion of an A/S exercise off Campbeltown with HMS Shemara (Cdr.(Retd.) H. Buckle, RN), HMS Untamed (Lt. G.M. Noll, RN) failed to surface. She had failed to respond to charges fired by HMS Shemara since 1501 hours.

At 1600 hours HMS Shemara made a signal reporting the situation. The exercise was due to end at 1700 hours but Untamed failed to surface. Shemare meanwhile had heard the sounds of her engines being run and tanks being blown.

At 1745 hours HMS Shemara reported she had obtained a contact with her Asdic on Untamed laying on the bottom.

Salvage / diving vessel HMS Tedworth (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) G.H. Warren, RN) was ordered to the scene but when she arrived divers could not be sent down due to the tide.

The next day diving operations were not possible due to the bad weather.

On 1 June it was decided that there was no hope for any survivors. Divers were able to go down this day and found Untamed upright on the seabed.

On 5 June it was reported that divers had found both escape hatches shut but that the after one was not secured. When they opened the outer hatch the body of the Chief Engine-room Artificer was found. His body was landed at Campbeltown.

In late June HMS Untamed was salvaged.

During 16/17 July 1943 HMS Untamed was towed from Campbeltown to Barrow for reconditioning.

The cause of the accident was that the forward part of the submarine had been flooded through a sluice valve of the ships logs being installed incorrectly. Untamed was therefore not able to surface. An attempt was made to escape from the engine room but this attempt failed due to yet another incorrectly installed valve. (3)