![]() ![]() The wooden wheel and compass could be seen on the tower, with a slightly raised 4in gun. The submarine was found to be tilted 8° to starboard. Periscope (ROV Services) 4in Mk VII deck-gun (ROV Services) Starboard torpedo tube, with Mk VIII torpedo halfway out (ROV Services) A powerful explosion appeared to have occurred in the fore section. Thoctarides reported that he had found the submarine wreck with its periscopes and hatches down, suggesting that she had been hit while at depth, though proceeding at a set depth rather than in the act of diving. The submarine was officially declared missing on 23 January, 1942, with the loss of 64 personnel – seven officers, 55 crew and two commandos. What is thought to have been Triumph‘s last assault was on an Axis cement-carrier on 9 January, and the last sighting of the submarine was recorded by an Italian aircraft pilot off Cape Sounion near Athens. They were arrested, leading to a further rounding-up of Greek freedom fighters. However, the second phase ended in disaster when she was unable to pick up the special operations team and the Britons. Triumph transmitted her last encrypted message on 30 December, signalling completion of the first phase of the mission. The first of these involved delivering cash support to resistance fighters in Athens the second to effect the escape of 30 British subjects from the island of Antiparos. She had been assigned two missions involving Special Operations Executive (SOE) and Military Intelligence MI19 agents. On 26 December Triumph left Alexandria under the command of Lt John S Huddart for her 21st patrol before returning to Britain for maintenance. She landed troops in Greece and evacuated others from Alexandria in Egypt. She operated in the Aegean Sea from late March 1941, sinking a number of enemy ships and the Italian submarine Salpa. Launched in 1938, the 84m T-class submarine had completed 20 missions. ![]() Special operations HMS Triumph (Imperial War Museums) ![]()
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