HMS Stratagem (P234)

HMS "Stratagem" was an S class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on June 21 1943. So far she has been the only ship to bear the name "Stratagem".

Career

She served in the Pacific for most of her short career, where she sank the Japanese tanker "Nichinan Maru" and unsuccessfully attacked the German submarine "U-181". [cite web | url = http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3451.html | title = HMS Stratagem (P 234) | publisher = Uboat.net | date = | accessdate = 2007-11-19 ]

inking

"Stratagem" left Trincomalee on November 10 1944 to patrol in the vicinity of Malacca where it was believed the Japanese were loading ships with bauxite ore. On the 18 NovemberThese sources says it was 19 November 1944:
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*] she attacked and sank the tanker "Nichinan Maru", but on November 22 she was spotted by a Japanese aircraft. She attempted to dive and escape but the aircraft directed a destroyer to where it had dived. The destroyer launched depth charges, the first of which caused the submarine’s bow to strike the bottom. The submarine was plunged into darkness and the forward part began to flood. Attempts to shut the watertight door to the forward compartment failed and the crew were forced to abandon the ship. Ten of her crew were taken prisoner, of which only three survived captivity. [cite web | url = http://www.rnsubmus.co.uk/general/losses.htm#stratagem | title = Submarine losses 1904 to present day | publisher = RN Submarine Museum, Gosport | accessdate = 2007-11-19 ]

References

*Colledge