HMS Narwhal (N45)

HMS "Narwhal" (N45) was the one of the six ship class of "Grampus"-class mine-laying submarine of the Royal Navy. She was built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow and launched 29 August 1935. She served in World War II in home waters. She was lost in the North Sea on July 23 1940, and had probably been sunk by German aircraft.

Career

She had a brief but eventful career in wartime service. In February 1940 she helped HMS "Imogen" and HMS "Inglefield" to sink "U-63" south east of the Shetland Islands and in May "Narwhal" torpedoed and sank the German troop transport "Buenos Aires" and torpedoed and damaged the troop transport "Bahia Castillo". The "Bahia Castillo" reached port but was declared a total loss.

The greatest number of kills were caused by her mines. The German auxiliary minesweepers M 1302 / "Schwaben", M 1102/"H.A.W. Möllerthe", "Gnom 7", "Kobold 1" and "Kobold 3"; the German minesweeper "M 11"; German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ D / "Treff VIII"; the armed trawler V 1109 / "Antares" and the Swedish merchant "Haga" were all sunk on mines laid by "Narwhal".

Ships damaged by mines laid by "Narwhal" included: the armed trawler V 403 / "Deutschland", the German merchants "Togo" and "Clara M. Russ". The auxiliary minesweeper M 1101 / "Fock und Hubert" and the German merchant "Palime" also struck some of "Narwhal's" mines. They were successfully beached but declared total losses.

Credit is often given to "Narwhal" for sinking the Norwegian fishing vessel "Arild", but in reality "Arild" hit a German defensive mine. [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3414.html HMS Narwhal] , Uboot.net]

"Narwhal" may also have claimed the "U-1" which disappeared on patrol on April 6 1940, having been scheduled to sail unknowingly through a minefield "Narwhal" had laid earlier that day. Alternatively, "Narwhal's" sister, "Porpoise", reported firing upon an unknown submarine, which may account for "U-1"'s loss.

inking

"Narwhal" left Blyth on July 22 1940. On the afternoon of July 23 an aircraft reported attacking a submarine in the area where "Narwhal" should have been. This was believed to be HMS "Porpoise" by the Germans but as "Narwhal" did not report again, it was assumed this attack sank her. [ [http://www.rnsubmus.co.uk/general/losses.htm Submarine losses 1904 to present day] , RN Submarine Museum, Gosport] .

References

*Colledge

ee also

* List of shipwrecks in 1940

External links

* [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3414.html HMS "Narwhal"] from [http://uboat.net/ uboat.net]