HMS Tally-Ho (P317)

HMS "Tally-Ho" was a British submarine of the third group of the "T" class. She was built as "P317" by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow, and John Brown & Company, Clydebank, and launched on 23 December 1942. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name "Tally-Ho", probably after Tally-ho, a hunting call.

ervice

While commanded by Captain L. W. A. Bennington DSO and Bar, DSC and two Bars, "Tally-Ho" served in the Far East for much of her wartime career, where she sank thirteen small Japanese sailing vessels, a Japanese coaster, the Japanese water carrier "Kisogawa Maru", the Japanese army cargo ships "Ryuko" and "Daigen Maru No.6", the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser "Cha 2", the Japanese auxiliary minelayer "Ma 4" and the German submarine "UIT-23". She also damaged a small Japanese motor vessel, and laid mines, one of which damaged the Japanese merchant tanker "Nichiyoku Maru".

On 11 January 1944, "Tally-Ho", then based out of Trincomalee, Ceylon spotted the Japanese light cruiser "Kuma" and "Uranami" on anti-submarine warfare exercises about 10 miles northwest of Penang. "Tally-Ho" fired a seven-torpedo salvo at the Japanese cruiser from 1,900 yards, hitting her starboard aft with two torpedoes, and setting the ship on fire. "Kuma" sank by the stern in the vicinity of coord|05|26|N|99|52|E.

On the night of 24 February 1944 "Tally-Ho" was ordered back to the Sembilan Islands and while zig-zagging on the surface at night charging the batteries lookouts spotted two wakes ahead. Believing there was a possibility of the two vessels being friendly (both "Truculent" and "Tactician" being in the area), "Tally-Ho" immediately altered course to avoid a collision with the rapidly approaching vessels. On making a challenge with the Aldis lamp the vessels responded by altering course straight towards them and dropping depth charges, leaving no doubt they were unfriendly vessels. At this point the closest ship fired a shell which passed dangerously close over "Tally-Ho"'s conning tower before the attacker passed closely by the submarine and then turned for another attack. During this encounter "Tally-Ho" had been unable to dive due to the proximity of the attackers and the shallowness of the waters in the straight, in addition, diving would have presented the attacking ships with the opportunity to ram or depth charge the submarine. In the darkness "Tally-Ho" manoeuvred to a parallel course to the approaching attacker and the enemy vessel passed closely by the submarine, a loud hammering and tearing noise being heard as the ship passed, the vessel being identified as a "Hyabusa"-class torpedo boat of 600 tons. As the attacker disappeared in the murk "Tally-Ho" took on a list to port and assumed a marked bow-down attitude. Bennington decided that the batteries would have sufficient charge to risk diving which "Tally-Ho" then did. Before closng the conning tower hatch, he noticed that the submarine had taken on a 12-degree list. Once submerged the crew took stock of the damage and apart from smashed light bulbs and gauge dial glasses, "Tally-Ho" appeared to be seaworthy, and she remained submerged until 06:30 of the 24th February when Bennington brought "Tally-Ho" to periscope depth and observed his attacker making unusual manoeuvres apparently searching for the submarine on the starboard quarter some four miles off. "Tally-Ho" remained dived for the following twelve hours before surfacing after dark at 18:25. Upon surfacing it was noticed that the submarine's list had increased to 15-degrees and it was possible to see the damage to the submarine's port ballast tanks which where all open at the top and beyond further use. With transfer of fuel and water from various tanks and moving of stores and torpedoes, the bow-down attitude was reduced to 4-degrees and the three day journey to Trincomalee commenced. This was uneventful apart from encountering a monsoon during the passage of the Bay of Bengal and the possibility of encountering a Japanese submarine close to home. Arriving at Trincomalee harbour on 29 February 1944, "Tally-Ho" missed her escort and found herself amongst Admiral James Sommerville's battle fleet at exercises. Later, upon examination in dry dock prior to repairs, the extent of the damage to "Tally-Ho" 's port ballast tanks became apparent. The rotating screws of the torpedo boat had run the length of the tanks chewing large holes in them, phosphor bronze fragments of the attacker's propeller blades being discovered inside. Post-war enquiries learned that their attacker's behaviour after the attack had been due to a combination of "Tally-Ho" 's lowered port bow hydroplane having pierced the torpedo boat's hull, and the vessels port screw having been shorn of its blades almost down to the hub.

"Tally-Ho" survived World War II and continued in service with the Royal Navy, finally being scrapped at Briton Ferry, Wales on 10 February 1967. [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3516.html HMS Tally-Ho] , Uboot.net]

References

*"Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day", by Robert Hutchinson
*Colledge
*"The Hunting Submarine - the Fighting Life of HMS Tally-Ho", by Ian Trenowden - NEL - 1976 - ISBN 0-450-02616-7