HMS Talent (P322)

HMS "Talent" (P322) was a Second World War British T class submarine, built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow, and John Brown & Company, Clydebank.

Career

As HMS "Talent"

The submarine was laid down on the 13th of October 1942, and launched on 17 July 1943. She was not commissioned into the Royal Navy, instead being transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy on 23 March 1943, and commissioned into service on 23 November 1943. She was renamed "Zwaardvisch", Dutch for 'Swordfish'. She went on to lead a distinguished career. [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3376.html HMS Talent] , Uboot.net]

As HNLMS "Zwaardvisch"

"Zwaardvisch" served for much of the war in the Pacific Far East, operating against the Japanese. She sank six sailing vessels, including the "Kim Hup Soen" and two Malaysian sailing vessels. She also sank the Japanese guardboat "Koei Maru", the Japanese oceanographic research vessel "Kaiyo Maru No.2" and the Japanese minelayer "Itsukushima". She also damaged the Japanese minelayer "Wakataka". On 6 October 1944, she sank the German submarine "U-168". [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/2906.html HNMS Zwaardvisch] , Uboot.net]

She had a relatively quiet post war career, being renamed "Zwaardvis" in 1950. She was decommissioned on 11 December 1962, and was sold to be broken up for scrap on 12 July 1963. [ [http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/boats/boat_zwaardvis1.htm] , dutchsubmarines.com]

References

*"Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day", by Robert Hutchinson
*Colledge