HMS Thule (P325): Twenty Vessels in Twelve Days

The Build: Devonport

HMS Thule was built at Devonport Dockyard and launched on 22 October 1942, a third-group T-class submarine that went on to serve extensively in the Far East against Japan.

A Remarkable Twelve Days

Between 17 and 29 December 1944, Thule embarked on an extraordinarily productive run through the Strait of Malacca, sinking thirteen junks, two lighters and five sampans by gunfire, a striking twenty vessels destroyed in less than a fortnight.

She also engaged a Japanese submarine, most likely the Ro-113, though a premature torpedo detonation allowed the enemy boat to escape, and went on to destroy five further sailing vessels and three coasters, alongside deploying mines during her patrols.

A Postwar Posting to Canada

Thule survived the war and, in May 1951, deployed to Canada to take part in training exercises with the Royal Canadian Navy, a quieter but still valuable contribution to Allied submarine training in the early Cold War years.

An Accidental Collision

On 18 November 1960, while conducting anti-submarine drills off Portland Bill at periscope depth, Thule was accidentally rammed by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Black Ranger, an incident that damaged her snort system and periscope. She survived this final scrape and was scrapped by Thos. W.

Ward at Inverkeithing on 14 September 1962, bringing to a close the career of a boat whose most dramatic moments had come in a single frenetic fortnight off Malaya.