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The near loss of HM Submarine Tribune
HM submarine Tribune
In the Bay of Biscay, off Lorien.
A few remarks leading up to events on the 20th December 1940.
The foul weather had favoured the enemy and warship and coastal shipping movements had been rare. Nevertheless we had our specific duties to perform. despite the truly awesome seas formed by a Force 10 wind from the West. Tribune took the huge seas (as she was designed to do), but the for'd external torpedo tubes gave us anxiety. On the16th.at 1015 we had seen several aircraft to the north. Then at 1110 we sighted smoke bearing 330. We came up to 26' to see over the swell and spotted a dazzle-painted tanker escorted by Anti-submarine trawlers on a course 140. We closed for firing on course 050. At 1121 we fired a bow salvo of torpedoes at 7-second intervals. No 1 torpedo misfired but eventually was fired as the last of the salvo. We went down to 80'. Shortly after we fired the first torpedo, the escorting aircraft dropped a well-aimed bomb directly above us. This caused some damage to equipment in the Control Room. Soon after Asdics reported high-speed trawlers approaching: we were then subjected to depth-charging, enduring 30 in all. The skipper took a chance and went up for a shufti. Our target was afloat but with a heavy list to starboard. Asdic trawlers continued hunting us until 1600, resuming all the 17th and 18th.
On the 19th we sighted a MOEWE Class Destroyer and started the attack. We then found that the destroyer was in fact escorting a 5000-ton merchantman. We broke off the attack on the destroyer and attacked the more valuable target of the merchantman which, incidentally was exceptionally well dazzle-painted. We missed! There then followed a dogfight between the three of us. The destroyer was on our trail as we constantly moved to get into position for another shot at the merchantman. At 1012 we created the opportunity, and fired a bow salvo at interval of 6 seconds at a range 7500 yards. Three great explosions followed! We went deep to avoid detection. At 1047 we took a look up top ... the merchantman had sunk, the destroyer was busily picking-up survivors. This was another good target but the sky was thick with aircraft, so we decided to forget the destroyer.
On 20 Dec. We had just surfaced. I was off watch and lay dozing in my hammock, slung amongst the torpedoes in the forward stowage space. I was suddenly fully awakened by the sound of No. 7 external torpedo, sliding from its tube, outside in the bows, port side. There was a dramatic pause followed by a fearsome roar as the rogue exploded on the seabed. The explosion, so close to the boat, had seemingly shaken loose external torpedo No. 8 on the starboard side. It was jammed in its tube and by now the impeller would be turning, each turn bringing the explosion of the torpedo closer. I was unaware of all this anxiety about No. 8 until a few moments later when, the Second Coxn, streaming water from his oilskin, gave me a rough shake. "Medlock", he gasped, spattering cold water over me... "I want you to volunteer to go over the side and help to get this bloody number 8 shifted". There was a one second pause, then I yelped "Why me? I know nothing about torpedoes!鈥� "I know that," he roared,鈥� but you ARE a bloody Olympic swimmer!!!!!鈥� As I was struggling out of my hammock, there was a lot of yelling going on up top, and a horrible groaning noise outside the starboard bows. The Second Coxn leaped for the brass ladder leading up to the fore hatch; as he struggled up the ladder he yelled at me ... "It's all right Sparks - the bugger has gone!" No more than a few seconds later, the bows of TRIBUNE rose, lifted by (I was told later) a solid column of white water. I fell back into my hammock and spoke three words, "Thank you God!"

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