“It was the most difficult operation I’ve done in my life”, the diver – researcher, Kostas Thoktaridis, who identified it with his team, tells SKAI and the show Atariastoi.
To locate the British submarine H.M.S TRIUMPH where missing since 1942 and had sunk autandros, with 64 people crew spoke to SKAI and Mismatched showthe diver-researcher Kostas Thoktaridis who found it together with his team.
As he himself states the British submarine was spotted in international territorial waters far from the shores, between Souni and Kynthos in depth of 203 meters and has settled to the bottom.
“It was the most difficult operation I’ve done in my life because there wasn’t a lot of evidence,” he underlines, adding that the specific submarine was in a very large area that had never been operated before, apart from the appearance of the submarine itself on the 9 January 1942 in Sounio.
He notes that “a large part of the history of the submarine is directly connected to the action of the Occupationof the organizations at the end of 1941-1942, when the development of the business played an important role”
As he explains, it is a British submarine, one of the largest submarines of the 2nd World War, which was doing its 21st patrol and was in Greece. “He had a special mission to go to Antiparos, he landed 3 agents there,” notes Mr. Thoktaridis.
He says that the British relatives of the 64-member crew expressed their satisfaction because they did not know where they are or what happened to their people, and for this reason the relatives’ association as well as the retired submariners’ association of England will move on September 23 to one of the islands of Greece to organize an honorary meeting.
The Triumph in the waters of the Aegean
According to the APE-MPE, the TRIUMPH began its intense operational action in May 1939. In total, it carried out 20 war patrols. It first appeared in the Aegean at the end of March 1941 with the aim of reconnaissance of the coasts of the Dodecanese and the disembarkation of officers by canoe on the shores. Significant successes followed as she sank several enemy ships and the Italian submarine SALPA.
He undertook difficult and dangerous missions with landing agents of the British SOE and MI9 organizations and rescuing trapped military personnel who had to escape to Alexandria, Egypt.
The Greek of the secret mission team
On 26 December 1941 the submarine would sail from Alexandria on her final mission before returning to England for overhaul and long-term maintenance. It was his 21st patrol. The objective purpose of the mission was to carry out two special operations and in between to carry out an offensive patrol in a specific sector of the Aegean assigned to it by the British Admiralty and the Submarine Command.
In addition to the crew, the submarine carried a special team of secret missions.
Operation ISINGLASS had just begun with Lieutenant Atkinson, of SOE, and radio operator Arvanitopoulos Adamantios, a radio operator of the Greek Intelligence Service who was on secondment to British SOE codenamed Diamond. Atkinson transferred a large financial aid in cash and pound gold from MI9 and SOE to reinforce comparable figures in occupied Athens as well as two radio sets to communicate with Cairo.
The second secret mission called “CONEY ISLAND” was undertaken by the New Zealand MI9 lieutenant Graig. His mission was to coordinate the escape of 30 British fugitives who were in Antiparos.
The 37 Athenians and the end of the operation
On the night of 29-30 December 1941 Triumph sailed into Despotikos Bay, disembarked the task force and unloaded fuel for the boats and supplies of equipment. Among others, an MI9 optical telegraph for communication with submarines. Triumph’s commander Lt. John S. Huddart informed the 30 fugitives gathered on Despotiko that he was to go on an offensive patrol in the Aegean and would return to pick them up on 9 or 10 January 1942 and take them to Alexandria. On December 30, 1941, at 21:21, the submarine reports with an encrypted signal the successful completion of the first phase of the mission. This is the last signal TRIUMPH will send…
SOE’s Special Operations Directorate had provided Atkinson with a multi-page briefing note, with the express written order ‘Not to be taken ashore’. The report mentioned 37 personalities from Athens with their nicknames and code numbers as well as their real names, whom the exiled Greek government called for cooperation.
Unfortunately, this venture had a tragic end. All the members of the special operations team were arrested in Antiparos as were the 30 Britons who were to escape by submarine to Egypt. On Atkinson was found the bulletin with all the classified information, as a result of which more arrests were made which led to military courts and executions of mainly Greek patriots. Of the allies only Atkinson was executed and the rest were taken to concentration camps.
The last attack south of Souni
The Triumph continued its patrol making its presence felt in Milos and Naxos. The submarine had 64 people on board: 7 officers, 55 crew and 2 commandos, who manned the boats that carried supplies and people to and from the TRIUMPH. On January 9, 1942 at 11:45 the concrete barge REA towed by TAXIARCHIS will be torpedoed by TRIUMPH south of Souni. The report speaks of an explosion of the torpedo on the rocks.
“Recently in the same underwater area we identified 3 more British Mk VIII torpedoes of the same type as those carried by the Triumph and indeed within firing range of the attack. This fact makes us believe that the Triumph launched more than one torpedo during its last attack” says Kostas Thoktaridis.
“The last time human eyes saw the TRIUMPH submarine moving was by an Italian pilot flying in the area. This unknown information that had been lost in the oblivion of time comes to complete one more detail in the puzzle of the history of the legendary submarine. It was identified in the primary sources during historical research and states that shortly before 12:00 noon on January 9, 1942, Italian aircraft sighted a submarine 4 nautical miles south-east of Sounio,” it states.
From there on the traces of Triumph disappear and on January 23, 1942 the British Admiralty mentions in a naval signal that the submarine Triumph must be considered lost after a patrol in the Aegean.
Rumors about the fate of the submarine
All these years have been many conspiracy theories about the circumstances of the submarine’s disappearance. The possible causes were many: from a floating mine in Milos, from impact with dry land, from capture by German forces in collaboration with Italian agents, from an accident, from deep diving, from impact with a mine in the known minefields, that it is in Antiparos, even that it is a story a myth to cover up inadequacies of secret services … everything was within the possibilities, thus greatly increasing the size of the field of investigation to identify him.
Water grave at a depth of 203 meters
Eighty one years later, the team of Kostas Thoktaridis discovers the lost submarine in the Aegean at a depth of 203 meters. “The sunken HMS TRIUMPH that became a wet grave for 64 heroes is awe-inspiring” is the image he conveys.
The submarine rests on the bottom of the open sea with an 8-degree right inclination, tens of kilometers away from the coasts. Her lowered periscopes and closed manholes testify that the TRIUMPH was in a deep dive during the last dramatic moments. The depth and direction rudders are in line so it was at a constant depth.
On its turret, the wooden rudder, compass and four-inch cannon can be seen which is slightly raised. The facing manholes in the gun bay leading to the interior of the hull are also closed. On the forward side of the bridge the door leading to the gun has been opened… All hatches are closed. Throughout the hull of the submarine the plates and connections are with riveted sheets.
The cap of the starboard torpedo tube, located at turret level, has been opened and the MK VIII type torpedo is half way out of the submarine.
The final cause of the sinking appears to have been a large explosion in the bow of the submarine, which then drove H.M.S. TRIUMPH at a depth of 203 meters (666 feet). But what caused this explosion that sank one of the largest submarines of that time?
“Our investigation continues, mainly at a historical level as new evidence and facts come to light, which combined with the information we now have from the wreck and with the assistance of Navy experts specializing in submarines and torpedoes will reveal the secrets of H.MS TRIUMPH” answers K. Thoktaridis.
The identity of the submarine Triumph
It had a length of 84.28 meters and a maximum width of 7.77 meters. The keel depth at periscopic depth was 34 feet (10.36 meters). The TRIUMPH she was the only one of this class (T Class) without external bow torpedo tubes, as they had been removed during repairs in 1940 after striking a mine.
Source: Skai
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