HMS Parthian was the lead boat of the 6 P Class submarines built for the Royal Navy between the wars. Parthian was laid down on No 7 slip at Chatham Dockyard on 30th June 1928. She was launched into the Medway on 22nd June 1929 and was commissioned at Chatham on 13th January 1931.
A large and powerful submarine, she was armed with 8 21 inch torpedo tubes, 6 forward and 2 aft. She was also armed with a 4 inch gun. She was 260 ft long, displaced 1475 tons surfaced and 2040 tons dived. She quickly earned the nickname Peanut, after the identification letters PN painted on her conning tower.
HMS Parthian crest:
At the outbreak of the second world war, she was on the China Station but was transferred to Alexandria in May 1940. She was quickly in action, attempting to torpedo the old Italian Armoured Cruiser San Giorgio in Tobruk harbour on 19th June 1940. Both torpedoes exploded about three quarters of a mile short of their target. It was suspected that the torpedoes hit the defence boom. The following day, she had more luck when she torpedoed and sank the Italian submarine Diamante 35 miles off Tobruk.
Parthian then had a dry spell until 9th January 1941, when she torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant vessel Carlo Martinolich. On 16th march, she torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant ship Giovanni Bocaccio. On 3rd June she torpedoed and damaged the Italian tanker Strombo near Limnos. 5 days later, Parthian fired two torpedoes into the harbour at Mitylene, Lesbos, sinking two sailing vessels and a third, smaller vessel. On 25th June, while south-west of Beirut, she torpedoed and sank the Vichy French submarine Souffleur.
HMS Parthian then underwent a refit in the USA until March 1942, after which she was returned to the Mediterranean and was employed running supplies to the besieged island of Malta. She didn't successfully engage the enemy until 28th March 1943, when she sank the Greek sailing vessel Archangelos by gunfire and ramming. The following day, she sank the Greek sailing ship Angela Mitylene by gunfire. On 4th May, she sank the Italian sailing ships Despina II and Spina Secundo by gunfire. The following day, she attacked the German Auxiliary Minelayer Drache with gunfire. On 7th May, she sank the Italian sailing ship Barbara.
On 22nd July 1943, HMS Parthian left Malta for a war patrol in the southern Adriatic. Whilst en route, she was diverted to a new patrol area off Otranto and was diverted again on 28th July. On 6th August 1943, HMS Parthian was ordered to leave her patrol area and proceed to Beirut, to arrive on 11th August. The signal went un-acknowledged and HMS Parthian failed to arrive at Beirut as ordered. The Navy concluded that HMS Parthian had been lost with all hands after striking a mine near Brindisi.
Among the crew lost in the tragedy of Parthian's loss was the son of Captain Frederic John 'Johnny' Walker, the leading hunter of U-Boats in the Atlantic campaign.
If you go into Burger King on Chatham High Street, you will see a mural-sized photo showing the launch of HMS Parthian:
