HMS ''Traveller'' (N48) was a T-class

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. She was laid down by Scotts,

Greenock Greenock (; ; , ) is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms ...

and launched in August 1941.

Career

''Traveller'' spent most of her career serving in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. She was unsuccessful in most of her attacks, sinking the Italian merchantman ''Albachiara'', but launching failed attacks against the Italian merchant ship ''Ezilda Croce'', the Italian 'small light cruiser' ''Cattaro'' (the former Yugoslavian ''Dalmacija''), the Italian tanker ''Proserpina'' (the former French ''Beauce'') and the Italian torpedo boats and . She also claimed to have attacked two so far unidentified submarines. ''Traveller'' left

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

on 28 November 1942 for a patrol in the

Gulf of Taranto The Gulf of Taranto (; Tarantino: ; ) is a gulf of the Ionian Sea, in Southern Italy. The Gulf of Taranto is almost square, long and wide, making it the largest gulf in Italy, and it is delimited by the capes Santa Maria di Leuca (to the eas ...

. She carried out a reconnaissance of

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

harbour for a Chariot

human torpedo Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of diver propulsion vehicle on which the diver rides, generally in a seated position behind a fairing. They were used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic concept is still in use. ...

attack (Operation ''Principal''). The submarine did not return from the operation and was reported overdue on 12 December. She probably struck an Italian mine on or about 4 December. During the war, ''Traveller'' was adopted by the Borough of

Leyton Leyton ( ) is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the Ri ...

in London as part of ''

Warship Week Warship Weeks were British National savings campaigns during the Second World War, with the aim of a Royal Navy warship being adopted by a civil community. During the early parts of the war, the Royal Navy not only had lost many capital ships but ...

''. The plaque from this adoption is held by the

National Museum of the Royal Navy The National Museum of the Royal Navy was created in early 2009 to act as a single non-departmental public body for the museums of the Royal Navy. With venues across the United Kingdom, the museums detail the history of the Royal Navy operating ...

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References

Publications

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Traveller (N48) British T-class submarines of the Royal Navy Ships built on the River Clyde 1941 ships World War II submarines of the United Kingdom World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Lost submarines of the United Kingdom Maritime incidents in December 1942 Submarines lost with all hands Ships built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Royal Navy ship names