HMS Orpheus (N46) was an Odin-class (O-class) submarine of the Royal Navy, built by William Beardmore & Company on the Clyde. She was laid down on 14 April 1927, launched on 26 February 1929, and commissioned on 23 September 1930.
Key Facts
- Class: Odin-class submarine.
- Pennant Number: N46.
- Length: 283 ft 6 in (86.4 m).
- Crew: Approximately 53 to 55 officers and ratings.
- Armament: Eight 21-inch torpedo tubes and a 4-inch deck gun.
Service Before and During WWII
Before the war, Orpheus served mainly on the China Station and in Far Eastern waters. At the outbreak of World War II she was based with the Royal Navy's submarine forces in the East, operating from locations including Hong Kong, Colombo, and the Indian Ocean.
She completed several war patrols in the Indian Ocean before being transferred to the Mediterranean in 1940 as the naval war against Italy intensified.
Loss
Orpheus sailed on her first Mediterranean patrol in June 1940 under the command of Lt Cdr James Anthony Surtees Wise. Her mission was to patrol off Benghazi, Libya before returning to Alexandria.
She transmitted her last signal at 2115 hours on 19 June 1940 and was never heard from again. When she failed to arrive at Alexandria, she was declared overdue on 27 June 1940.
For many years it was suggested that she had been sunk by the Italian destroyer Turbine, but later research showed this was unlikely because Orpheus sent signals after the reported attack. The most widely accepted explanation today is that she struck an Italian minefield off Benghazi and was lost with all hands.
HMS Orpheus was the third British submarine lost in the space of a week during June 1940, illustrating the extreme hazards faced by submarine crews in the early Mediterranean campaign.
All aboard were lost, and the wreck has not been conclusively identified.
