HMS P311 was a Royal Navy T-class submarine and is unique because she was the only T-class boat never officially given a name, although she was intended to become HMS Tutankhamen. She was lost before the renaming could take place.
Construction
- Builder: Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness
- Laid down: 25 April 1941
- Launched: 5 March 1942
- Commissioned: 7 August 1942
- Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Commander Richard Douglas Cayley, DSO and Two Bars
Operation Principal
In December 1942, P311 was selected for Operation Principal, a daring special forces attack against Italian warships at La Maddalena, Sardinia. She carried "Chariot" human torpedoes strapped to her casing, which were to be used by frogmen to attack major Italian naval units, including the cruisers Gorizia and Trieste.
P311 sailed from Malta on 28 December 1942. Her final signal was received on 31 December 1942 from a position west of Sardinia. She was never heard from again.
Loss
P311 was reported overdue on 8 January 1943 and was presumed lost with all hands. The long-held conclusion was that she struck an Italian minefield near La Maddalena around 2 January 1943 while approaching her target area.
Discovery of the Wreck
For more than 70 years her fate was unknown. In 2015 and subsequently reported in 2016, Italian diver Massimo Bondone located the wreck near Tavolara Island, off Sardinia. The wreck was found largely intact, still carrying the Chariot torpedoes externally. Evidence strongly supports the theory that she was lost to a mine explosion. [
The wreck is considered a war grave. The remains of the crew and Chariot operators are believed still to be aboard.
Why P311 is Famous
- The only Royal Navy T-class submarine never officially named.
- Intended to be named HMS Tutankhamen, after the Egyptian pharaoh.
- Lost on a secret special forces mission using Chariot manned torpedoes.
- Wreck rediscovered more than 70 years after disappearance.
