HMS Regulus (N88) was a Rainbow-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was built by Vickers Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness, launched on 11 June 1930, and commissioned on 7 December 1930.
Key Facts
- Pennant number: N88
- Class: Rainbow-class submarine
- Navy: Royal Navy
- Launched: 11 June 1930
- Lost: December 1940 with all hands.
Second World War Service
At the start of the war, HMS Regulus operated from Hong Kong, carrying out patrols in the Pacific, including areas near the Luzon Strait and off Japan.
Later, she was transferred to the Mediterranean. On 18 November 1940, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Frederick Basil Currie, she departed Alexandria for a patrol intended for the Gulf of Taranto. Her patrol area was subsequently changed to the lower Adriatic and the Straits of Otranto.
Loss
HMS Regulus failed to return to Alexandria and was declared overdue on 6 December 1940. The most widely accepted explanation is that she struck a mine in the lower Adriatic or the Straits of Otranto. All 55 officers and men aboard were lost
