HMS Talisman was a Royal Navy T-class submarine built by Cammell Laird at Birkenhead. She was laid down on 27 September 1938, launched on 29 January 1940, and commissioned on 29 June 1940. She was lost in September 1942 during a voyage from Gibraltar to Malta.
Specifications
- Class: T-class submarine (First Group)
- Pennant number: N78
- Length: 275 ft (84 m)
- Displacement: 1,090 tons surfaced; 1,575 tons submerged
- Complement: 59 officers and men
Wartime Service
Talisman served in Home Waters, the Bay of Biscay, the North Atlantic, and later the Mediterranean.
Notable actions included:
- Capturing the French fishing vessel Le Clipper, which was subsequently used to observe U-boat movements off the Gironde estuary.
- Accidentally attacking the British submarine HMS Otus, though no damage resulted.
- Sinking the Vichy-French passenger vessel Théophile Gautier.
- Sinking the Italian merchant ship Calitea.
- Destroying the grounded German merchant wreck Yalova.
- Conducting numerous attacks against Axis convoys and merchant shipping in the Mediterranean.
Friendly Fire Incident
In August 1942, while passing through the Bay of Biscay en route to the Mediterranean, Talisman was mistakenly attacked by Allied aircraft and suffered serious damage, requiring repairs at Gibraltar before continuing her voyage.
Final Patrol and Loss
On 10 September 1942, Talisman departed Gibraltar carrying supplies for Malta.
On 14-15 September, she reported sighting an enemy submarine off the Algerian coast. A Sunderland flying boat was dispatched and subsequently sank what was probably the Italian submarine Alabastro.
After that signal, no further messages were received from Talisman. She failed to arrive at Malta on schedule and was declared overdue on 18 September 1942.
The exact cause remains uncertain. The two principal theories are:
- Mine strike in the Sicilian Channel, which is generally considered the most likely explanation.
- Attack by Italian naval forces. Italian records report a submarine being attacked and possibly sunk northwest of Malta on 17 September 1942, which may have been Talisman.
- Lt. Cdr. Philip Stewart Francis (1940-1941)
- Lt. Cdr. Michael Willmott, DSO (1941-1942)
Legacy
HMS Talisman was lost with 63 officers and men after a busy career spanning Atlantic and Mediterranean operations. Although her wreck has never been conclusively identified, she is remembered as one of the many Royal Navy submarines lost while sustaining Malta during the critical Mediterranean campaign of 1942.
