The wreck of a British submarine that sank near Greece in 1943 was just uncovered by shipwreck hunters. The discovery explains how it disappeared 81 years ago.
In early October 1943, the HMS Trooper, designated N91, went missing after a covert operation that involved delivering three Greek resistance agents on an island on the west coast of Greece called Kalamos.
The sub was then directed to patrol the Aegean Sea, where German forces were later known to have set up naval mines. However, the sub failed to arrive in Beirut on October 17, 1943. It was declared missing, and all 64 crew members were presumed dead.
Now, a team of researchers led by a Greek underwater expert named Kostas Thoctarides has located the Trooper’s wreck. It was found north of the central Aegean island of Donoussa in the Icarian Sea, which is known for having bad weather.
“The Icarian Sea is one of the most difficult seas with strong winds, waves, and strong underwater currents,” said Thoctarides. “However, constant and persistent research paid off.”
Thoctarides is the owner and founder of Planet Blue, a Greek underwater recovery company. Previously, he had partaken in 14 failed expeditions to search for the wreck.
The expeditions had been unsuccessful because he had been looking too far east, where it was said the submarine was last seen on October 14, 1943.
He and other researchers combed through wartime reports and figured out that the HMS Trooper may have sunk earlier among occupied Greek islands to the west. It turned out their research was right.
The wreck was detected with shipboard sonar, which created a detailed map of the seafloor using the reflection of sound pulses. Then, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was deployed to explore the seafloor.
milangonda – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
The Trooper is sitting at a depth of about 830 feet. It is the eighth wartime submarine wreck that Planet Blue has come across in Greek waters.
Apparently, a large explosion had caused the sub to break apart in three sections—the bow, the midship, and the stern. It likely sank after hitting a German naval mine.
The find also confirms that the reported sighting of the vessel on October 14, 1943 was incorrect. Instead, the sighting was of another British submarine.
Even though the wreck was badly damaged, the researchers were able to identify it by comparing it to the original shipbuilding plans. An open hatch on the command tower indicated that the sub had been sailing on the surface when it ran into the mine.
The wreck has been left undisturbed since it is a war grave. Hopefully, the discovery can help bring closure to the families of those who died in the explosion.
“I hope that any family members of those lost with my father may be able to use the definitive location of Trooper as a focal point to help lay to rest any memories of their loved ones,” Captain Richard Wraith of the British Royal Navy and the son of the Trooper’s commander, Lieutenant John Wraith, said in a statement.
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