HMS Tribune (N76)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Tribune.

HMS Tribune
History
United Kingdom
Builder	Scotts, Greenock
Laid down	3 March 1937
Launched	8 December 1938
Commissioned	17 October 1939
Identification	Pennant number N76
Fate	Sold for scrap in July 1947 Broken up in November 1947 by Thos. W. Ward, of Milford Haven.
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	British T class submarine
Displacement	1,090 tons surfaced 1,575 tons submerged
Length	275 ft (84 m)
Beam	26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Draught	12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) forward 14 ft 7 in (4.45 m) aft
Propulsion	Two shafts Twin diesel engines 2,500 hp (1.86 MW) each Twin electric motors 1,450 hp (1.08 MW) each
Speed	15.25 knots (28.7 km/h) surfaced 9 knots (20 km/h) submerged
Range	4,500 nautical miles at 11 knots (8,330 km at 20 km/h) surfaced
Test depth	300 ft (91 m) max
Complement	59
Armament	6 internal forward-facing 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 4 external forward-facing torpedo tubes 6 reload torpedoes 1 x 4-inch (102 mm) deck gun

HMS Tribune was a British T class submarine built by Scotts, Greenock. She was laid down on 3 March 1937 and was commissioned on 17 October 1939. HMS Tribune was part of the first group of T class submarines.

Career

Tribune started the war with operations in the North Sea and off the Scandinavian coast. She had a number of patrols, attacking an unidentified German submarine and merchant, the U-56, the German tanker Karibisches Meer and the German merchant Birkenfels, all without success.

HMS Tribune underway

In the Mediterranean, she damaged the French merchant Dalny, which was beached to prevent her from sinking, and then damaged the now beached Dalny the next day. She also torpedoed and damaged the German tanker Präsident Herrenschmidt, and attacked the Italian merchant Benevento, but failed to hit her.

Filming aboard Tribune in 1943

HMS Tribune and crew starred in the 1943 British wartime propaganda film "Close Quarters", 'playing' HMS Tyrant on a North Sea patrol off Norway. She survived the war, was sold for scrap in July 1947, and was broken up in November 1947 by Thos. W. Ward, of Milford Haven. Her pennant number N76 was 'posthumously' re-used for an unnamed submarine in the 1951 film "Appointment with Venus", taking British troops out to the Channel Islands to rescue a pregnant pedigree cow from the German occupiers.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Hutchinson, Robert (2001). Jane's Submarines: War Beneath the Waves from 1776 to the Present Day. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-710558-8. OCLC 53783010.