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HMS Torbay
HMS Torbay - Picture by George.Hutchinson
Former WO1(GSM) Peter Padley MBE
Five vessels named HMS Torbay have served the Royal Navy since 1693, two of them being submarines. The first Torbay was an 80 gun third rate ship of the line that gained the Battle Honours ‘Vigo Bay’ in 1702 and ‘Velez Malaga’ in 1704. After a proud record of service she was broken up in 1749.
The second HMS Torbay served the Royal Navy firstly as ‘Neptune’ and then ‘Torbay’ after being rebuilt in 1750. During her career she gained the Battle Honours ‘Quiberon Bay’ in 1759, ‘Belle Isle’,in 1761 and ‘St Kitts and Saintes’ in 1782. Sold in 1784 her career in the Royal Navy, as both Neptune and Torbay, lasted over 100 years.
The third vessel to be named HMS Torbay was an ‘S’ Class Destroyer. Built at the end of WWI she was donated to the Royal Canadian Navy in March 1928 and eventually sold for scrap in 1937.
The fourth HMS Torbay was a ‘T’ Class submarine. Launched in April 1940 she served with distinction throughout WWII. Torbay was part of a submarine screen ordered to intercept the German Battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau as they made for Brest. Unable to find either vessel she was ordered to proceed to the Mediterranean where during an 11 month deployment she sunk an Italian submarine and approximately 27,000 tons of enemy shipping, and, after ‘shadowing’ a troop convoy into the Corfu Roads in north-western Greece sunk two supply ships in an adjacent harbour during daylight hours. For this action her captain, Lt Cdr Miers, was awarded the Victoria Cross.
After refitting HMS Torbay returned to the Mediterranean in early 1943 where she accounted for another 21,000 tons of shipping as well as 5 coasters and a heavily defended 15,000 ton floating dock and on completion of battle damage repairs in Gibraltar she took part in the Sicily Landings for which she was awarded the Battle Honour ‘Sicily 1943’. HMS Torbay completed her war service in the Far East. Used on Special Operations to land agents and equipment on the coasts of Sumatra and Thailand she also sunk two Japanese ships by gunfire. On her return to UK in late 1945 it was decided she be disposed of as soon as possible and was subsequently broken up in early 1946.
The current HMS Torbay is the fourth Trafalgar Class SSN to be built for the Royal Navy. She was launched in March 1985 and commissioned two years later. HMS Torbay completed an £8m refit in April 2008 and has subsequently undergone an extensive ‘work-up’ period prior to her latest operational deployment. On completion of this deployment she will return to her home port at HMNB Devonport.
The Royal Navy has the following Trafalgar Class SSN’s serving within the fleet:
HMS Turbulent – Trafalgar Class
HMS Trenchant – Trafalgar Class
HMS Tireless: Trafalgar Class
HMS Triumph: Trafalgar Class
HMS Talent: Trafalgar Class
Previous Section: The Current Ships of the Royal Navy
See our Short History of the Royal Navy and Aircraft Carriers of the Royal Navy
