HMS Regent (N41)

HMS Regent was a Rainbow-class submarine designed and built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering in Barrow-in-Furness for the Royal Navy, and was launched on 11 June 1930.

British-Yugoslavian Ambassador Incident
The Regent achieved fame after it wove its way through two minefields and entered the Italian Port of Kotor, present-day Montenegro, to negotiate the release of the then British Foreign Minister to Belgrade, Ronald Campbell.

After waiting for nine hours, a Yugoslav Commander informed the Regent's Captain, then Lt Cdr Hugh Christopher Browne, that Yugoslavia had been overrun by German Forces and Campbell was being held by the German Allies and occupying Italians at a small village called Ercegnovi, a short distance down the coast.

Regent arrived at Ercegnovi sending Lt D Lambert ashore to negotiate the release of Campbell. Fearing the Italians would take Lambert hostage, the Italians exchanged a Staff Officer.

Just after half-past three, several supposed Italian dive-bombers attacked the Regent. For the safety of his crew, Browne decided he would have to leave Lambert ashore and attempt to escape. The Regent successfully escaped into the Adriatic Sea after the aircraft had followed the Regent, firing at its periscope.

Although the Regent's crew initially thought the dive-bombers were Italian, it later turned out that they were German, much to the annoyance of the Italian Admiral conducting the release negotiations.

Sinking
On 18 April 1943, the Regent struck a mine north of Barletta, Puglia, Italy, after a raid on an Italian Convoy. All hands were killed. The sinking was discovered after the submarine didn't return to base in Beirut, Lebanon, by May 1, 1943.

Commanders
The Regent had a total of 2 commanders:


 * Lt Cdr Hugh Christopher Browne: 9 April 1939-20 July 1941
 * Lt Walter Neville Ronald Knox: 20 July 1941-18 April 1943