HMS Turbulent (N98)

HMS Turbulent (N98) was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow and launched in May 1942.

Career
Turbulent spent most of her career serving in the Mediterranean. During that time, she sank the following ships:


 * Six Greek sailing vessels, including the Prodromos, Aghios Apostolos, Aghios Yonizov, Evangelista, Aghios Dyonysios and Aghia Traio.
 * Nine Italian merchants: Rosa M., Delia, Bolsena, Capo Arma, Regulus, Marte, Vittoria Beraldo, Pozzuoli and San Vincenzo
 * The Italian sailing vessels Franco and San Giusto
 * The Italian destroyer Emanuelle Pessagno
 * The wreck of the Italian destroyer Strale. The Strale grounded near Cape Bon on 1 June 1942 and was finally destroyed by Turbulent
 * The German ship Kreta
 * The German auxiliary submarine tender Bengasi
 * The Italian tanker SS Utilitas (1918)

Turbulent also damaged the Italian tanker Pozarica and the Italian transport ship Nino Bixio. This ship was loaded with some 2000 Prisoners of War, of which over 300 perished as a result.

She also launched a number of failed attacks on the following ships:


 * An unidentified submarine off Fiume
 * The Italian merchantmen Anna Maria Gualdi and Sestriere
 * The GS U-81 (1941), in two attacks
 * The German transport Ankara
 * The Italian armed merchant cruiser Ramb III
 * The small Italian passerger / cargo vessel Principessa Mafalda

Sinking
On 23 February 1943 Turbulent sailed from Algiers for a patrol in the Tyrrhenian Sea. On 1 March she attacked and sank the Italian steam-ship Vincenz. On the 11th she is known to have attacked the mail ship Mafalda. The following morning the anti-submarine trawler Teti II sighted the periscope and conning tower of a submarine and attacked, it is believed, without success. Turbulent did not respond to any further messages and did not return when expected on 23 March. It is thought that Turbulent fell victim to a mine off Maddalena, Sardinia. As of June 2013, the wreck has never been found and any reference to its discovery is so far incorrect.

Aftermath
Turbulent had sunk a huge amount of enemy shipping and endured numerous attacks. "''Turbulent sank over 90,000 tons of enemy shipping. She was depth charged on over 250 occasions by enemy forces hunting her."

In recognition of this achievement, and the gallentry of Turbulent's crew, her commander, John Wallace Linton, DSO, DSC, RN was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross on 25 May 1943. The citation read:

The King has been graciously pleased to approve of the grant of the Victoria Cross for great valour in command of HM Submarines to Commander John Wallace Linton, DSO, DSC, Royal Navy.

From the outbreak of war until HMS Turbulent's last patrol, Commander Linton was constantly in command of submarines, and during that time inflicted great damage on the enemy. He sank one cruiser, one destroyer, one U-boat, twenty-eight supply ships, some 100,000 tons in all, and destroyed three trains by gunfire. In his last year he spent two hundred and fifty-four days at sea, submerged for nearly half the time, and his ship was hunted thirteen times and had two hundred and fifty depth-charges aimed at her. His many and brilliant successes were due to his constant activity and skill, and the daring which never failed him when there was an enemy to be attacked. On one occasion, for instance, in HMS Turbulent, he sighted a convoy of two merchantmen and two destroyers in mist and moonlight. He worked round ahead of the convoy and dived to attack it as it passed through the moon's rays. On bringing his sights to bear he found himself right ahead of a destroyer. Yet he held his course 'till the destroyer was almost on top of him, and, when his sights came on the convoy, he fired. His great courage and determination were rewarded. He sank one merchantman and one destroyer outright, and set the other Merchantmen on fire so that she blew up.