British Submarine
HMS Regent
HMS Regent (above) is presumed to have been sunk by mines after she attacked a small convoy near Bari
on 18 April, getting no response from the escorts
She failed to return to base in Beirut.
Regent, commanded by Lt.Cdr. H.C.Browne, was ordered to proceed into the harbour of Kotor, on the Yugoslav coast, shortly after the German invasion of the Balkans, where arrangements had been made for her to embark Mr. Ronald Campbell, the British Minister to Yugoslavia, and his staff.
The Regent entered the Gulf of Kotor on the surface with a large ensign at the masthead. Trimmed well down and with her crew at diving stations, she proceeded up past the village of Ercegnovi to the seaplane base at Denovici. Here, after a two hour delay, a Yugoslav naval officer and a civilian pilot arrived in a boat with the information that Yugoslavia had been overrun by German armies, that the whole area was now in the hands of the Italians, and that Mr. Campbell was at Ercegnovi. The Yugoslav naval officer was embarked to point out the way through the defensive minefields, while the pilot went ashore to telephone to the British Minister and ask him to proceed to Zelenika, where there was a jetty from which embarkation could be made.
With the Yugoslav Lt.Cdr. on board, the Regent proceeded down the gulf to Zelenika. She lay off the jetty and, after a long and acrimonious discussion with Italian officers shouted across the intervening water, it was agreed that an officer from the Regent should go ashore and interview the Italian admiral and attempt to get into touch with Mr. Campbell, while an Italian officer of equivalent rank should remain on board the submarine as a hostage. As a result, an Italian army captain was brought off to the Regent while Lt. D. Lambert, the first lieutenant, went ashore to make what arrangements he could for the release of Mr. Campbell.
All that afternoon the Regent lay off the jetty, in water too shallow in which to dive and with Italian aircraft flying round the submarine. Just after half past three, two of the aircraft straightened out and began to dive towards the Regent. A moment later a heavy explosion right alongside showed that the submarine was the target for a dive bombing attack. Seven large bombs were dropped and Browne decided that he had only one possible course of action left. The safety of his boat was his main responsibility and he would have to abandon his mission, leave Lt. Lambert ashore, and try to reach the open sea.
He manoeuvred the Regent out into deeper water, becoming the target for fragmentation bombs which burst at the level of the bridge, wounding all three men on it. Then, reaching deeper water, he dived the submarine and took her down the gulf submerged with the aircraft following him and firing at the periscope. She reached the safety of the Adriatic, with the Italian hostage still on board, after an exciting trip. It transpired later that the attack had been made by German aircraft, much to the annoyance of the Italian admiral in charge of the port, who had already given his word that the Regent would not be attacked while the negotiations ashore were still in progress.
HMS Regent sank off the coast of Bisceglie (Barletta) after a collision with a mine on April 18, 1943.
April 2006: Sharon Brown has kindly sent me the following images regarding HMS Regent, in particular, Stan Parris, who was Electrical Artificer on board Regent.
MX64442 Stanley Parris RN - HMS Regent
Sharon. I received an email from Dick Trice who would like to contact you regarding the fact that his grandfather was the Chief Engine Room Artificer on board Regent. He has left me his email address and 2 x phone numbers. Please contact me again as I have not retained your email address. Thanks.
The following two images were sent to me from David Clifford, this one is his father CPO Clifford, HMS Regent
Regent leaves Malta for the last time - Image from HMS Unbending
Two images of the wreck of HMS Regent, off Bari
The wreck position of HMS Regent
ATKINSON, John K, Able Seaman, D/JX 206104, MPK
BACKHOUSE, Alfred, Able Seaman, C/JX 192769, MPK
BAKER, Ronald V, Act/Warrant Engineer, MPK
BAYLISS, Sidney, Petty Officer, D/JX 133751, MPK
BROWN, Robert W, Stoker 1c, D/KX 144749, MPK
CHESWORTH, Kenneth L, Stoker 1c, C/KX 118956, MPK
CLIFFORD, Raymond A, Act/Chief Petty Officer, C/JX 127992, MPK
COMPTON, Ernest, Act/Leading Stoker, P/KX 96749, MPK
COX, Sydney A A, Telegraphist, C/JX 143583, MPK
CULHAM, James W S, Lieutenant, MPK
DEWHURST, Herbert E, Able Seaman, P/JX 341337, MPK
ELLIS, George G, Ty/Act/Petty Officer, C/JX 142283, MPK
FERNIE, Robert R, Sub Lieutenant, MPK
FOSTER, Benjamin W, Stoker 1c, C/KX 117339, MPK
FOXHALL, Percival G, Able Seaman, C/235323, MPK
GEE, Leslie R, Stoker 1c, C/KX 96321, MPK
GIBSON, Peter R J, Lieutenant, MPK
GROUNSELL, Cyril T, Able Seaman, P/JX 182166, MPK
HARDING, Vincent, Petty Officer Steward, P/LX 21771, MPK
HARVEY, Robert, Able Seaman, P/JX 234155, MPK
HEWITT, Alfred, Able Seaman, P/JX 264920, MPK
HITCHCOCK, Toney, Leading Telegraphist, P/JX 163012, MPK
HITCHES, Leonard R, Able Seaman, P/JX 143284, MPK
HORTON, William R, Leading Seaman, P/SSX 30519, MPK
HOWELL, Richard, Stoker 1c, D/KX 118461, MPK
HUDSON, Jeffery K, Ty/Act/Leading Stoker, C/KX 90759, MPK
IMISON, David H, Ty/Act/Leading Stoker, C/KX 95072, MPK
JONES, Arthur H, Engine Room Artificer 4c, C/MX 73110, MPK
KING, Herbert G, Able Seaman, C/SSX 25492, MPK
KNOX, Walter N R, Lieutenant, MPK
LEE, Richard D, Ty/Act/Leading Seaman, C/JX 208263, MPK
LEECH, Henry, Stoker Petty Officer, D/KX 80895, MPK
LEMIN, John, Leading Stoker, C/KX 92690, MPK
LIPSCOMBE, Leonard A, Able Seaman, RNVR, P/SD/X 1513, MPK
LLOYD, Richard W, Stoker 1c, C/KX 134511, MPK
LOUGHRAN, Henry, Stoker 1c, C/KX 115870, MPK
LOWIS, Reginald E, Ty/Petty Officer, C/JX 151999, MPK
MATHEWS, Gordon F, Stoker 1c, C/KX 138438, MPK
MOORES, Alfred, Act/Leading Stoker, D/KX 95063, MPK
MURPHY, Kenneth C, Telegraphist, C/JX 259256, MPK
MURRAY, Athol, Leading Telegraphist, P/JX 132122, MPK
NOBLE, George P, Engine Room Artificer 4c, C/MX 71349, MPK
PACKER, John W, Able Seaman, RFR, C/J 105571, MPK
PARRIS, Stanley G, Electrical Artificer 4c, C/MX 64442, MPK
PERRY, James C, Stoker 1c, C/KX 134869, MPK
PRATT, Edwin J C, Warrant Engineer, MPK
RAWLINGS, Albert E, Ty/Act/Petty Officer, C/JX 143312, MPK
RHODES, Bernard G, Leading Seaman, P/WRX 580, MPK
RUSSELL, Ernest R, Engine Room Artificer 3c, D/MX 57434, MPK
SAVAGE, Stephen A, Leading Stoker, P/KX 91951, MPK
SAWYER, Geoffrey J, Leading Signalman, C/151593, MPK
SHOULDER, George E, Able Seaman, C/SSX 24036, MPK
SKINNER, Reginald W, Able Seaman, C/JX 251639, MPK
SUTTON, Richard J, Ty/Lieutenant, RNVR, MPK
TATHAM, Bryan P, Stoker Petty Officer, D/KX 80286, MPK
TAYLOR, Jack E, Ty/Act/Leading Stoker, D/KX 82919, MPK
THOMPSON, Roy W, Engine Room Artificer 5c, D/MX 66023, MPK
TIERNEY, George W, Ty/Leading Cook, D/MX 53858, MPK
TRICE, William A, Chief Engine Room Artificer, C/MX 45219, MPK
TURNER, Anthony D, Leading Telegraphist, P/JX 142344, MPK
WENTWORTH, Samuel, Able Seaman, C/SSX 26827, MPK
WILKS, William H, Telegraphist, P/SSX 30181, MPK
WOODS, Bertie C, Able Seaman, D/JX 23782, MPK
http://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1943-04APR.htm
An email from Charles who requires some information: (December 1st 2007)
Dear sir, I would be very interested to know if you have any information on crewmembers of the HMS Regent? My uncle I am told was communications officer on board when she was lost. His name was Peter Gibson. The Regent was here in the states for repair when he married my Aunt. He indicated at the time that if they were ever deployed to the "Adriatic". The ship was large and the Adriatic was really too shallow for the Regent to safely operate! My name is Charles bristolecone -at -aol.com
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