*British, WW2, HMS Taciturn – Two Original Photographs and Large Brass Model of Triton Class Submarine On Wooden Base*
A large unnamed WW2 brass model of a Submarine, likely Triton Class. Accompanied by two original photographs of HMS Taciturn, a British T-class submarine. These photographs originally formed part of the Lou Britton British Submarine Collection, which was acquired by the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport in 2007. HMS Taciturn was a British third-group T-class submarine built by Vickers Armstrong in Barrow and launched on 7 June 1944. To date, she is the only Royal Navy vessel to bear the name Taciturn.
Approximate Measurements:
Wooden Base: 33.2cm x 6cm x 1.5cm
Brass Model: 28.8cm x 3.5cm x 5.2cm tall
Photograph 1: 20.4cm x 15.4cm
Photograph 2: 25cm x 20.4cm
Photograph 1 Marked on the Back: “Submarine Aground in Gale, Jan 9th 1958. The British Submarine Taciturn (1,090) tons which went aground in an 80 miles an hour gale fifty yards from the entrance to Campbell town Lock, Argyllshire, popular anchorage for warships in rough weather. The submarine was on exercises in the Clyde. Two Admiralty ships are to attempt to pull the submarine off later today. Taciturn was launched in 1944 and later was rebuilt. She is a unit of the 3rd Squadron, Home Fleet and has a complement of 59. Jan 9th 1958.”
Photograph 2 Marked on the Back: “Picture by Wire from Glasgow. Submarine Aground and Tides Lowering. The submarine Taciturn is shown aground in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, today January 9th, after being caught on the sandy bottom of the Firth during 80MPH gales this morning. She is on a bank near the entrance to Campbell Loch, Argyllshire, and was almost high and dry and today’s low tide. At high tide today an attempt was made to tow the submarine off but failed. Another attempt will be made at the high tide in the early hours of tomorrow morning. Associated Press Photo from London.” Stamped underneath this notice with Associated Press Stamp and date stamped 11 Jan 1958.
Service
During World War II, Taciturn operated primarily in the Far East. She sank a Japanese air warning picket hulk (the salvaged former Dutch submarine K XVIII), the auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 105, and a Japanese sailing vessel. On 1 August 1945, alongside HMS Thorough, she attacked Japanese shipping and shore targets near northern Bali, sinking two sailing vessels with gunfire.
After the war, Taciturn remained in service and became the first T-class submarine to undergo the ‘Super T’ conversion.
On 9 January 1958, she ran aground in the Firth of Clyde but was later refloated with assistance from the boom defence vessel HMS Barcombe.
Taciturn was sold for scrap to Thos. W. Ward and dismantled at Briton Ferry, Wales, on 8 August 1971.
The T-class submarines, designed in the 1930s, were the Royal Navy’s standard ocean patrol submarines. Of 53 built, they were active in the North Sea, Mediterranean, and Far East, despite limited opportunities to disrupt German shipping early in the war due to heavily mined waters and scarce targets.
*Condition*
Good used condition. Marks & scratches to the model commensurate with age and service. One photograph is badly torn. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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