HMS Trooper (N91) was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was laid down by Scotts, Greenock, and launched in March 1942. On 3 October 2024 it was reported that HMS Trooper was discovered at a depth of 253 m in the Icarian Sea in Greece.

Career

Trooper spent most of her short career serving in the Mediterranean. She sank the Italian tanker Rosario, the Italian merchant ship Forli, a sailing vessel and the ITALIAN SUBMARINE Pietro Micca. She also damaged two other enemy vessels, and unsuccessfully attacked the Italian merchant Belluno (the former French Fort de France). On her first operation, she took part in Operation Principal, which used human torpedoes to sink Italian ships in Palermo harbour. Trooper sailed from Beirut on 26 September 1943, on her 8th War Patrol to cover in the Aegean Sea off the Dodecanese islands. On 14 October she challenged Levant Schooner Flotilla F8 off Alinda Bay, Leros. She failed to return on 17 October and was reported overdue on that day. She was presumed lost on German mines around Leros, but her wreck was later discovered in the Icarian Sea. The Germans claimed that Trooper was sunk by Q-ship GA.45 on 15 October 1943. The submarine that GA-45 attacked was actually HMS Torbay (N79) which escaped undamaged.

Discovery

HMS Trooper was discovered at a depth of 253 m in the Icarian Sea, north of the island of Donousa, in Greece. The submarine, found in three distinct sections (bow, mid-section, and stern), had likely been sunk by a German EMF mine containing 350 kg of Hexanite. This discovery, led by Greek researcher Kostas Thoctaridis, resolved an 81-year-old mystery, bringing closure to the families of the 64 crew members lost during the submarine's final mission.