Southend Beach Hut Owners Association
On the 12th January 1950, HM Submarine Truculent while in the Thames Estuary carrying out trials, following a refit in Chatham Dockyard was involved in a collision with a Tanker and was tragically sunk with a loss of 64 men. ​
The Swedish Tanker ‘Divina’ on passage from Purfleet and bound for Ipswich was showing a red light at her masthead indicating she was carrying a dangerous cargo.​
The submarine ‘Officer of the Watch’ unable to distinguish what the lights were and following reporting to the captain, who concluded, not unreasonably, it denoted a stationary ship on the edge of the channel and therefore ordered the submarine to steer to port.
This set both vessels on a collision course and with both captain’s taking evasive action the vessels collided, and the submarine sank within minutes.
Read the full story of this terrible tragedy on the 'RN Subs' website: https://rnsubs.co.uk/index.php?PageID=133 this includes in-depth descriptions of the collision, detailing the events both before and after the incident. The subsequent investigation is thoroughly examined, ultimately concluding that the collision was simply the result of bad luck although 64 men died.
There is also a Movietone News Report which brings the story alive.
THE TRAGIC LOSS OF HM SUBMARINE TRUCULENT