HMS Traveller (N48) was a T-class

British T class submarine

The Royal Navy's T class of diesel-electric submarines was designed in the 1930s to replace the O, P and R classes. Fifty-three members of the class were built just before and during the Second World War, where they played a major role in the Royal Navy's submarine operations...

 submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

. She was laid down by Scotts

Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company

Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company Limited, often referred to simply as Scotts, was a Scottish shipbuilding company based in Greenock on the River Clyde.- History :...

, Greenock

Greenock

Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...

 and launched in August 1941.

Career

Traveller spent most of her career serving in the Mediterranean. She was unsuccessful in most of her attacks, sinking the Italian merchant Albachiara, but launching failed attacks against the Italian merchant Ezilda Croce, the Italian 'small light cruiser' Cattaro

SMS Niobe

SMS Niobe was a Gazelle-class light cruiser that served with the Kaiserliche Marine during First World War, and the Kriegsmarine during Second World War in a long career that also involved sailing with the Yugoslavian and Italian navies...

 (the former Yugoslavian Dalmacija), the Italian tanker Proserpina (the former French Beauce) and the Italian torpedo boats Castore and Ciclone. She also claimed to have attacked two so far unidentified submarines.

Traveller left Malta

Malta

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...

 on 28 November 1942 for a patrol in the Gulf of Taranto. She carried out reconnaissance of Taranto harbour for a Chariot human torpedo

Human torpedo

Human torpedoes or manned torpedoes are a type of rideable submarine used as secret naval weapons in World War II. The basic design is still in use today; they are a type of diver propulsion vehicle....

attack (Operation Portcullis). The submarine did not return from the operation and was reported overdue on 12 December. She probably struck an Italian mine on or about the 4th of December.