📍 RHNS Glaukos Submarine Memorial
Location Map Coordinates 35.902231, 14.519625
Royal Hellenic Navy submarine commemorated on the Submarine Roll of Honour at Fort St Elmo, Valletta.
RHNS Glaukos (Y6), one of the Greek submarines that continued the fight alongside Allied naval forces after the occupation of Greece.
Overview
Glaukos (also rendered Glafkos) was a Royal Hellenic Navy submarine that escaped the German invasion of Greece in 1941 and continued operations alongside the Royal Navy from Alexandria and Malta. She is one of only two non-British submarines commemorated on Malta's Submarine Roll of Honour at Fort St Elmo, representing the important contribution made by Allied navies to the defence of Malta during the Second World War.
Although built for Greece before the war, Glaukos operated under British operational control during Allied submarine operations in the eastern Mediterranean. She carried out offensive patrols against Axis shipping before being lost during an enemy air raid while undergoing repairs in Malta.
Technical Specifications
| Nation | Royal Hellenic Navy (Greece) |
|---|---|
| Class | Proteus-class submarine (Loire-Simonot design) |
| Pennant | Y6 |
| Builder | Chantiers Navals Français, Blainville-sur-Orne, France |
| Commissioned | 1930 |
| Displacement | 730 tons surfaced |
| Length | 68.6 metres |
| Speed | 14 knots surfaced • 9.5 knots submerged |
| Complement | Approximately 41 officers and men |
| Armament |
Eight 533 mm torpedo tubes 100 mm deck gun |
Service History
Constructed in France during the late 1920s, Glaukos formed part of the modernisation of the Royal Hellenic Navy's submarine force. She entered service in 1930 and, together with her sister boats, represented Greece's principal submarine capability at the outbreak of the Second World War.
Following the German invasion of Greece in April 1941, Glaukos successfully escaped to Alexandria in Egypt, where she joined the Allied naval forces operating under British command. From there she undertook patrols against Axis shipping in the eastern Mediterranean, attacking enemy supply routes supporting operations in North Africa and the Aegean. She achieved several successful attacks on enemy coastal shipping before requiring repairs in Malta.
Operations from Malta
Malta was one of the principal forward bases for Allied submarines operating in the central Mediterranean. Alongside Royal Navy boats, submarines of the Royal Hellenic Navy also used the island for refuelling, repairs and replenishment before returning to sea.
Glaukos became a familiar sight in Grand Harbour and the submarine base on Manoel Island during 1941 and 1942. From Malta she undertook patrols against Axis supply routes serving North Africa and the Aegean, contributing to the Allied effort to disrupt enemy shipping at a critical stage of the Mediterranean campaign.
Loss of Glaukos
During the intensive Axis air offensive against Malta in the spring of 1942, Glaukos was undergoing repairs while alongside in Grand Harbour. On 4 April 1942 the Dockyard and submarine base came under a heavy Luftwaffe attack. The submarine received direct bomb hits and sank at her berth.
Several members of the crew, including senior officers, were killed during the attack, while others survived. The submarine was later raised and repaired sufficiently to return to operational service. She continued serving with the Royal Hellenic Navy until after the war before finally being decommissioned in 1952.
Although Glaukos was not permanently lost in Malta, her inclusion on the Submarine Roll of Honour recognises the sacrifice made by members of her crew who died during the defence of the island while serving alongside Allied submarine forces.
Legacy
Glaukos symbolises the close cooperation between the Royal Navy and the Royal Hellenic Navy during the defence of Malta. Greek submariners shared the same dangers as their British counterparts, operating from the island under constant enemy attack while helping to maintain pressure on Axis supply lines across the Mediterranean.
Today the name GLAUKOS appears alongside British, French and Greek submarines on the memorial plaque at Fort St Elmo. The memorial honours every submarine whose service from Malta contributed to the eventual Allied victory in the Mediterranean. The Submarine Walkway at Fort St Elmo continues to commemorate these vessels and their crews.
Roll of Honour
Unlike the Royal Navy submarines featured on this website, no official published Roll of Honour for the crew of RHNS Glaukos (Y6) has yet been located.
Contemporary wartime reports and Greek naval sources confirm that the submarine was bombed while under repair in Grand Harbour, Malta. The available evidence identifies the following officers as having lost their lives during the Malta air raids of 1942:
| Name | Rank | Date |
|---|---|---|
| V. Arsanoglou | Commander (Commanding Officer) | 27 February 1942 |
| I. Kostakos | Sub-Lieutenant | 27 February 1942 |
German and Greek historical sources indicate that Commander V. Arsanoglou and Sub-Lieutenant I. Kostakos were killed during an earlier Luftwaffe air raid on the submarine base at Malta on 27 February 1942. Glaukos herself was subsequently sunk by direct bomb hits in Grand Harbour on 4 April 1942. Available Greek naval records indicate that there were no further crew fatalities when the submarine sank on 4 April 1942.
Research into the complete wartime crew list of RHNS Glaukos is continuing using Greek naval archives, Maltese records and contemporary sources. This page will be updated if additional verified information becomes available.