Mystery of missing Clonakilty submarine sailor finally resolved – after 81 years

The family of a West Cork senator has finally received ‘closure’ after a sunken WWII submarine, which had their granduncle on board, was discovered off the Greek coast, writes JACKIE KEOGH

THE mystery surrounding the disappearance of a West Cork senator’s granduncle onboard a British submarine has been resolved – after 81 years. The last radio transmission from the submarine the HMS Triumph was made on January 9th 1942, when it reported that it had sunk an Italian merchant ship in the Aegean Sea. Despite extensive searches, nothing was ever known of its final resting place.

Meanwhile, for more than 25 years, a Greek underwater explorer, Kostas Thoctarides, had been searching for the wrecked remains of the submarine before finally locating it last June.

Relatives of the crew, including the extended family of Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard, had always wondered where the HMS Triumph had met its end.

‘The story of Patrick Coakley – my mother’s uncle – and the disappearance of the HMS Triumph is one that we as a family have always been aware of,’ Sen Lombard told The Southern Star.

He said the royal navy has yet to confirm that the wreck found is the HMS Triumph, but the Greek diver and members of the HMS Triumph Association believe its distinguishing features prove it is the missing sub.

‘The wreck site is being treated with respect as it is a wet grave of 64 people,’ said Kostas Thoctarides, who is the founder and owner of Planet Blue, an enterprise specialising in underwater projects.

At the time of its disappearance, there were seven officers, 55 crew members, and two commanders on board the HMS Triumph, ‘and one of those on board was my granduncle, Patrick Coakley from Ballinglanna, close to Ring, Clonakilty,’ said Sen Lombard.

‘We have photographs of Patrick and the resemblance to some family members – particularly my brother Aidan – is amazing.

‘We knew that Patrick, who had been a fisherman, joined the Royal Navy in 1936, as a stoker. He spent three years on board the HMS Orion, before being promoted to leading stoker in 1941.

‘He was drafted onto the HMS Triumph in October 1941 and he was just 27 years old when he became one of the 64 people who died on board the Triumph in January 1942.’

There is no mistaking the family resemblance between Patrick Coakley and his grandnephew Aidan Lombard, the former Fine Gael county councillor.

Sen Lombard said his grandfather, John Coakley, was the eldest in the family and he often spoke about his brother and wondered what had happened to him. ‘There never was any closure for the family,’ said Sen Lombard, who has welcomed the fact that the HMS Triumph Association – which was set up by the relatives of the missing men – is planning to host a memorial service at the wreck site in July.

‘Some members of our family will be travelling to Greece to mark the occasion, and I hope to travel myself,’ said the senator.

There are also plans for a second memorial commemoration at the UK’s National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas in Staffordshire, for relatives who cannot make it out to Greece.

‘When the news broke in June that they had found the submarine, it was amazing and really powerful to know now where exactly it is,’ said the West Cork senator.

‘The reaction was one of shock because we thought we would never get to the bottom of what happened. My grandfather died in 1993, and the news brought back memories of all the stories he told of his brother Pat.

‘The site – 25 miles off the coastline in Greece – is now a war grave but it brings closure to a mystery that was in the family for more than 80 years,’ he added.

During WWII, 40 British submarines were sunk in the Mediterranean.

Norman Cantwell with West Cork stoker, Patrick Coakley, who were part of the 64-man crew who perished in 1942 on the HMS Triumph submarine.

‘The sinking of a vessel – any vessel – is tragic and movies have been made of less,’ said Sen Lombard, who said his own fascination with history was sparked by the stories he was told as a child.

‘To now know the Triumph’s position – thanks to the notable Greek underwater explorer Kostas Thoctarides – brings a tremendous sense of relief to all of the families.’