HMS Thistle (N24) was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy, launched in October 1938 by Vickers-Armstrongs in Barrow. As a T-class vessel, she was part of the Royal Navy's fleet during the early years of World War II, featuring the typical design of her class which prioritized patrol and offensive capabilities in European waters. Thistle was assigned to the 2nd Submarine Flotilla at the outbreak of war, quickly deploying to wartime bases at Dundee and Blyth between August 26 and 29, 1939. Under the command of Lieutenant Wilfrid Frederick Haselfoot, her initial patrols included operations off Stavanger, Norway, where her mission was to intercept and sink any enemy vessels in the harbor amid fears of an imminent German invasion. On April 9, 1940, Thistle engaged in an attack on a German U-boat, U-4, firing six torpedoes—though all missed their target. Despite this, Thistle reported the attack and was later observed on the surface recharging batteries. The following morning, U-4, having detected Thistle, launched a decisive attack. At approximately 02:13 hours, U-4 fired two torpedoes at Thistle; the first missed, but the second, a magnetic G7e torpedo, struck, sinking HMS Thistle with all hands near Skudenes, Norway. The wreck of HMS Thistle, with her tower missing, was discovered in 2023 at a depth of 160 meters by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. Confirmed by the Royal Navy as Thistle, the wreck marks the final chapter of this early-war submarine, which played a brief but notable role in the naval conflicts off Norway. Her sinking underscored the peril faced by Allied submarines in the treacherous waters of WWII and highlights her as a significant vessel within the Royal Navy's T-class submarine history.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.