Philip Stewart Francis DSO, RN
| Birth details unknown |
| Ranks
Retired: 9 Apr 1956 Decorations
|
Warship Commands listed for Philip Stewart Francis, RN
| Ship | Rank | Type | From | To |
| HMS Talisman (N 78) | Lt.Cdr. | Submarine | 1 Mar 1940 | 5 Mar 1941 |
| HMS Proteus (N 29) | Lt.Cdr. | Submarine | 15 May 1941 | 29 Jun 1942 |
Career information
We currently have no career / biographical information on this officer.
Events related to this officer
Submarine HMS Talisman (N 78)
26 Jun 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs her builders yard at Birkenhead for Greenock.
27 Jun 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) arrives at Greenock for a period of trials and training.
27 Jul 1940
With her trials and training completed HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departh Rothesay for her 1st war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Bay of Biscay.
14 Aug 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) ends her 1st war patrol at Falmouth. She departed for Rothesay later the same day.
16 Aug 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) arrives at Rothesay.
6 Sep 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departh Rothesay for her 2nd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol West of the Hebrides.
13 Sep 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) ends her 2nd war patrol at Rothesay.
14 Sep 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) proceeds from Rothesay to Holy Loch.
15 Sep 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs Holy Loch for Portsmouth.
17 Sep 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) arrives at Falmouth.
18 Sep 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs Falmouth for Portsmouth.
19 Sep 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) arrives at Portsmouth.
20 Sep 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs Portsmouth for her 3rd war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the English Channel off Cherbourg, France.
27 Sep 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) ends her 3rd war patrol at Portsmouth.
2 Oct 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs Portsmouth for Holy Loch.
3 Oct 1940
At 0720 hours HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) is machine gunned by a German Dornier 215 aircraft near position 49º55'N, 04º53'W. The Officer of the Watch T/S.Lt. P.S. Thirsk , RNR was wounded by a bullet in his left foot. At 1050 hours he was transferred to an MA/SB to be taken to hospital.
5 Oct 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) arrives at Holy Loch.
6 Oct 1940
In very bad weather HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) runs aground at Holy Loch. She is refloated after almost six hours. No damage is sustained.
12 Oct 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs Holy Loch for her 4th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Bay of Biscay.
22 Oct 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) engages the Italian submarine Enrico Tazzoli with torpedoes and gunfire about 20 nautical miles North-West of the Gironde estuary. All six torpedoes fired missed their target. Four rounds were fired with the deck gun but these missed as well. Tazzoli meanwhile dived to safety.
0630 hours - In position 45º49'N, 01º43'W sighted a black object bearing 240 degrees. Soon after the object was identified as an Italian submarine steering course 123 degrees. Started attack.
0644 hours - Started firing a salvo of six torpedoes from tubes 1,2,3,4,7 and 8. Range was 3000 yards.
About 10 seconds after firing the first torpedo (and 3 seconds after firing the second torpedo) a voilent explosion occured close ahead of Talisman. The remaining torpedoes were fired with a 8 second delay. All torpedoes missed ahead as the speed of the target was over estimated.
0647 hours - Dived. A bad leak was discovered forward. Talisman hit the bottom at 159 feet. Lt.Cdr. Francis decided to surface to reduce the pressure of the incoming water. There was also a possibility that Talisman was unable to submere again so it was intended to get clear to the Westward before daylight.
0656 hours - Surfaced. The enemy submarine was in sight bearing 165 degrees, range 4000 yards. Engaged with the deck gun. Four rounds were fired before the enemy was seen to dive.
Continued to retired to the West. Soon after it was discovered that Talisman was not leaking forward but that a valve of one of the external torpedo tubes was leaking.
31 Oct 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) ends her 4th war patrol at Holy Loch.
16 Nov 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs Holy Loch for her 5th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Bay of Biscay.
25 Nov 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) attacks a tanker escorted by three A/S trawler with six torpedoes about 10 nautical miles West of Ile de Groix. The results of this attack are unclear.
1415 hours - Sighted smoke to the North-West.
1425 hours - The mast and funnel of a tanker could be seen. The tanker was escorted by three A/S trawlers. Range was 11000 yards, enemy course was 090 degrees. Started attack.
1501 hours - In position 47º37'N, 03º51'W fired six torpedoes from 6000 yards (tubes 1,2,3,4,7 and 8. Went deep upon firing. Eleven seconds after firing the first torpedo (from No.1 tube) a violent explosion occured. This was the second time this happened (see the attack on 22 October 1940). Lt.Cdr. Francis considered it likely that there was a problem with No.1 torpedo tube. Some minor damage was inflicted as a result of this explosion. No. 9 and 10. external torpedoes, were damaged in this explosion as the front doors of both tubes were open at the time of the explosion.
1507 hours - Heard an explosion.
1510 hours - Heard two more explosions.
1525 hours - Came to periscope depth. Saw the tanker stopped. Only two A/S trawlers were seen instead of the three present before the attack.
1550 hours - The tanker was still stopped when last seen. She did not appear to be lower in the water.
26 Nov 1940
At 1920 hours HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) captures the French fishing vessel Le Clipper (40 GRT) in the Bay of Biscay near Lorient in position 47º08'N, 03º49'W. The French vessel was then used to observe U-boat movements off the Gironde estuary before being brought into Falmouth.
5 Dec 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) ends her 5th war patrol at Holy Loch.
17 Dec 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) is docked at Ardrossan.
20 Dec 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) is undocked.
26 Dec 1940
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs Holy Loch for her 6th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Bay of Biscay.
15 Jan 1941
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) ends her 6th war patrol at Plymouth.
17 Jan 1941
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) is docked at Plymouth. It is not known when she was undocked.
1 Feb 1941
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs Plymouth for Holy Loch.
3 Feb 1941
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) arrives at Holy Loch.
9 Feb 1941
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) departs Holy Loch for her 7th war patrol. She is ordered to patrol in the Bay of Biscay.
17 Feb 1941
HMS Talisman (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) ends her 7th war patrol at Holy Loch.
Submarine HMS Proteus (N 29)
3 Nov 1941
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) torpedoes and damages the Italian tanker Tampico (4958 GRT) east of Andros Island, Greece in position 37º53'N, 24º30'E. Proteus is depth-charges by the Italian torpedo boats Monzambano and Castelfidardo but manages to escape.
10 Nov 1941
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) torpedoes and sinks the German troop transport Ithaka (1773 GRT) 2 miles south-west of Milos, Greece.
7 Dec 1941
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) sinks a sailing vessel with scuttling charges in the Kythira channel.
30 Dec 1941
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) torpedoes and damages the Italian merchant Citta di Marsala (2480 GRT).
5 Jan 1942
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Citta di Palermo (5413 GRT) off Cape Dukato, Greece in position 38º33'N, 20º36'E.
8 Feb 1942
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) attacks ' what is thought to be ' an enemy submarine west of Lefkada Island, Greece in position 38º41'N, 20º30'E. It was however not a submarine but the Italian torpedo boat Sagittario. The ships collided and were both damaged.
28 Mar 1942
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian troop transport Galilea (8040 GRT) 9 nautical miles south-west of Antipaxo, Greece in position 39º04'N, 20º05'E.
30 Mar 1942
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Bosforo (3648 GRT) off Sapienza, Greece in position 36º38'N, 21º15'E.
2 May 1942
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) torpedoes and damages the German merchant Otto Leonhardt (3682 GRT, former Greek Arethusa) west of Lefkada, Greece in position 38º41'N, 20º34'E.
5 May 1942
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) sinks the Greek sailing vessel Domenico Evangelista with gunfire about 25 nautical miles north-west of Navarino, Greece in position 37º07'N, 21º20'E.
30 May 1942
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Bravo (1570 GRT, former Yugoslavian Junak) west of Bengasi, Libya in position 32º21'N, 18º54'E.
31 May 1942
HMS Proteus (Lt.Cdr. P.S. Francis) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Gino Allegri (6836 GRT) west of Bengasi, Libya in position 32º31'N, 18º36'E.