Latona's short career was spent on transport work rather than the minelaying role described for the class. After sailing to the Mediterranean by the Cape of Good Hope and Red Sea, she carried RAF personnel to Cyprus and supported the Tobruk garrison while moving thousands of troops. On 25 October 1941, a Ju 87 hit her engine room while about a thousand Polish soldiers were aboard. A German aircraft is considered most likely, although the possibility that it was Italian remains open. Destroyers removed most of the troops and crew before Latona's after magazine exploded. Her survival long enough for the evacuation shows that a lightly built high-speed hull could endure severe damage.
Notable Point · 22:12-25:00
Latona as a high-speed transport
Latona never used her primary minelaying role in the account; instead, her speed carried personnel, stores, and troops until air attack destroyed her in 1941.