Richard 'Dick' Raikes entered Dartmouth in 1925 and served as a midshipman in HMS Warspite. Dislike of gunnery training led him to submarine training at HMS Dolphin in 1933. During HMS Clyde's visit to Palestine amid the Arab general strike, a few hours of shunting practice led to his command of an armoured train. He kept a railway route open despite ambushes and derailments. Raikes passed the Perisher command course in 1940 and took command of HMS Seawolf that September. When Seawolf sighted Tirpitz beyond torpedo range, he called in aircraft from HMS Victorious. Another attack produced an explosion and black smoke after he fired stern torpedoes toward what sounded like a surfacing U-boat, but the absence of a matching record leaves the claimed sinking unconfirmed. Seawolf also became a frequent choice for special assignments.
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Dick Raikes's route from Warspite to submarine command
Raikes's career included battleship service, an armoured train in Palestine, and command of Seawolf before he took part in Operation Frankton.