Hermes was a British-built former Greek destroyer operating for Germany with an effective anti-submarine fit. She made three attack runs and dropped 41 depth charges, with the final pattern compounding earlier damage until leaks appeared inside Splendid's pressure hull. Forced to surface by the depth-charge damage, Splendid came under gunfire that killed 18 crewmen and wounded her commanding officer, but the survivors still scuttled their boat. The captured commander failed in his first escape attempt from an Italian prisoner-of-war camp but succeeded on his second. After treatment in Switzerland for a metal splinter in his eye, he travelled through France and Spain, returned to Britain, and rejoined the Royal Navy.
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Splendid's loss to Hermes and her commander's escape
Hermes forced Splendid to surface after three depth-charge runs; her wounded commander later escaped captivity and returned to Britain.