Jimmy Launders

Who was Jimmy Launders?

James "Jimmy" S. Launders DSO & Bar, DSC & Bar was an officer in the British Royal Navy during and after World War II. He retired from the service in 1962, but continued to serve in an unofficial capacity on training programs until his death in 1988. In addition to his reputation amongst his crew, colleagues, and historians as a brilliant, highly skilled, and courageous commander, Launders is remembered as the only submarine commander in history to have engaged and destroyed an enemy submarine during time of war using only his own un-aided vessel while both ships were fully submerged. The unique type of engagement and the unusual nature of the enemy submarine's mission has provided one of the more enduring footnotes to the war, further cementing the fame of Launders, Venturer, and her crew for their wartime action.