Thirty submariners from the Royal Navy were in Malta last week to mark the 75th anniversary of the sinking of the HMS Olympus off Grand Harbour during World War II.

A sonar image of HMS Olympus on the seabed off Grand Harbour

In a poignant ceremony, they were taken out to the wreck by the AFM, where wreaths were laid and the White Ensign was unfurled in the sea, taken back up and presented to the Royal Navy as a memory of the commemoration.

The submariners were from the HMS Artful and HMS Vengeance.

The Olympus went down on May 8, 1942, after hitting a mine a few hours after leaving Grand Harbour. There were only nine survivors, who swam over seven miles back to safety, with another 89 losing their lives in the tragedy.

The vessel was built by Beardmore Shipyards on the River Clyde in Glasgow and launched in 1928. It was the first submarine to be designed and built after World War I. It measured 84 metres in length and nine metres at the beam.

On Friday, the Armed Forces of Malta also unveiled a monument at the Ta’ Xbiex waterfront to mark the event.

The wreck, sitting upright in very deep water, was discovered in 2008 by a team led by maritime archaeologist Timmy Gambin during a nationwide survey cataloguing the heritage on the seabed, being carried out by the University of Malta and the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage.

Over the past week, to coincide with the anniversary, Mr Gambin and his divers have been recording the huge submarine in 3D and also laid a memorial plaque.

The AFM marking the 75th anniversary. Photo: AFM