HMS SPEARFISH was commanded by Lt J H Eaden at the beginning of WW2. She was badly damaged by depth charges during her second patrol and spent almost 6 months undergoing repairs at Newcastle. Lt Commander J H Forbes was appointed in command at the end of her refit, and she sailed for patrol on 31 July 1940.

The following day, SPEARFISH was sighted 180 miles off Stavanger by U 34 (Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Rollmann) which was nearing the end of a very successful patrol and had only one torpedo left. This was used successfully to attack SPEARFISH. There was one survivor, AB Pester (q.v.), a newcomer to submarines who had only been on board a few days. U34 was herself sunk in 1943 following a collision with a German depot ship.