Hugh Alfred Vernon Haggard, DSO, DSC (21 June 1908 – 17 November 1991)[1] was a Royal Navy officer who commanded HMS Truant, a T-class submarine, during World War II.

[5][6][7] He was also the grandnephew of prolific author Sir Henry Rider Haggard, who attained literary fame with his romances King Solomon's Mines and She: A History of Adventure.

[6][8][9] At 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm), Haggard was one of the tallest submarine officers in the Royal Navy.

The vessel had sunk at least one of the enemy supply ships in an escorted convoy off Cape Spartivento on the night of 13–14 December 1940.

Two nights later, Truant successfully torpedoed an Italian tanker, which sank off the Calabrian coast.

During that time, the submarine sank eight merchant vessels and a small destroyer, which totalled 27,553 tons.

In May 1941, Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham indicated that "the operations of HMS/M Truant have been a model of daring and enterprise, tempered with just the right degree of caution.

[36] On 17 March 1942, he was appointed as a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order "for bravery and enterprise while serving in H.M.S.

"[37] In December 1942, Truant, commanded by Haggard and described at that time as "the most successful British submarine," returned to Britain after an 80,000-mile, two and a half-year mission in which the vessel was credited with sinking or damaging at least 20 Axis ships.