B a t t l e H o n o u r
s
MEDITERRANEAN 1941-42 - MALTA
CONVOYS
One of first
Group of submarines of the Class ordered in 1939 and identified by
name on launch in 1940. After trials and working-up in Home waters
at the end of 1940 this submarine took passage to join the 10th
Submarine Flotilla in Malta on 10th December.
After delay by
repair in Gibraltar she arrived in Malta on 12th January 1941 and began her first
patrol on 24th January. Attacks were made on several ships in the
Cape Bon area during which two supply vessels were sunk. Further
sinkings were made on successive patrols
This submarine sailed for her seventh
patrol on 18th May and intercepted the 17,879 tons Italian liner
CONTE ROSSO on the 24th. A difficult torpedo attack was carried out
on this target which was part of a heavily defended convoy taking
troops to North Africa. Two of the salvo hit this troopship which
was carrying over 2,500 military personnel. The liner sank with the
loss of many troops. For his hazardous attack the captain,
Lieutenant Commander M D Wanklyn was
awarded the Victoria Cross. On her following patrol in June she sank
another mercantile in the Aegean before being deployed off Sicily
and there had another sinking of a supply ship. A later torpedo
attack on 28th June damaged the Italian cruiser GARIBALDI. Further
successful attacks in August included another supply ship and on
18th September she intercepted an Italian troop convoy from which
she sank the liners NEPTUNIA and OCEANIA. During a patrol on 9th
November this submarine intercepted the Italian destroyer LEBECCIO
which was carrying out rescue of the survivors from another
destroyer which had been sunk in an action with HM cruisers off Cape
Spartivento. The torpedo hit the stern and during a towing attempt
capsized and sank within an hour.
On 5th January
1942 she sank the Italian submarine AMMIRAGLIO SAINT BON off Sicily
and in February whilst deployed in the western Mediterranean a
supply ship off Sardinia Whilst on patrol
in the Adriatic she sank another Italian submarine, TRICHEO on 18th
March. Sailing from Malta for her 21st
patrol on 6th April she landed an intelligence party on the North
African coast three days later and transferred an Army officer to HM
Submarine UNBEATEN on the following night. Whilst carrying out an
attack on a convoy on 14th April in a position NE of Tripoli she
came under attack by the Italian destroyer-escort PEGASO after being
sighted by aircraft and sank with no survivors. This submarine had
an unsurpassed record of tonnage sunk or damaged in attacks on
warships and shipping as well as for defence of Malta relief convoys
against Italian warships. She was commanded by Lieutenant Commander
Wanklyn since commissioning in 1940. In
1987 this name was again used for a type 2400 Patrol
submarine. |