B a t t l
e H o n o u r s
NORTH SEA
1939 - NORWAY 1940 - MEDITERRANEAN 1941 - MALTA CONVOYS 1941 -
ARCTIC 1942 - NORTH AFRICA 1942
M o t t o
'Bear
up'
Ordered from
Vickers Armstrong at Barrow in Furness on 15th November 1936 this
boat was laid down on 19th February 1939. She was launched on 16th
February 1938 and was the first submarine to bear the name, introduced for a destroyer in 1917 and sold in
1929 for scrapping. Build was completed on 20th December that year.
After
acceptance she was deployed in Home waters and after the outbreak of
was in September 1939 carried out patrols in North Sea. In the
first half of September she encountered the German submarine U35
which was attempting to pass through the English Channel for attacks
on Atlantic shipping. A salvo of five torpedoes was fired but all
missed. As a result U35 was forced to divert and take passage
through Faeroes - Iceland gap. North Sea duties continued for the
rest of this year and in December she carried out attacks on German
warships including the German cruisers LEIPZIG and its escort. One
of these identified as escort vessel F.9 was sunk by a weapon
intended to hit the cruiser. This submarine remained in Home waters
during early 1940 and continued patrol duties in the North Sea and
off the coast of Norway. In March she sank the mercantile HEDERHEIM
off the coast of Denmark and supported the landing operations in
Norway after the German invasion for defence of warships and troops
ships against U-Boat attacks. Patrol and support deployment
continued until the evacuation of allied troops in May. At the end
of 1940 after further patrol duties in Home waters she was
transferred to join the 10th Submarine Flotilla in Malta and took
passage to begin operations.
On an early
patrol from Malta in March 1941 she sank a supply ship off Libya,
Interception patrols against enemy shipping continued throughout the
year and included patrol with for an attack on a military convoy in
the eastern Mediterranean with HM Submarine UPHOLDER in September.
This convoy comprised several troopships but the attacks failed,
although later two large liners were sunk by HM Submarine UPHOLDER.
She then provided cover for passage of the HALBERD Malta relief
convoy by a patrol off Messina to intercept any Italian warships
attempting to attack this convoy. A supply ship was sunk in an
October patrol off Lampedusa. During 1942 this submarine was
released from service in the Mediterranean and returned to UK for
refit before being deployed in Home waters. During Jul she carried
out a patrol in Arctic waters to provide antisubmarine
protection against attacks on the ill-fated Russian convoy PQ17 and
returning QP13. She returned to the Mediterranean in October 1942
and took part in interception patrols off ran during the allied
landings (Operation TORCH). In a subsequent patrol the next month
she sank two supply ships and whilst attacking this convoy was
rammed by one of the mercantiles under escort. The damage sustained
made necessary a return to home waters and she was selected for
transfer to the Soviet Navy.
Renamed V4 (B4 in
Russian) she joined the Northern Fleet in 1944 and was returned
to the RN with two other submarines of this Class in 1949.
Placed on the Disposal List she was sold for breaking-up in December
that year and arrived at Granton in May
1950. The Commanding Officer during one patrol in the Mediterranean
was Lieutenant I McGeoch (later Vice
Admiral Sir Ian, KCB, DSO, DSC
RN.) |