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B
a t t l e H o n o u r s
ZEEBRUGGE
1918 - NORWAY 1940 - MEDITERRANEAN
1940-41
Motto
Celeribus
palma:
'Reward to the swift'
This
name was first used for a destroyer built in
1917 and sold in 1934 and first used for a
submarine when given on launch in November
1939. Allocated to the 5th Submarine Flotilla
she arrived at Portsmouth for work-up on
completion of Acceptance Trials. Deployed with
the Home Fleet she took part in the naval
operations off Norway in April 1940 (Operation
WILFRED) and joined the 2nd Submarine Flotilla
based at Rosyth in May.
Her
primary duties were for patrol off Norway to
intercept coastal shipping and German naval
units on passage in the North Sea. During
patrol in June she sank tanker SAMLAND off
Norway and later that year was
nominated to join the 10th Submarine Flotilla
in Malta. During
passage she carried out a patrol in the Bay of
Biscay to intercept U-Boats on from French
bases and began operational patrols based in
Malta during October 1940. Whilst on patrol in
the Gulf of Sirte
she sank a supply ship and during November
carried out patrols in the Adriatic.
Lieut
Cdr R G Mills who had been in command since
commissioning was relieved by Lieut. Cdr R M T
Peacock in January 1941 and she was then
deployed in the Aegean for interception of
supply ships on passage to and from North
African ports. In April that year she sank the
tanker PERSSIANO off Benghazi and the next
month the mercantile GIOVINEZZA in the same
area. Transferred to Alexandria in June 1941
she carried out patrols in the Dardanelles
before returning to patrols off the North
African coast where she sank two more supply
ships in the Gulf of Sirte.
The commanding officer changed again in July
and her successes continued with the sinking
of two more ships during September and early
October before being withdrawn from operations
for refit in the USA after adjusting
complement in UK. This submarine took passage
from Alexandria on 17th October carrying
stores, fuel and personnel to deliver in Malta
before leaving the Mediterranean for UK.
Sailing from Malta on 26th she was ordered to
carry out a 24 hour patrol of Cavoli
Island before taking passage to Gibraltar.
Although she made contact with HM Submarine
P34 on 27th October 1941 she failed to arrive
in Gibraltar by the
scheduled date of 2nd November. It is presumed
that she struck a mine in a newly laid field
off Grantola,
Sicily. The Commanding Officer was Lieut. Cdr
G Greenway RN.
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