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B
a t t l e H o n o u r s
MEDITERRANEAN
1941-42 - MALTA CONVOYS 1941-42 - BISCAY
1942
First
use of the name by the RN and launched
under this name instead of Pennant
Number P33.
Deployed in Home waters after work-up this
submarine took passage to the
Mediterranean in February 1941 and carried
out patrol from Gibraltar before joining
the 10th Submarine Flotilla in Malta
during April.
Her
initial patrols were uneventful as far as
sinking records relate although in July
she took part in a joint operation to
intercept an Italian troop convoys
including several large liners. Her
torpedo attack on the liner OCEANIA
failed. The next month during patrol off
Augusta she sank a supply ship and during
a joint operation with other submarines of
the Flotilla sighted another important
troop convoy in the eastern Mediterranean,
As a result HM Submarine UPHOLDER carried
out successful attacks sinking the liners
OCEANIA and NEPTUNIA. This submarine was
the deployed to carry out patrols to
intercept Italian warships on passage to
intercept the HALBERD relief convoy to
Malta In December 1941 she was deployed to
intercept an Italian supply convoy M41
against which units of the Mediterranean
Fleet were also carrying out a major
search operation. In January she carried
out patrol in the western Mediterranean
and on 12th of that month sighted the
German submarine U374 off Catania,
Sardinia which she attacked and sank..
She rescued the sole survivor. Three
months later she sank a supply ship off
Tunisia and on 17th March the
Italian submarine GUGLIELMOTTI.
On return to Malta she was damaged during
an air raid whilst part submerged in
Lazaretto Creek. A stick of bombs exploded
near enough to cause serious damage to her
torpedo tubes rendering them unusable.
Despite this disability she was deployed
for a special duty to collect an army
officer from HM Submarine UPHOLDER after
which she was released from Mediterranean
service and returned to UK for repair to
her damaged torpedo tubes.
She
was deployed in Home waters on completion
and sailed from the Clyde for patrol in
the Bay of Biscay on 23rd October 1942.
After landing an intelligence agent near Vigo
she began her anti-submarine patrol and on
6th November was ordered to intercept a
enemy blockade runner known to be on
passage from the Far East to France. This
ship had earlier been under air attacks
and her interception position was
reported. The submarine was then ordered
to meet another submarine with a convoy in
the Bishops Rock area and foiled to
arrive. Her loss may have been caused by
depth charges from an RAF WELLINGTON
aircraft which reported an attack on a
submarine on 12th November. This has never
been fully established. The Commanding
Officer was Lieutenant Commander EA
Woodward RN during her outstanding
Mediterranean service and by Lieutenant D
E O Watson at the time of her loss.
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