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B
a t t l e H o n o u r s
MEDITERRANEAN
1942
Identified
as P37 on launch in May 1941 this
submarine was named in October 1942
under the policy change and was the
first use by the RN.
She completed work-up at the end of
November 1941 and carried out an
uneventful patrol off Stadlandet
in early December. On return she was
deployed for anti-submarine training of
Home Fleet ships at Scapa Flow till 14th
January 1942 when she joined the 9th
Submarine Flotilla at Dundee.
During
a patrol between Stadlandet
and Gripholen
she sustained some damage when she struck
the seabed and was under repair at Dundee
on return. Resuming service on 26th March
she carried out another Norwegian coast
patrol in the same area and encountered a
German submarine on 11th April but the
torpedo attack failed. Further repair at
Dundee was completed at the end of April
and after trials she returned to Norwegian
coast patrol in May to provide additional
protection against submarine attacks on
Russian convoys PQ16 and returning QP12.
This
submarine was transferred to the
Mediterranean in June and took passage
from Dundee on 29th June 1942 after
repair to join the 10th Submarine Flotilla
in Malta. She was deployed at Gibraltar
during July for patrols off the Spanish
coast and in the western Mediterranean and
sailed for Malta with stores on 19th
September. Her first patrol began on 5th
October and she sank a small coaster, a
sailing ship and the mercantile ALGA,
1,851 tons. Later off Lampedusa she sank
the 4,859 ton freighter BEPPE and the
Italian destroyer GIOVANNI DA VERRAZZANO
on 19th before return to Malta
Her next patrol in November in
support of allied landings in Algeria was
not as successful since attacks on two
ships failed and a convoy interception was
missed At the end of December she landed
two agents east of Tripoli and four days
later on 31s came under depth charge
attacks off Cagliari by an Italian
destroyer.
Whilst
deployed in the Straits of Messina in
January 1942 she hit and damaged the 8,657
ton Italian passenger/cargo mercantile VIMINALE
but was forced to return to Malta
for repair of damage caused by counter
attacks. Her next patrol was in the
Adriatic where she sank two more
freighters before returning on 14th
February. The next month she landed a
Commando party near Cape Bruzmano
and sank two small steamers. Her final
Mediterranean deployment was an uneventful
patrol in the Gulf of Hammamet
before return to UK on 12th
April.
Calling
at Gibraltar on 24th April she arrived at
Portsmouth on 8th May. She carried out
anti-submarine training for Western
Approaches Command escorts with the 7th
Submarine Flotilla at Londonderry during
June and then Paid-off at Devonport on
29th prior to refit. Post refit trials
were completed in December 1943 and she
rejoined the 7th Submarine Flotilla
in January 1944 for work-up and
Home Fleet anti-submarine training. Her
remaining war service was with the 6th
Submarine Flotilla at Blyth and she was
deployed for training of submarine crews
there until May 1945 when she refitted
until October. She Paid-off
on 3rd December 1945 and was laid-up in
the Gareloch
until used for Ship Target trials in 1946
after which returned to lay-up at Lisahally
prior to sale in 1950.
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