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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 LIBECCIO
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.
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