|
B
a t t l e H o n o u r
s
MEDITERRANEAN
1941 - MALTA CONVOYS 1941 - 42
Ordered
with HM Submarine USK in September 1939
this submarine was first identified by
her Pennant Number P41 and given the
name for the first use by the RN on
launch in 1940. Some the survivors from
HM Submarine UNITY which had been sunk
after a collision formed part of the
ship's company. After acceptance she was
deployed for anti-invasion patrols in
the English Channel based at Portsmouth
to report German shipping movements with
HM Submarines UPRIGHT and TALISMAN. A
few weeks later in October she took
passage for service in the Mediterranean
but whilst off Cape St Vincent was
rammed by HM Destroyer ENCOUNTER and
damaged.
After
repair in Gibraltar she was able to
commence duty with the 10th Submarine
Flotilla in Malta. She had a most
notable record of successful attacks and
her first was on patrol in February 1941
when she sank a supply ship of the North
African coast Further
torpedo attacks that year in March, June
and July accounted for four more
mercantiles. On later patrols she sank
another supply ship off Lampedusa in
October and by surface gun attack
two more in the central Mediterranean
the next month. She also carried out an
attack on the Italian cruiser TRIESTE on
24th November which caused damage to
this enemy warship. Before returning to
UK in January 1942 this boat was
deployed off Taranto to carry out
reconnaissance of Italian warship
movements in support of an important
convoy (M41) to North Africa.
After
refit in UK she had returned to the
Mediterranean by April 1942 to resume
service with the Flotilla for
interception of shipping to and from
ports in North Africa. In the critical
period between May and October when the
siege of Malta had been ended she was
deployed for patrols including the
interception and observation of Italian
warships on passage to attack relief and
return convoys. Another supply ship was
sunk in October 1942 and during the
allied landings in Algeria she was
deployed off Messina to attack warships
attempting to interfere with the assault
and follow-up convoys to landing areas.
She sailed for her last patrol from
Malta on 17th November 1942 for patrol
off Bizerta and is known to have carried
out an attack on the Italian auxiliary
cruiser BARLETTA off Cape Blanc on 23rd
and to have advised by signal that he
was returning to Malta. The
anti-submarine operations by the escort
failed to locate this submarine which it
is assumed then had taken her return
passage. Her loss is recorded as being
by depth charge attacks from the Italian
torpedo boat GROPPO which had attacked a
submarine on 25th November 1942. The
Commanding Officer on commissioning was
Lieutenant Commander R D Cayley,
DSO*, DSC* RN who destroyed almost
70,000 tons of shipping, before being
relieved by Lieut. J W D Coombe
RN who had not served on board long
before the loss of the submarine with no
survivors.
|
