U Class Group One Small Patrol Submarines

This class was built primarily for A/S training and to replace the 'H' class which by this time were considered very much past their best. Originally not intended for war but forced into the role by hostilities and the fact that they could be produced very quickly.

In theory they were in all aspects inferior to almost all foreign submarines, their performance and success during WWII proved otherwise.

The principal design of the Unity Class were retained in this group. Additional equipment made it necessary to remove the external bow tubes but the high bow was retained in the six boats of the group. The boats which were built with a finer bow had a slightly longer overall length and larger forward hydroplanes were fitted to improve control.

The need for these boats to be used operationally decreased after hostilities ceased in the Mediterranean and stopped altogether at the end of WWII. Consequently they were used in the role for which they were originally intended, Anti-Submarine Training boats.

12 Built

Submarine	Builder	Built
Umpire Una	HM Dockyard, Chatham.	1940 -1941
Unbeaten Undaunted Union Unique Upholder Upright Urchin Urge Usk Utmost	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.	1939 - 1941

Technical Information

Displacement (tons):	540 sf 732 sm
Length (ft):	191.00 oa 192.33 oa Undaunted, Union, Urchin, Urge. 196.83 oa Umpire and Una. 196.83 oaUnbeaten and Unique after modification.
Breadth (ft)	16
Draught/Height (ft):	14.5
Machinery:	6 cylinder Admiralty diesel engines 615 bhp-Umpire. Paxman or Vickers on others. General Electric motors 825 bhp
Speed (kts):	11.25 sf 9 sm
Oil Supply (tons):	38
Armament:	1 x 12 pdr/12cwt HA. 2 x 0.303 inch Lewis or Vickers MG. 4 x 21 inch bow tubes, 4 reloads. Unbeaten and Unique after modification carried 1 x 3 inch/45 QF MkI in place of 12pdr/12cwt HA.
Range:	3,800/120 nmiles at 10/2 kts.
Complement:	31
sm = submerged, sf = surfaced, oa = overall, hp = horsepower, na = not available.

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Type:	U Class	First Group
Pennant No.:	N.82 P.31
Laid Down:	1st January 1940.	H.M. Dockyard, Chatham.
Commissioned:	10th July 1941.	Lt. Cdr. M. R. G. Wingfield.
Commander:	1941	Lt. Cdr. M. R. G. Wingfield.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1941 - 3rd Flotilla.	Dunoon.
	Collided with the trawler Peter Hendriks off the Suffolk coast. Sunk, most of the crew escaped and survived.
Fate:	Lost July 1941.

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Type:	U Class	First Group
Pennant No.:	N.87
Laid Down:	7th May 1940.	H.M. Dockyard, Chatham.
Commissioned:	27th September 1941.	Lt. D.S.R. Martin.
Commander:	1941-1942. 1942.	Lt. D.S.R. Martin. Lt. C.P. Norman.
Complement:	31	4 Officers, 27 Others.
Service Career:	1941 - 5th Flotilla. 1941-1942 - 8th Flotilla. 1942-1943 - 10th Flotilla.	Portsmouth. Gibraltar. Malta.
	Carried out 17 patrols in the Mediterranean during which time she sank 5 transports of 21,300 GRT. August 1942 - Landed Commandos in Catania Bay. November 1942 - Deployed to cover Operation Torch. April 1943 - Returned to UK for refit. August 1943 to the end of the war - Employed training A/S forces. November 1945 - Placed in reserve until sold.
Fate:	Scrapped 11th April 1949.

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Type:	U Class	First Group
Pennant No.:	N.93
Laid Down:	23rd November 1939.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	20th November 1940.	Lt. E.A. Woodward.
Commander:	1941. 1942. 1942.	Lt. E.A. Woodward. Lt. Cdr. E.A. Woodward. Lt. D.E. Watson.
Complement:	31	4 Officers, 27 Others.
Service Career:	1941-1942.	Mediterranean.
	Sank the submarine U374 on 12th January 1942. Sank the Italian submarine Guglielmotti on 17th March 1942.
Fate:	Bombed and sunk in error by RAF aircraft in the Bay of Biscay 11th November 1942.

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Type:	U Class	First Group
Pennant No.:	N.55
Laid Down:	2nd December 1939.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	30th December 1940.	Lt. J.F. Livesay
Commander:	1940. 1941.	Lt. J.F. Livesay Lt. J.F. Livesay
Complement:	31	4 Officers, 27 Others.
Service Career:	1940-1941. 1941 1941	9th Flotilla - Dundee 1st Flotilla - Portsmouth 10th Flotilla - Malta
	Sailed for trials and work up at Holy Loch arriving 30th December 1940. On completion of work up she joined 9th Flotilla at Dundee. She joined the First Flotilla at Portsmouth in March 1941. Sailed Portsmouth to join Iron Ring boats on 3rd April 1941 and then onto Malta to join the 10th Flotilla. Replaced Unique, Usk and Upholder in Home waters when they were dispatched to the Med, April 1941. Joined other submarines forming the iron ring around Brest in the hope of intercepting the battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhost. All of these boats were recalled on 10th April 1941.
Fate:	She was lost during her first patrol off Tripoli being the second U class boat to be lost. Although the reason for her loss has never been confirmed it is likely that she struck a mine between the 7th and 10th May 1941.

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Type:	U Class	First Group
Pennant No.:	N.56
Laid Down:	9th December 1939.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	22nd February 1941.	Lt. Cdr. R.M. Galloway
Commander:	1941.	Lt. Cdr. R.M. Galloway
Complement:	31	4 Officers, 27 Others.
Service Career:	1941	10th Flotilla - Malta
	Sailed from Malta on 14th July 1941. Sank the Pietro Querini on 22nd June 1941. Reported missing on 20th July 1941, sunk by depth charge by the Italian Torpedo Boat Circe SW of Pantellaria.
Fate:	Depth charged and lost 20th July 1941.

Type:	U Class	First Group
Pennant No.:	N.95
Laid Down:	30th October 1939.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	22nd February 1941.	Lt. Cdr. A.F. Collett
Commander:	1941 1941 1942 1942	Lt. Cdr. A.F. Collett Lt. A.R. Hezlet Lt. Cdr. A.F. Collett Lt. Cdr. R.E. Bodington
Complement:	31	4 Officers, 27 Others.
Service Career:	1941	10th Flotilla - Malta
	Arrived Gibraltar 23rd December 1940, she was the first U class boat to attack shipping in the Med, albeit unsuccessful. Arrived Malta 18th February 1941 commanded bt Lt. A.F. Collett. Sank the merchant ship Felicia of 2,548 tons off the Kerkenah Islands on 10th March 1941. Sank the Arsia of 736 tons whilst she was at anchor in the harbour of Lampedusa islands 3rd June. Suffered a depth charge attack of some sixty depth charges during June but was undamaged. Sank the liner Esperia of 11,300 ton during August 1941 consequently attacked by aircraft and damaged resulting in her return to Malta. Returned to the UK for refit. On completion did a short period in UK waters before returning to the Mediterranean.
Fate:	Lost during transit to Gibraltar 10th October 1942.

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Type:	U Class	First Group
Pennant No.:	P.37 N.99
Laid Down:	30th October 1939.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	31st October 1940.	Lt. Cdr. M. D. Wanklyn.
Commander:	1940 1941	Lt. Cdr. M. D. Wanklyn. Lt. Cdr. M. D. Wanklyn.
Complement:	31	4 Officers, 27 Others.
Service Career:	1941 - 10th Flotilla.	Malta.
	Sank the 5,500 ton supply ship Antonietta Lauro off Lampedusa, 1941. Destroyed damaged German motor transport ship, 1941. Sank the 2,500 ton Arcturus by torpedo and damaged the 8,000 ton Leverkusen which were in convoy, was later able to sink her. Attacked a tanker in the Strait of Messina scoring a hit but the ship was able to be towed into Messina. During the same period attacked and scored two hits on the Conte Rosso, 18,000 tons, which sank her. For this action Lt. Cdr. M. D. Wanklyn was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Fate:	Lost 14th April 1942 - Depth Charged.

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Type:	U Class	First Group
Pennant No.:	N.89
Laid Down:	6th November 1939.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	3rd September 1940.	Lt. J.E. Brooks
Commander:	1940 1940 1941	Lt. J.E. Brooks Lt. J.S. Wraith Lt. E.D. Norman
Complement:	31	4 Officers, 27 Others.
Service Career:	1940	1st Flotilla - Gibraltar

Fate:

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Type:	U Class	First Group.
Pennant No.:	P.41 N65
Laid Down:	6th November 1939.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	11th October 1940.	Not known at present.
Commander:	1941 1941	Lt. Cdr. P. R. Ward. Lt. G. P. Darling.
Complement:	31	4 Officers, 27 Others.
Service Career:	1941 - 10th Flotilla.	Malta.

Fate:	Lost, probably mined 3rd May 1941 whilst on patrol off Cape Bon.

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More Details to Follow