U Class Group Two Small Patrol Submarines 1940

The design of the U Class was kept up to date and this group showed improvements on the first group. They were designed without external bow tubes and the bows reshaped and lengthenedis 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 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.

22 Built

Submarine	Builder	Built
Ultimatum, Ultor, Umbra, Unbending, Unbroken, Unison, United, Unrivalled, Unruffled, Unruly, Unseen, Unshaken, Unsparing, Unswerving, Untamed, Untiring, Uproar, P.32, P.33, P.36, P.38, P.39, P.48	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.	1940 - 1943

P.41 was built by Vickers for the Norwegian Navy and named Uredd, she was lost in 1943.
P.47 was built by Vickers for the Royal Netherlands Navy.
P.52 was built by Vickers for the Polish Navy.
P.81 to P.87 were cancelled.

Technical Information

Displacement (tons):	545 sf 740 sm
Length (ft):	196.83 oa
Breadth (ft)	16
Draught/Height (ft):	14.5
Machinery:	Davey Paxman diesel engines 615 bhp General Electric motors 825 bhp
Speed (kts):	11.75 sf 9 sm
Oil Supply (tons):	55
Armament:	1 x 3 inch/45 QF MkI. 3 x 0.303 inch Lewis or Vickers MG. 4 x 21 inch bow tubes, 4 reloads or 6 MkII mines.
Range:	5,000/120 nmiles at 10/2 kts.
Complement:	33
sm = submerged, sf = surfaced, oa = overall, hp = horsepower, na = not available.

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Type:	U Class	Second Group
Pennant No.:	P.34
Laid Down:	19th June 1940 as P.34. Renamed Ultimatum in 1943.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	29th July 1941.	Lt. P. Harrison.
Commander:	1942	Lt. P. Harrison.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1942 - 10th Flotilla. 1942 - 10th Flotilla/1st Flotilla.	Malta. Alexandria.
	March 1942 - Sank the Italian submarine Ammiraglio Millo.
Fate:	Scrapped in February 1950.

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Ultor Crest

H.M. Submarine Ultor.

Type:	U Class	Second Group.
Pennant No.:	P.53
Laid Down:	30th December 1941 as P.34. Renamed Ultor in 1943.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	31st December 1942.	Not known at present.
Commander:	1944	Lt. G. E. Hunt.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1943 - 10th Flotilla.	Malta.
	Lt. Hunt was the top scoring Commanding officer during the latter period of the 10th Flotilla's existence. He is reputed to have achieved 32 hits from 68 torpedoes fired destroying a higher number of vessels than any other British submarine CO during the war. His tally reads as follows: 20 ships and 8 small craft of his aggregate 43,00 tons sunk a high proportion were supply tankers. Transported chariots for attacks on Taranto in 1943.
Fate:	Sold and scrapped 22nd January 1946.

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Type:	U Class	Second Group.
Pennant No.:	P.35
Laid Down:	19th July 1940 as P.35. Renamed Umbra in 1943.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	2nd September 1941.	Lt. S. L. C. Maydon.
Commander:	1942	Lt. S. L. C. Maydon.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1942 - 10th Flotilla.	Malta.
	23rd October 1942 - Attacked and sank the supply vessel Amsterdam (8670 tons) in Khoms Roads.
Fate:	Sold and scrapped 9th July 1946.

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More Details to Follow

Unbending Crest

More Details to Follow

Unbroken Crest

More Details to Follow

Unrivalled Crest

More Details to Follow

Unseen Crest

More Details to Follow

Unshaken Crest

Type:	U Class	Second Group.
Pennant No.:	P.31
Laid Down:	30th April 1940 as P.31. Renamed Ulleswater January 1943. Renamed Uproar April 1943.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	2nd April 1941.	Lt. Cdr. J. Kershaw.
Commander:	1942	Lt. Cdr. J. Kershaw.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1942 - 10th Flotilla. 1942 - 10th Flotilla/1st Flotilla.	Malta. Alexandria.
	March 1942 - Attacked and sank with torpedoes the supply ship Marine Sanudo (5081 tons), aimed by asdics whilst sitting directy under an Italian destroyer.
Fate:	Sold and scrapped at Inverkeithing 13th February 1946.

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Type:	U Class	Second Group.
Pennant No.:	P.32
Laid Down:	30th April 1940.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	3rd May 1941.	Lt. D. Adby.
Commander:	1941	Lt. D. Adby.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1941	Malta.
	Whilst on patrol on 18th August 1941, P32 intercepted five merchantmen under escort in the swept channel approach to Tripoli Harbour. Realising they were not in a good position to carry out an attack Lt. Abdy decided to run under the minefield, running at full speed for about ten minutes he believed he had cleared the minefield and was in the swept channel. Periscope depth was ordered and P32 was just rising when she struck a mine forward on the port side. The explosion put out all the lights, the forward control door jammed and she took on a heavy list to port and sank towards the bottom. All measures were taken to bring the boat to the surface but to no avail. The whole of the boat forward of the control room had been destroyed, killing the eight crew members forward. It was soon realised that the boat could not be saved or surfaced and the decision to attempt escape was taken. In Abdy's opinion the engine room offered the brighter prospect of escape as he was concerned about the pressure being put on the forward control room door. However, taking into consideration the number of crew members in the engine room (23) and the amount of time that P.32 had been submerged he decided to split the group up. The Coxswain (Petty Officer Kirk), and ERA Martin volunteered to join Abdy in an attempt to escape via the conning tower. Abdy and the coxswain escaped successfully but ERA Martin was dead on his arrival on the surface. Both Abdy and Kirk were later picked up by an Italian Naval vessel shortly after being spotted by an aircraft which had been searching the area. No other survivors were seen in fact no others were seen to escape. Adby and Kirk were made prisoners of war and eventually chosen for prisoner exchange in March 1943. It is possible that the mine which P.32 encountered was probably laid by allied aircraft.
Fate:	Sunk by mine off Tripoli 18th August 1941.

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Type:	U Class	Second Group.
Pennant No.:	P.33
Laid Down:	19th June 1940.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	30th May 1941.	Lt. R.D. Whiteway-Wilkinson.
Commander:	1941	Lt. R.D. Whiteway-Wilkinson.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1941 - 10th Flotilla.	Malta.
	15th July 1941 - Attacked and sank the Italian motor-vessel Barbarigo (5,300 tons), South of Punta Sciaccazza, Pantelleria. The Barbarigo was part of a convoy consisting of the Italian motor-vessels Rialto, Sebastino, Andrea Gritti and the German steamer Penier. Escorting these were the destroyers Alpino, Fuciliere, Malocello, and the torpedo boats Procione, Orsa and Pegaso. 6th August 1941 - Patrol off Sicily. 18th August 1941 - Attacked and depth charged by Anti submarine craft, nothing further heard from her.
Fate:	Depth-charged and sunk by Italian torpedo boat Partenope off Pantelleria 18th August 1941.

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Type:	U Class	Second Group.
Pennant No.:	P.36
Laid Down:	26th July 1940.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	24th September 1941.	Lt. H. N. Edmonds.
Commander:	1941 1942	Lt. H. N. Edmonds. Lt. H. N. Edmonds.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1942 - 10th Flotilla.	Malta.
	March 1942 - Patrol of Taranto. 22nd March 1942 - Carried out an attack on Italian Navy units which had put to sea from Taranto. 1st April 1942 - Bombed and sunk by enemy aircraft whilst alongside in Malta.
Fate:	Bombed and sunk by enemy aircraft in Malta, April 1942. In July 1958 work on salving the P.36 commenced. She was raised to the surface on 7th August 1958 and two weeks later towed out to sea to be sunk for the second and final time.

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Type:	U Class	Second Group.
Pennant No.:	P.38
Laid Down:	2nd September 1940.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	17th October 1941.	Lt. R. J. Hemingway DSC.
Commander:	1941 1942	Lt. R. J. Hemingway DSC. Lt. R. J. Hemingway DSC.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1942 - 10th Flotilla.	Malta.
	February 1942 - Patrol off Ras el Hamra in company with P.34, P.39 and Una. 23rd February 1942 - Depth-charged and sunk by Italian Circe.
Fate:	Depth-charged and sunk 23rd February 1942, no survivors.

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Type:	U Class	Second Group.
Pennant No.:	P.39
Laid Down:	14th October 1940.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	16th November 1941.	Lt. N. Marriott.
Commander:	1941 1942	Lt. N. Marriott. Lt. N. Marriott.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	Late 1941/Early 1942 1942 - 10th Flotilla.	H.M.S. Maidstone, Gibraltar. Malta.
	Late 1941/Early 1942 - Carried out patrols up the Spanish coast to the French Riviera from Gibraltar. February 1942 - Patrol off Ras el Hamra in company with P.34, P.38 and Una. 26th March 1942 - Blown in two by aircraft attack whilst undergoing repairs in Malta from a previous air attack.
Fate:	Sunk by aircraft whilst undergoing repairs at Malta. Subsequently beached at Kalkara and camouflaged with fishing nets and shrubbery. Destroyed whilst beached by air attack.

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Type:	U Class	Second Group.
Pennant No.:	P.48
Laid Down:	2nd August 1941.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	18th June 1942.	Lt. M. E. Faber.
Commander:	1942	Lt. M. E. Faber.
Complement:	33	4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:	1942 - 10th Flotilla.	Malta.
	Carried out three patrols from Malta in 1942. 21st December 1942 - Departed Malta on her third patrol. Attempts were made to contact her on the 31st December but nothing was heard from her, she had not been heard from for over a week. It is believed she was attacked and sunk by the Italian destroyer-escort Ardente commanded by Lieutenant Rinaldo Ancillotti off Zembra Island in the Gulf of Tunis.
Fate:	Depth-charged and sunk by the Italian Destroyer-escort Ardent, possibly on 25th December 1942.

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