U Class Group Two Small Patrol Submarines 1941

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.

12 Built

Submarine	Builder	Built
Universal, Unsparing, Unswerving, Untiring, Upstart, Usurper, Uther, Vandal, Varangian, Varne, Vox	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.