Unity Class 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.

3 Built

Submarine	Builder	Built
Undine Unity Ursula	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.	1937 -1938

Technical Information

Displacement (tons):	540 sf 730 sm
Length (ft):	191 oa - Ursula 197 oa after modification.
Breadth (ft)	16
Draught/Height (ft):	14.5
Machinery:	Paxman diesel engines 615 bhp General Electric motors 825 bhp
Speed (kts):	12.45 sf (Undine) 8.58 sm (Undine)
Oil Supply (tons):	38
Armament:	1 x 3 inch/45 QF MkI. 6 x 21 inch bow tubes, 4 reloads. (Except Ursula). 6 x 21 inch bow tubes, 2 reloads or later 6 MkII mines.
Range:	3,800/120 nmiles at 10 kts sf/2 kts sm.
Complement:	27 in Peacetime (4 Officers and 23 Others). 31 in Wartime (4 Officers and 27 Others).

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Submarine Undine in 1938
H.M. Submarine Undine 1938

Type:	Unity Class	Prototype
Pennant No.:	48.C 1939 - 48.N
Laid Down:	19th February 1937.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:	21st August 1938.	Not known at present.
Commander:	1940	Cdr. Jackson.
Complement:	27 (Peacetime) 31 (In War).	4 Officers, 23 Others, 4 Officers, 27 Others.
Service Career:	1938-1939 - 6th Flotilla.	HMS Titania, Blyth.
	1939-1940. Carried out patrols in the North Sea and off Norway. Fired torpedoes at German minesweepers, which missed. The minesweepers (M1201, M1204 and M1207) counter attacked and she was forced to the surface and scuttled. The crew were picked up by the Germans.
Fate:	Attacked and depth-charged by German minesweeping trawlers, scuttled 6th January 1940, Heligoland Bight. The crew were rescued and survived more than five years as prisoners.

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Type:	Unity Class	Prototype
Pennant No.:	66.C
Laid Down:	19th February 1937.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Launched	16th February 1938.
Commissioned:	15th October 1938.
Commander:	1940 1940 1940	Lt. J. F. B. Brown. Lt. F. J. Brooks. Lt. J. N. A. Low.
Complement:	27 peacetime. 31 war.	4 Officers and 23 Ratings. 4 Officers and 27 Ratings after modernisation.
Service Career:	1938-1939 - 6th Flotilla. 1939-1940 - 6th Flotilla.	H.M.S. Titania, Blyth. H.M.S. Titania, Rothesay.
	Was part of the submarine force which was in the Kattegat and off the coast of Norway during the German invasion of Norway.
Fate:	Sank after collision with the Norwegian Atle Jarl off the River Tyne entrance 29th April 1940. Lt. Low along with three ratings remained below shutting bulkhead doors while the remainder of the crew reached safety. Lt. Low was posthumously awarded the George Cross. All four who remained behind were lost.

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H.M. Submarine Ursula.

Type:	Unity Class
Pennant No.:	59.C
Laid Down:	19th February 1937.	Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Launched	16th February 1938.
Commissioned:	20th December 1938.
Commander:	1939-1940 1940 1940 1941	Cdr. G.C. Phillips. Lt. Cdr. W.A. Cavaye. Lt. Cdr. A.J. Mackenzie. Lt. A. Hezlet.
Complement:	27 peacetime. 31 war.	4 Officers and 23 Ratings. 4 Officers and 27 Ratings after modernisation.
Service Career:	1940	10th Flotilla,Malta.
	Was part of the submarine force which was in the Kattegat and off the coast of Norway during the German invasion of Norway. Launched a total of five torpedoes on 9th September 1939 at U35, all missed. Attempted to sink the Leipzig on 14th December 1939, one of the torpedoes sank the escort vessel F9. On 19th March 1940 she sank the German steamer Heddernheim. During 1941 she damaged two ships (Silvia Tripcovitch and Sabbia) missed the liner Vulcania. In September 1941 patrolled agains a sortie of the Italian Fleet during Operation Halberd. During 1942 sank three ships. In November 1942 she was deployed to cover Operation Torch, landings in North Africa. December 1942 she was rammed by a merchant ship.
Fate:	Ursula was transferred under the Lend-Lease to the Soviet Navy in 1944 and renamed V.4. She sailed for Polyarnoe in July of 1944 and was returned 10th February 1949. Scrapped May 1950.

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