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B a t t l
e H o n o u r s
ZEEBRUGGE 1918
- NORWAY 1940 - MEDITERRANEAN 1940-41
Motto
Celeribus palma: 'Reward to the
swift'
This name was
first used for a destroyer built in 1917 and sold in 1934 and first
used for a submarine when given on launch in November 1939.
Allocated to the 5th Submarine Flotilla she arrived at Portsmouth
for work-up on completion of Acceptance Trials. Deployed with the
Home Fleet she took part in the naval operations off Norway in April
1940 (Operation WILFRED) and joined the 2nd Submarine Flotilla based
at Rosyth in May.
Her primary
duties were for patrol off Norway to intercept coastal shipping and
German naval units on passage in the North Sea. During patrol in
June she sank tanker SAMLAND off Norway and later that year was nominated to
join the 10th Submarine Flotilla in Malta. During passage she carried out a patrol in the
Bay of Biscay to intercept U-Boats on from French bases and began
operational patrols based in Malta during October 1940. Whilst on
patrol in the Gulf of Sirte she sank a
supply ship and during November carried out patrols in the Adriatic.
Lieut Cdr R G Mills who had been in command
since commissioning was relieved by Lieut. Cdr R M T Peacock in
January 1941 and she was then deployed in the Aegean for
interception of supply ships on passage to and from North African
ports. In April that year she sank the tanker PERSSIANO off Benghazi
and the next month the mercantile GIOVINEZZA in the same area.
Transferred to Alexandria in June 1941 she carried out patrols in
the Dardenelles before returning to
patrols off the North African coast where she sank two more supply
ships in the Gulf of Sirte. The commanding
officer changed again in July and her successes continued with the
sinking of two more ships during September and early October before
being withdrawn from operations for refit in the USA after adjusting
complement in UK. This submarine took passage from Alexandria on
17th October carrying stores, fuel and personnel to deliver in Malta
before leaving the Mediterranean for UK. Sailing from Malta on 26th
she was ordered to carry out a 24 hour patrol of Cavoli Island before taking passage to
Gibraltar. Although she made contact with HM Submarine P34 on 27th
October 1941 she failed to arrive in Gibraltar by the scheduled date of
2nd November. It is presumed that she struck a mine in a newly laid
field off Grantola, Sicily. The Commanding
Officer was Lieut. Cdr G Greenway RN. |
