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HMS Unbroken (P42)
Encyclopedia
HMS Unbroken (P42) was a Royal Navy
U-class
submarine
built by Vickers-Armstrong
at Barrow-in-Furness
, and part of the third group of that class. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Unbroken.
, Unbroken went out to join the 10th Flotilla at Malta
, with a work-up patrol from Gibraltar
. She would spend most of her wartime career in the Mediterranean. She landed saboteurs under the command of Captain Peter Churchill
at Antibes in the south of France. She then proceeded to Malta to reform the 10th Flotilla in June 1942. She was the only submarine operating from Malta until United
, Unruffled
and Unrivalled
joined. In July 1942, Unbroken attacked the main west coast railway line on the Italian mainland, and succeeded in blocking the line for 24 hours. However she was counter-attacked and sustained a hit on the battery, forcing her to return to Malta. She took part in Operations Harpoon
and Vigorous
, in June 1942. She was badly damaged in October 1942, by a counter attack after hitting a tanker, and was again repaired at Malta.
During her time in the Mediterranean, she sank the Italian merchants Edda and Bologna (the former French Monaco), the Italian pilot vessel F 20 / Enrica, and the Italian auxiliary minesweeper No. 17/Milano. She also damaged the Italian sailing vessel Vale Formoso II, the German (former Norwegian) tanker Regina, and most significantly, the Italian heavy cruiser Bolzano and the Italian light cruiser Muzio Attendolo
during Operation Pedestal
. Bolzano was hit in her oil tank and ran aground; the Attendolo lost sixty feet of bow. Both were out of action for the rest of the war.
Unbroken also attacked the Italian merchant Algerino, but missed her with her torpedoes. She later damaged the Italian merchant Titania, north-west of Tripoli
, Libya
. The Titania was taken in tow by the Italian destroyer Ascari. The Titania was sunk early the next day by HMS Safari
. Unbroken returned to the UK in December 1943.
Unbroken was transferred on loan to the Soviet Union
on 26 June 1944, where she was renamed V-2. She spent four years in Soviet service before being returned to the Royal Navy in 1949. She was scrapped at Gateshead from 9 May 1950.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
U-class
British U class submarine
The British U class submarines were a class of 49 small submarines built just before and during the Second World War...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
built by Vickers-Armstrong
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
at Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
, and part of the third group of that class. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Unbroken.
Career
After work up trials in Holy LochHoly Loch
The Holy Loch is a sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.Robertson's Yard at Sandbank, a village on the loch, was a major wooden boat building company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries....
, Unbroken went out to join the 10th Flotilla at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, with a work-up patrol from Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. She would spend most of her wartime career in the Mediterranean. She landed saboteurs under the command of Captain Peter Churchill
Peter Churchill
Peter Morland Churchill DSO Croix de Guerre was an SOE Officer in France during World War II.He was a brother of Group Captain Walter Churchill DSO DFC and Major Oliver Churchill DSO MC who was also an SOE Officer during World War II.-Biography:...
at Antibes in the south of France. She then proceeded to Malta to reform the 10th Flotilla in June 1942. She was the only submarine operating from Malta until United
HMS United (P44)
HMS United was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name United.-Career:...
, Unruffled
HMS Unruffled (P46)
HMS Unruffled was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Unruffled.-Career:...
and Unrivalled
HMS Unrivalled (P45)
HMS Unrivalled was a U-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Unrivalled. Completed in 1942, the boat spent most of the war in the Mediterranean. She sank a number of small merchant ships and naval...
joined. In July 1942, Unbroken attacked the main west coast railway line on the Italian mainland, and succeeded in blocking the line for 24 hours. However she was counter-attacked and sustained a hit on the battery, forcing her to return to Malta. She took part in Operations Harpoon
Operation Harpoon (1942)
Not to be confused with Operation Harpoon Operation Harpoon was one of two simultaneous Allied convoys sent to supply Malta in the Axis-dominated Mediterranean Sea in mid-June 1942, during the Second World War. One convoy, Operation Vigorous, left Alexandria. The other, Operation Harpoon, travelled...
and Vigorous
Operation Vigorous
Operation Vigorous was a World War II Allied operation to deliver a supply convoy that sailed from Haifa and Port Said on 12 June 1942 to Malta. The convoy encountered heavy Axis air and sea opposition and returned to Alexandria on 16 June....
, in June 1942. She was badly damaged in October 1942, by a counter attack after hitting a tanker, and was again repaired at Malta.
During her time in the Mediterranean, she sank the Italian merchants Edda and Bologna (the former French Monaco), the Italian pilot vessel F 20 / Enrica, and the Italian auxiliary minesweeper No. 17/Milano. She also damaged the Italian sailing vessel Vale Formoso II, the German (former Norwegian) tanker Regina, and most significantly, the Italian heavy cruiser Bolzano and the Italian light cruiser Muzio Attendolo
Italian cruiser Muzio Attendolo
Muzio Attendolo was a light cruiser of the Italian Regia Marina, which fought in World War II. She was sunk in Naples by bombers of the United States Army Air Forces on 4 December 1942...
during Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal
Operation Pedestal was a British operation to get desperately needed supplies to the island of Malta in August 1942, during the Second World War. Malta was the base from which surface ships, submarines and aircraft attacked Axis convoys carrying essential supplies to the Italian and German armies...
. Bolzano was hit in her oil tank and ran aground; the Attendolo lost sixty feet of bow. Both were out of action for the rest of the war.
Unbroken also attacked the Italian merchant Algerino, but missed her with her torpedoes. She later damaged the Italian merchant Titania, north-west of Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. The Titania was taken in tow by the Italian destroyer Ascari. The Titania was sunk early the next day by HMS Safari
HMS Safari (P211)
HMS Safari, launched in November 1941, was one of the third group of British S-class submarines built by Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead. So far she has been the only ship to bear the name Safari.-Career:...
. Unbroken returned to the UK in December 1943.
Unbroken was transferred on loan to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
on 26 June 1944, where she was renamed V-2. She spent four years in Soviet service before being returned to the Royal Navy in 1949. She was scrapped at Gateshead from 9 May 1950.
External links
- Captain Sir Edward Archdale, Bt - Daily Telegraph obituary
- Unbroken: The Story of a Submarine by Alastair MarsAlastair MarsLieutenant Commander Alastair Campbell Gillespie Mars, DSO, DSC and Bar was a Royal Navy World War II submarine commander...
, an autobiographical account by her commanding officer.