10th Submarine Flotilla

10th Submarine Flotilla
HMS Una one of the 10th Submarine Flotilla boats
Active1915 — 1918; January 1941 — March 1943
Country United Kingdom
Branch Royal Navy
RoleSubmarine
SizeFlotilla
Garrison/HQHMS Talbot, Manoel Island, Malta
Nickname(s)"The Fighting 10th"
EngagementsBattle of the Mediterranean
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Captain George Walter Gillow Simpson RN

The 10th Submarine Flotilla was a Royal Navy submarine formation during World War I and during World War II

In January 1915 it was based on the Humber but by January 1917 it had relocated to the Tees.[1]

During the Second World War it was formed at Malta in January 1941[2] and comprised Royal Navy and Polish Naval Force submarines assigned to the British Mediterranean Fleet based in Malta from early 1941.[3]

Second World War

The flotilla was initially composed of the U-class submarines including HMS Unbeaten, HMS Upholder, HMS United, HMS Upright, HMS Una, HMS Unseen, HMS Unbending, HMS Unbroken, HMS Urge, HMS Utmost, HMS P38 and HMS Ursula (N59) together with ORP Sokół and ORP Dzik of the Polish Navy [4]

The U-class had been designed for training crews rather than combat but their diving performance made them the best choice for operating in the clear waters of the Mediterranean where submarines could be easily seen by aircraft.

The flotilla's base in Malta was the ancient fort on Manoel Island, in the Marsamxett Harbour opposite Sliema; this shore base was called HMS Talbot.[5] The Lazzaretto of Manoel Island formed part of the quarters for the crews


The submarine base at Manoel Island was a priority target for Axis aerial attacks[6] and was heavily bombed in 1942 which forced a temporary withdrawal of the flotilla from Malta to Alexandria where the ships of the Mediterranean Fleet had already moved. During this relocation to Alexandria HMS Urge sank after striking a mine; there were no survivors.[7]

HMS Rorqual and Thunderbolt mooring up at Malta's submarine base in 1943

The flotilla never numbered more than 12 submarines, but this small force between January 1941 and December 1942, sank 412,575 tons of Axis shipping.[8]

On 24 May 1941 while assigned to the flotilla HMS Upholder attacked a convoy off the coast of Sicily and sank the 18,000 ton liner Conte Rosso. Upholder's captain, Lieutenant Commander Malcolm Wanklyn, was awarded the Victoria Cross for both this and also for completing many successful patrols.[9][10]

See also

References

  1. ^ Dittmar, F.J.; Colledge, J.J (1972). British warships, 1914-1919. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 15–27. ISBN 0711003807.
  2. ^ Gill, Stephen Paul (October 2011). Forging the flotilla The Royal Navy's submarine campaign from Malta 1940-1943. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTH. p. 2.
  3. ^ "1 September 1941: Malta is New Base for 10th Submarine Flotilla". Malta: War Diary. 1 September 2016. Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  4. ^ Allied, Newspapers (19 February 2012). "Malta-based British forces destroy most of Rommel's supplies in 1941". Times of Malta. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  5. ^ "BRITISH SUBMARINE BASE AT MALTA. 26, 27 AND 28 JANUARY 1943, HMS TALBOT, THE ROYAL NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE AT MALTA". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  6. ^ "X Lighters - The Wreck of X127". www.xlighter.org. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Wreck of WWII Submarine HMS Urge Found Off Malta". The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  8. ^ Gill, Stephen Paul (October 2011). Forging the flotilla The Royal Navy's submarine campaign from Malta 1940-1943. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTH. p. 3.
  9. ^ "British Submarines At War Part 1 of 2 - 1939-42". www.naval-history.net. Campaign Summaries of World War 2. 8 July 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  10. ^ "HMS Upholder (N 99) of the Royal Navy - British Submarine of the U class". uboat.net. Retrieved 24 July 2017.