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The first submarines to work out of Malta were
the large 'P' & 'R' class types. Submarines could be seen in the
clear waters of the Mediterranean & the larger the submarine the
easier it was to spot. These types suffered many losses. These large
types were replaced by the smaller 'U' class types which were more manoeverable.
The Submarine base was Manoel Island in Marsamuscetto Bay to the north
of Valletta. This Island was connected to the mainland by a causeway.
The Knights of St.John built a Fort here to act as a defense against
the Turks in the years leading up to the first great siege of Malta
in 1565.
Submarines coming in for refuelling / rest for crews had to lay submerged
through the bombing but whether by good aiming or stray bombing some
submarines were hit whilst laying on the bottom.
Submarines made continual supply drops to Malta (this was called Operation
Magic Carpet) during the siege & these drops along with the fast
minelayers - Manxman & Welshman
were a vital resupply source between convoys which were invariably hit
hard with much of their precious cargo sent to the bottom of the Mediterranean.
HMS Cachalot, Porpoise,
Rorqual, Osiris,
Otus & Urge made
supply drops to Malta including medical stores, kerosene, mail bags,
powdered milk, armour piercing shells & petrol.
They were very much a force taking the fight to the enemy when Malta
was being hit hard. Patrols would lay off Calabria on Italian soil &
shell the railway line which ran close to the coast. This would disrupt
lines of communication. Raiding parties would also be dropped by folding
canoe to disrupt other communications. Some time later during pre-invasion
(of Sicily) preparations raiding parties would be dropped on Sicilian
beaches to scout potential landing sites, take inshore depth soundings
& assess enemy concentrations.
These submarines would attack Italian re-supply convoys on their way
to Tripoli from Italy. The Kerkenah Bank was a notable hunting ground
& many Italian & German merchantmen were sent to the bottom
here. In March 1940 the submarines Unique,
Utmost & Upright
all took part in sinkings in this area.
In February however Upright sunk
the Italian cruiser Armando Diaz
off the Kerkenah Bank.
On the 9th March Utmost (Lieutenant
Commander R. D. Caylet) torpedoed & sank the Italian merchantman
Capo Vita. The following day Unique
(Lieutenant A. F. Collett) sank the Fenicia.
On the 19th Utmost fell in with
5 Axis merchantmen on their way to re-supply the Afrika Korps. On the
28th she torpedoed the Ruhr &
the Heraklia. The Heraklia
sank but the Ruhr survived &
was towed to port. After unloading their cargo in Tripoli the convoy
returned to Italy. On the way Upright
(Leiutenant E. D. Norman) torpedoed the Galilea
which sustained severe damage.
Between April 1941 & March 1942 Upholder
(Commander Malcolm D. Wanklyn VC, DSO) sank 10 merchant ships - 3 of
which were troop carriers (over 18,000 tons); 1 destroyer; 2 U-Boats
& damaged a cruiser & 3 other merchantmen. The Upholder
was finally lost off the coast of Tripoli in April 1942.
The Rorqual & the Cachalot
were 2 submarines which ran supplies into Malta during the night from
Alexandria in these early years..
It is interesting to note that maps taken from
prisoners showed the submarine base at Lazaretto to be in another creek.
On the 24th March 1942 the 10th Flotilla now
consisting of Una, Urge,
P31, P34
& P35 left Malta for Alexandria.
Urge was lost after leaving Malta.
She dived but never surfaced.
The 10th Flotilla returned to Malta before the siege was lifted with
new submarines & rested crews.
I am trying to put as much information or links
to other sites as I can. This is a complex area to put into one part
of this site & I recommend looking into other sites linked.
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