- HMS Urge (N17)
HMS "Urge" was a
British U class submarine , of the second group of that class, built byVickers Armstrong ,Barrow-in-Furness . She was laid down on30 October 1939 and was commissioned on12 December 1940 . So far she has been the only ship of theRoyal Navy to bear the name "Urge".Career
"Urge" spent most of her career operating in the
Mediterranean , where she sank the Italian tanker "Franco Martelli" and the Italian light cruiser "Giovanni delle Bande Nere", on1 April 1942 ; she also damaged the Italian passenger ship "Aquitania", and the Italian merchant ship "Marigola". The "Marigolda" was already grounded after being torpedoed by aircraft on24 September 1941 . She also torpedoed and damaged the Italian battleship "Vittorio Veneto" on13 December 1941 , during the operations around theFirst Battle of Sirte . She was unlucky on numerous occasions however, making failed attacks on the Italian merchant "Capo Orso", the Italian tankers "Superga" and "Pozarica", the Italian destroyer "Alpino", the German merchant "Ingo", the Italian heavy cruiser "Bolzano" and the Italian troop transport "Victoria". She also unsuccessfully attacked an unidentified armed merchant cruiser south of the Strait of Messina. [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3538.html HMS Urge] , Uboat.net]inking
"Urge" left
Malta on27 April 1942 . She failed to arrive at Alexandria on6 May 1942 and was reported overdue on that day. On29 April she attacked the Italian sailing vessel "San Giusto" off Ras Hilal: in the immediate area was a small convoy of three German MFPs, escorted by an Italian Cr.42 biplane. As the submarine was engaged in the attack against the sailing ship, she was dive-bombed and sunk by the plane. For sometime, the theory was that she had been sunk by the Torpedo Boat "Pegaso". But that "Urge" was sunk by the escorting biplane has been confirmed by witnesses on board the MFPs. [ [http://www.rnsubmus.co.uk/general/losses.htm Submarine losses 1904 to present day] , RN Submarine Museum, Gosport]References
*"Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day", by Robert Hutchinson
*Colledge
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