HMS Utmost (N19)

HMS "Utmost" was a British U class submarine, of the second group of that class, built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 2 November 1939 and was commissioned on 17 August 1940. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name "Utmost".

Career

"Utmost" spent most of her career operating in the Mediterranean, where she sank the Italian merchants "Capo Vita", "Enrico Costa", and "Frederico C.", and the German tanker "Languste" and also damaged the Italian merchant "Manfredo Camperio". "Utmost" also attacked a convoy of five German merchants and three Italian destroyers and torpedoed and sunk the German merchant "Heraklea" and torpedoed and damaged the "Ruhr". An attack on another convoy made up of the German merchant "Tilly L.M. Russ" and the Italian merchant "Cadamosto", escorted by the Italian torpedo boats "Pallade" and "Polluce", was less successful. All torpedoes fired missed their targets."Utmost" went on to destroy the (already grounded and damaged) Italian merchant "Marigola", and together with her sister, since transferred to the Poles, the ORP "Sokół", sank the Italian merchant "Balilla". "Utmost" later unsuccessfully attacked the Italian merchants "Fabio Filzi" and "Siculo", as well as the Italian auxiliary minelayer "Barletta". [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3540.html HMS Utmost] , Uboot.net] She also torpedoed and damaged the Italian cruiser "Trieste".

inking

"Utmost" left Malta for a patrol in the Mediterranean in November 1942. On the 23rd she sank an enemy ship, but on 25 November 1942, during her return journey to Malta, she was located, attacked and sunk south west off Sicily by depth charges from the Italian torpedo boat "Groppo". [ [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