HMS Unbroken (P42)

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".

Career

After work up trials in Holy Loch, "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.

References

*cite web | url= http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3550.html | title= HMS "Unbroken" (P 42) | work= uboat.net
*cite web | url= http://home.cogeco.ca/~gchalcraft/sm/page26.html | title= Ultimatum to Unbroken | work= British submarines of World War II
*Colledge
*Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day, by Robert Hutchinson