HMS P47

HMS "P47" was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong. She was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy before completion and renamed HNMS "Dolfijn".

Career

"Dolfijn" spent between September 1942 and January 1943 carrying out trials with the 3rd Flotilla, in Holy Loch. In January she was assigned to the 8th Flotilla, at Algiers, and between November and December 1943, to the 10th Flotilla, at Malta. Whilst on her first war patrol she attacked a so far unidentified German submarine, but missed her. On 9 February, 1943, she torpedoed and sank the Italian Perla class submarine "Malachite" near Cape Spartivento, Sardinia, Italy. She went on to sink the Italian merchant "Egle", the Italian auxiliary patrol vessel V50 / "Adalia", the Italian sailing vessel "Stefano Galleano" and four other sailing vessels, including the Greek "Hydrea" and "Theonie", as well as two small German vessels.

She also damaged the Italian merchants "Humanitas" and "Sabia", and launched unsuccessful attacks against the German merchants "Oria" and "Leda" (the former Italian "Leopardi"). The attack on the "Leda" was foiled by the escorting German destroyer "TA 14" (the former Italian "Turbine"). "Dolfijn" also torpedoed the wreck of the French merchant "Dalny" and attacked a small convoy with gunfire, firing 16 rounds and hitting the barge "Vidi" twice. "Dolfijn" was forced to break off the action and submerge due to quick return fire.

Between December 1943 and March 1944, "Dolfijn" was part of the 1st Flotilla, at Beirut. She eventually returned to the UK with convoys, and was refitted at Dundee. After the war she became a training boat in Amsterdam between 1947 and 1952. She was decommissioned and nominally returned to the Royal Navy, but was broken up in the Netherlands in May 1952.

References

*
*
*Colledge
*Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day, by Robert Hutchinson