HMS Undaunted (N55)

HMS Undaunted 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 December 1939 and was commissioned on 30 December 1940.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Undaunted.

History
United Kingdom
NameHMS Undaunted
BuilderVickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down2 December 1939
Launched20 August 1940
Commissioned30 December 1940
FateSunk 11 May 1941
Badge
General characteristics
Displacement
  • Surfaced - 540 tons standard, 630 tons full load
  • Submerged - 730 tons
Length58.22 m (191 feet)
Beam4.90 m (16 ft 1 in)
Draught4.62 m (15 ft 2 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 shaft diesel-electric
  • 2 Paxman Ricardo diesel generators + electric motors
  • 615 / 825 hp
Speed
  • 11.25 knots max surfaced
  • 10 knots max submerged
Complement27-31
Armament

Sinking

Undaunted spent much of her short career operating in the Mediterranean.[1] On 1 May 1941, she sailed from Malta to patrol off Tripoli, Libya. She was due to return to Malta on 11 May but she failed to do so and is presumed lost on mines. It is also possible that she was sunk by the Italian torpedo boat Pegaso, which had sailed from Tripoli on the 12th. Pegaso had signalled that she had attacked a submarine with depth charges and that a large patch of oil had been observed, an indication of the submarine's destruction. Against this theory is the fact that by that date Undaunted should have been back at Malta, but it is possible that a decision to remain at sea longer had been taken, or that she had suffered mechanical problems preventing her return. It is also possible that she was sunk by the Italian torpedo boat Pleiade off Tripoli on the 13th but this is not very likely.[2]

Citations
  1. HMS Undaunted, uboat.net
  2. Submarine losses 1904 to present day Archived 2 January 2007 at the Wayback Machine, RN Submarine Museum, Gosport

References
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
  • Hutchinson, Robert (2001). Jane's Submarines: War Beneath the Waves from 1776 to the Present Day. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-710558-8. OCLC 53783010.
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