| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | U |
| Pennant | N 99 |
| Built by | Vickers Armstrong (Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.) |
| Ordered | 4 Sep 1939 |
| Laid down | 30 Oct 1939 |
| Launched | 8 Jul 1940 |
| Commissioned | 31 Oct 1940 |
| Lost | 14 Apr 1942 |
| Loss position | |
| History | Under the command of Lt.Cdr. Malcolm David Wanklyn, RN (VC, DSO) HMS Upholder was the most successful of all British submarines. She made 25 war patrols while based with the 10th Submarine Flotilla at Malta. In all HMS Upholder is reported to have sunk 2 destroyers, 3 submarines, 3 transports, 10 supply ships, 2 tankers and 1 trawler, totalling 128353 BRT. On 12 April 1942 HMS Upholder was ordered to form a patrol line with HMS Urge and HMS Thrasher to intercept a convoy. It is not known if this signal was received and the submarine failed to return to harbour on her due date. A number of theories exist as to the fate of HMS Upholder, however the most likely is reported below. HMS Upholder was reported overdue on 14 April 1942. Mr. Francesco Mattesini, naval historian accredited to the Italian Navy Historical Office, has provided some details which are likely to explain how Upholder was lost: Note: the attack of Italian TB Pegaso was made against a dolphin(!). The animal was positively identified by a plane overhead but the observer's report has only been recently discovered in the Italian Naval archives by Mr. Mattesini. |
Commands listed for HMS Upholder (N 99)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Lt. Malcolm David Wanklyn, RN | 8 Aug 1940 | 14 Apr 1942 (+) |
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Noteable events involving Upholder include:
28 Jan 1941
At 0430 hrs HMS Upholder (Lt. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) torpedoes and damages the German transport Duisburg (7389 GRT), south of the Kerkennah Shallows. The ship was towed into Tripoli, 20 nautical miles away, by the Italian torpedoboat Orione
30 Jan 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) attacks the Italian merchant Motia (2336 GRT) and the Italian tanker Delfin (5210 GRT) west of Tripoli, Libya in position 32º55'N, 12º41'E. All torpedoes fired missed their target and Upholder was depth charged by the Italian torpedo boat Aldebaran. (see map)
25 Apr 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian Antonietta Lauro (5428 GRT), 2.5 nautical miles bearing 125° from Kerkennah Buoy #3, Tunisia in position 34º57'N, 11º44'E. (see map)
26 Apr 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) destroys the wreck of the grounded German merchant Arta (2452 GRT) off Kerkennah, Tunisia.
1 May 1941
Around 1200 hours HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) torpedoes and sinks the German merchant Arcturus (2576 GRT) and torpedoes and damages the German merchant Leverkusen (7382 GRT) off Kerkennah, Tunisia in position 34º38'N 11º39'E.
Around 2100 hours Upholder again torpedoes the Leverkusen finally sinking her. (see map)
20 May 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) fires four torpedoes at the Italian tanker Utilitas (5342 GRT) off Capo dell'Armi in position 37º58'N, 15º40'E. The torpedoes however miss their target.
(see map)
23 May 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) torpedoes the French merchant Capitaine Damiani (4854 GRT) east of Tunisia in position 35º42'N, 12º24'E. The ship was only damaged and made port. (see map)
24 May 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) attacks a heavily escorted troop convoy, 10 nautical miles east of Siracusa, Sicily, Italy in position 36º41'N, 15º42'E and torpedoes and sinks the Italian liner (used as troop transport) Conte Rosso (17879 GRT). (see map)
3 Jul 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) torpedoes the Italian merchant Laura C (6181 GRT, built 1923) off Saline Ioniche, Calabria, in position 37º55'N, 15º44'E. The ship was taken in tow to be run ashore but sank in deep water.
At 1030 hours (time zone -2) Upholder sighted smoke near Cape Spartivento. At 1100 hours Lt.Cdr. Wanklyn made out three merchants, an armed merchant cruiser and a destroyer. He started an attack.
At 1125 hours the destroyer dropped a single depth charge. It was noticed that both the destroyer and the armed merchant cruiser were zig-zagging wildly about 3000 yards outside the convoy.
At 1135 hours the destroyer turned strait towards Upholder at 27 knots. Lt.Cdr. Wanklyn dived to 45 feet and altered course. At 1139 hours Upholder returned to periscope depth as the destroyer was heard to pass to the westward.
At 1142 hours Upholder, when in position 27º54'N, 15º44E, fired three torpedoes against the centre ship in the convoy, a heavily laden, grey painted cargo vessel of about 5500 tons. Two hits were obtained and Upholder went to 150 feet and retired to the eastward.
At 1147 hours depth charging started. 18 depth charges were fired but none were very close. (see map)
24 Jul 1941
At 1418 hrs HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) torpedoes and damages the Italian merchant Dandolo (4964 GRT), 2.5 nautical miles north-west of Barone, eastern Sicily in position 38º08'N, 12º37'E. The damaged Italian ship made port and was repaired. (see map)
28 Jul 1941
At 1951 hrs, while on patrol near Marettimo island, off the western tip of Sicily, position 38º04'N, 11º57'E, HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) fired 4 torpedoes at an Italian task force, hitting the light cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi (9050 tons). The cruiser did not sink but was out of action for a considerable time. (see map)
20 Aug 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Enotria (852 GRT) 5 nautical miles bearing 300 of Cape San Vito, Italy.
22 Aug 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian transport Lussin (3988 GRT) about 2 nautical miles north-west of Cape San Vito, Sicily, Italy.
24 Aug 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) fires two torpedoes at the Italian light cruiser Luigi di Savoia Duca Degli Abruzzi off the north-west tip of Sicily in position 38º30'N, 12º00'E. Both torpedoes however miss their target. (see map)
31 Aug 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, RN) fires torpedoes (from long range) against the Italian troop transports Oceania and Neptunia off the Tunisian coast. All torpedoes fired missed their target.
18 Sep 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian troop transports Neptunia (19475 GRT) and Oceania (19507 GRT) some 70 nautical miles east-north-east of Tripoli, Libya in position 33º02'N, 14º42'E.
These troop transports were part of a heavily guarded convoy sailing from Taranto to Tripoli. The sailing and routing had been betrayed by ULTRA and 4 subs were positioned on the track, Upholder was in the best position and beat the other ones to the punch. (see map)
8 Nov 1941
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, DSO, RN) attacks an Italian submarine with torpedoes some 60 nautical miles south-east of Capo Passero, Sicily, Italy in position 36º19'N, 16º22'E. The target was not hit. (see map)
9 Nov 1941
At 0720 hrs in position 37º10'N, 18º10'E, east of Siracusa, Sicily, HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, DSO, RN) torpedoed the Italian destroyer Libeccio (1615 tons), engaged in the rescue of survivors from the Duisburg convoy, destroyed the previous night by Force "K" out of Malta. The destroyer had the stern blown off and was taken in tow by the Italian destroyer Euro but a few hours later the bulkheads gave way & she sank in position 36º50'N, 18º10'E.
Wanklyn had actually aimed at the heavy cruisers Trento and Trieste, also rescuing survivors, but the torpedoes missed and hit the destroyed beyond. (see map)
4 Jan 1942
At 0535 hrs HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, VC, DSO, RN) torpedoes the Italian steamer Sirio (5223 BRT), 4 nautical miles north-west of Cefalú, Sicily in position 38º07'N, 14º00'E. The ship remained afloat and made port. (see map)
5 Jan 1942
At 0542hours HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, VC, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian submarine Ammiraglio Saint Bon (1500 tons) (offsite link) north of Milazzo, Sicily, 38º02'N, 15º22'E. (see map)
27 Feb 1942
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, VC, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Tembien (5584 GRT) about 25 nautical miles north of Tripoli, Libya in position 32º55'N, 12º42'E. (see map)
18 Mar 1942
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, VC, DSO, RN) torpedoes and sinks the Italian submarine Tricheco (810 tons) (offsite link) east off Brindisi in the southern Adriatic in position 40º42'N, 17º57'E. (see map)
19 Mar 1942
HMS Upholder (Lt.Cdr. M.D. Wanklyn, VC, DSO, RN) sinks the Italian auxiliary minesweeper B.14/Maria (22 GRT) with gunfire, about 20 nautical miles south of Brindisi, Italy.
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