P34 HMS

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john sefton
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P34 HMS

Post by john sefton » Fri Sep 21, 2012 9:04 pm

Name: HMS P 34; Renamed: HMS ULTIMATUM on 1st February 1943; Builder: Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness; Laid down: 19 June 1940; Launched: 11 February 1941; Commissioned: 29 July 1941; Fate: Sold for scrap on 23 December 1949, broken up 1950
General characteristics:
Class and type: U-class submarine, Displacement: Surfaced - 540 tons standard, 630 tons full load, Submerged - 730 tons, Length: 58.22 m (191 ft), Beam: 4.90 m (16 ft 1 in), Draught: 4.62 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, Complement: 27-31, Armament: 4 bow internal 21 inch torpedo tubes - 8 - 10 torpedoes, 1 - 3 inch gun
Identified by her Pennant Number P34 this submarine was renamed HMS ULTIMATUM in early 1943 during her operational service in the Mediterranean where she was deployed in 1941 after completion of work-up in Home waters.
Part of the 10th Submarine Flotilla based in Malta she carried out patrols to intercept Italian warships attempting to attack relief convoys to Malta and also supply ships to and from North African ports. During a patrol in January 1942 to intercept Italian Convoy M43 she was unable to carry out a torpedo attack although she sighted the convoy but did sink a supply ship later during February. The next month she attacked and sank the Italian submarine AMMIRAGLIO MILO during patrol off Sicily. Her service in June 1942 was for patrol off Taranto to intercept and report movements of Italian warships attempting to attack Malta relief convoy MW11 during passage in eastern Mediterranean (Operation Vigorous). Similar duties were carried out in August for the PEDESTAL Malta relief convoy which arrived safely. This submarine then returned to UK for refit and resumed service in the Mediterranean during October 1943 and during passage carried out an attack on the German submarine U73 which failed although initially credited as sinking of U431.
Her Mediterranean deployment in 1944 includes sinking of three supply ships and a bombardment of Crete during allied operations to recover islands occupied by enemy forces during May. Transferred with the Flotilla for operations based at Maddelena, Sardinia during June that year she carried out patrols of south France sinking five large mercantiles. The next month her successes included a submarine chaser and two ferries.
Sold to be broken up for scrap on 23 December 1949. Scrapped at Port Glasgow in February 1950.
Notable Events
25 Jan 1942
HMS P 34 torpedoed and sank the Italian passenger ship DALMATIA L. (3352 GRT) south-west of Capo dell'Armi in position 37.45'N, 15.30'E.
23 Feb 1942
HMS P 34 fires 4 torpedoes against the Italian merchants RAVELLO (6142 GRT) and UNIONE (6070 GRT) about 80 nautical miles east of Tripoli, Libya in position 32.48'N, 14.50'E. All torpedoes fired missed their targets.
14 Mar 1942
HMS P 34 torpedoed and sank the Italian submarine AMMIRAGLIO MILLO in the Ionian Sea off Punta (Cape) Stilo, Calabria, Italy in position 38.27'N, 16.37'E.
24 Jun 1942
HMS P 34 makes a torpedo attack on German U-boat U-77 south of Crete in position 34.20'N, 24.09'E. All torpedoes fired however missed their target.
7 Sep 1942
HMS P 34 fires four torpedoes against the Italian merchant LUCIANO MANARA (6060 GRT) in the central Mediterranean about 45 nautical miles south-west of Schiza Island, Greece in position 36.17'N, 21.03'E. All torpedoes fired missed their target.
30 Oct 1943
On this day HMS ULTIMATUM attacked a German U-boat the Mediterranean southeast of Toulon, France, in position 43.04'N, 05.57'E. This attack was against U-73 but it inflicted no damage. HMS ULTIMATUM is often credited to have sunk U-431 in this attack. However U-431 was sunk with all hands on 21 October 1943 in the Mediterranean off Algiers in position 37.23'N, 00.35'E, by depth charges from a British Wellington aircraft. U-431's fate was revised in November 1987 by the Foreign Documents Section of the British Ministry of Defence.
5 Apr 1944
HMS ULTIMATUM sank a German sailing vessel with gunfire off Suda Bay, Crete, Greece.
2 May 1944
HMS ULTIMATUM shells the harbour of Kalamata, Greece. Two sailing vessels were sunk, five were destroyed on the slips and one was damaged.
3 Jul 1944
HMS ULTIMATUM fires two torpedoes at the German auxiliary patrol vessel UJ 6073 / NIMETH ALLAH off Toulon, southern France. The torpedoes however miss their target.
At 0059 hours ULTIMATUM sighted a white light flashing Morse bearing 340. Five minutes later two darkened ships were made out steaming on a course of 200. distance 2000 yards. As the vessels were at close range and were signalling, Lt. Kett thought he might be sighted. He turned his submarine stern on to watch events unfold.
At 0109 hours the vessels were identified as a destroyer and a UJ boat, and as they showed no sign of taking action against ULTIMATUM Lt. Kett altered course to attack.
At 0114 hours four torpedoes were fired. 40 seconds later one torpedo was seen to hit causing a column of water rise 50 feet into the air completely enveloping the target (this actually was not a hit, the torpedo exploded prematurely). Six seconds later a second torpedo was heard to explode but this was not observed as the submarine was now diving towards 150 feet.
27 Jul 1944
HMS ULTIMATUM fires four torpedoes against a group of small German vessels. The German barge F 811 is hit and sunk of the coast of southern France in position 43.03'N, 05.34'E.
Sources: Wikipedia. http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3544.html.
http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono ... imatum.htm.
Information Mr P Crichton
Attachments
P34.jpg

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