Legacy of Liberation: The Submarine Service in the Second World War

Submarines played an important but often overlooked role in the pursuit of Liberation during World War Two. Discover more about British submarines in the Second World War and their crews with Commonwealth War Graves.

Submarines in the Second World War

3,400 names commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Naval Memorials

“I have often looked for an opportunity of paying tribute to our submariners.”

“There is no branch of His Majesty's Forces which in this war has suffered the same proportion of total loss as our submarine service.” – Sir Winston Churchill

Some 66,000 names adorn the memorial panels of the Chatham, Portsmouth, and Plymouth Naval Memorials: all souls sailing and serving on the abyssal depths of the world’s seas and oceans.

Image: The three major CWGC naval memorials commemorate the lost Commonwealth submariners of the Second World War

While most Royal Navy personnel crewed surface vessels, some risked the claustrophobia, danger, and sub-sea isolation of the Royal Navy Submarine Service (RNSS).

Thousands of Commonwealth sailors braved the dangers of the submarine service during the war. Some 3,400 paid the ultimate price, representing a huge chunk of the losses. 

These men are commemorated in perpetuity on CWGC’s naval memorials, remembered forever alongside other souls lost to the deep.

Second World War submariners' stories

Lieutenant Commander Malcolm David Wanklyn VC DSO**

Image: Lieutenant Commander David Wanklyn, left, with Lieutenant J.F.R. Drummond, right, of HMS Upholder (Public domain)

David Wanklyn is one of the Allies’ most successful submarine commanders of World War Two. At the helm of HMS Upholder, Wanklyn and his crew sank 16 enemy vessels between 1940-42.

David was born in India in 1911, the son of an engineer. He joined the Navy in 1925. His career may have ended there, as David was colour blind. 

This disorder should have precluded him from service, but the patient admissions officer guided the then-14-year-old David through his tests and allowed him entry.

David quickly rose through the ranks and joined the submarine service in 1932. By 1940, he had reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander and took control of HMS Upholder.

Over the next two years, David and Upholder would gain a reputation for brilliant tactical nous, incredible courage, and coolness under fire. 

Upholder’s first confirmed sinking under Lt Cdr Wanklyn took place in the North Sea off the coast of Holland. From there, the submarine would spend most of its time hunting Italian and German vessels in the Mediterranean, operating out of Malta.

It was in the Mediterranean that David would earn the Victoria Cross and Upholder’s most famous victory. 

On 23rd May 1941, Upholder spotted two tankers sporting French colours. With no neutral shipping expected in that section of the Mediterranean, David deduced the two ships were probably Italian or Vichy French.

Firing torpedoes, Upholder sank the tanker Capitaine Damiani. Its escort, the Alberta, soon began dropping depth charges. None hit and Upholder was able to slink away.

In the evening of the same day, David and his crew spotted another convoy. This time it was made of five destroyer class vessels protecting the large troop ship SS Conte Rosso.

Image: HMS Upholder: the most successful Royal Navy submarine of the Second World War by tonnage sunk (Public domain)

Moving to attack, Upholder was nearly rammed by an enemy destroyer who hadn’t spotted the sub. In the midst of the convoy, Upholder fired its torpedoes and dived below the waves.

Conte Rosso was struck and the 19,000-ton ship, carrying more than 2,000 troops, began to sink. Over the next few hours, Upholder managed to dodge a furious depth charge attack from the escorting destroyers. She was never hit and made it back to Malta safely.

David’s quick thinking and bravery allowed the Allies to score quite a major naval scalp. Upholder was also operating without its ASDIC sonar system, making judgement of the distances and proximity of enemy vessels even more difficult than usual. David was essentially going in blind.

David was awarded the Victoria Cross for the sinking of the Conte Rosso. He had already been awarded the Distinguished Service Order and 2 Bars for his previous actions.

Unfortunately, Upholder was subject to the same rate of attrition that dogged submarine crews.

Submarine warfare was incredibly dangerous. The attrition rates of crews were very high.

Unfortunately, Upholder and Lt Cdr Wanklyn were lost out on patrol, possibly sunk by fire from an Italian torpedo boat, on 14th April 1942.

David and his crew are commemorated on the panels of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Upon David’s death, his Squadron Commander George Simpson said: "His record of brilliant leadership will never be equalled. He was by his very qualities of modesty, ability, determination, courage and character a giant among us."

Commander John Wallace Linton VC DSO DSC

Image: Commander John Wallace "Tubby" Linton VC DSO DSC (Public domain)

John Wallace Linton, nicknamed “Tubby”, was born on 15 October 1905. Like David Wanklyn, he was one of the finest Commonwealth submarine captains of the war.

The Welshman was a keen rugby player in his youth and later turned out for Royal Nav, United Services, and Hampshire County sides as an adult.

But his true destiny lay beneath the waves. John entered the British Royal Naval College, Dartmouth and, in 1927, joined the RNSS.

Two years later, John married his wife Nancy in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The couple would have two sons, William and James.

By 1936, James had reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. When war broke out in 1939, John was commanding HMS Pandora in the Far East. 

Pandora was ordered to move to Egypt in 1940 and once again to Malta. Operating out of the Mediterranean island base, Commander Linton and crew took out two Italian supply ships in one action. John was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for this attack.

Pandora was struck by Luftwaffe bombs in port in April 1940. The following month, John and his crew were transferred to HMS Turbulent.

Turbulent was one of the Royal Navy’s new T-Class submarines, amongst the heaviest, and deadliest subs in the Royal Navy’s second world war flotilla.

Bristling with torpedo tubes, cannon, guns and machine guns, Turbulent proved a worthy hunting vessel for Commander Linton and co.

Under John’s command, Turbulent sank over 90,000 tons of enemy shipping. Tubby and his crew remarkably survived over 250 depth charge attacks. They spent a total of 254 days at sea, submerged for roughly half of that. 

Image: HMS Turbulent, portside, was second only to Upholder when it came to sinking hostile vessels in the Mediterranean (Public domain)

For his conduct and peerless command of Turbulent, Commander Linton was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in September 1942.

Sadly, he was living on borrowed time. 

March 1943. Turbulent was on its last patrol before a much-needed refit when she sank with the loss of all hands off the coast of La Madderina, Sicily. 

Turbulent’s fate has been up for discussion. The wreck has never been located, so the circumstances around her sinking are unknown.

The most likely explanation is Turbulent struck a sea mine and sank.

In recognition of his achievements and the gallantry of Turbulent's crew, John Linton was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross on 25th May 1943.

The citation in the London Gazette of 21st May 1943, reads:

"From the outbreak of War until H.M.S. Turbulent's last patrol Commander Linton was constantly in command of submarines, and during that time inflicted great damage on the Enemy. 

“His many and brilliant successes were due to his constant activity and skill, and the daring which never failed him when there was an Enemy to be attacked.

“On one occasion, for instance, in H.M.S. Turbulent, he sighted a convoy of two Merchantmen and two Destroyers in mist and moonlight. He worked round ahead of the convoy and dived to attack it as it passed through the moon's rays. 

“On bringing his sights to bear he found himself right ahead of a Destroyer. Yet he held his course till the Destroyer was almost on top of him, and, when his sights came on the convoy, he fired.

“His great courage and determination were rewarded. He sank one Merchantman and one Destroyer outright and set the other Merchantman on fire so that she blew up."

As he has no known grave, John Linton is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Our thanks to Malcolm Peel for sharing Commander Linton’s story.

Leading Signalman Victor Habgood

Image: Leading Signalman Victor Habgood 

Leading Signalman Victor Albert Alexander Habgood grew up in Windsor, England but his journey took him from the Home Counties to the world’s oceans.

Victor joined the Royal Navy in 1939, volunteering for the RNSS. Following training, he was posted to the U-Class vessel HMS P41.

Victor then served for a period at HMS Ambrose, a submarine base in Dundee, Scotland, and was then assigned back to P41 in June 1942.

At this time, P41 had been transferred to the Royal Norwegian Navy and renamed HNoMS Uredd (P41). Uredd translates to “Dauntless” in Norwegian.

Norway had been occupied by Nazi Germany on April 1940. The Norwegian Government in exile and whatever free Norwegian forces remained had moved to London in the wake of the German invasion.

Determined to carry on the fight in the face of their homeland’s occupation, the Royal Norwegian Navy conducted operations out of London headquarters. 

As such, when Victor rejoined P41, her crew was almost entirely Norwegian. Two of Victor’s fellow Brits were aboard: Leading Telegraphist Jack Barket and Sub-Lieutenant Wilfred John Cond.

Norway was occupied by Germany between April 1940 and VE Day in May 1945.

The HNoMS Uredd (P41) operated with the Royal Navy’s 9th Submarine Flotilla, based in Dundee, Scotland.

In February 1943, the HNoMS Uredd (P41), commanded by Lieutenant Commander Rolf Q. Røren RNoN, was sent to a special operation to insert a team of Norwegian Special Operations Executive (SOE) operatives from the Linge Company (Norwegian Independent Company No. 1) at Bodø in northern Norway.

They were then to proceed to Senja to pick up two French submariners who were stranded there.

Tragically, P41 hit a German minefield and was lost with all hands, including the seven SOE operatives, on 10 February 1943.

It was not until 1985 that this was confirmed when the Royal Norwegian Navy discovered the wreck of the HNoMS Uredd (P41) southwest of Fugløyvær in Norway.

Victor, Wilfred and Jack are all commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial. The Norwegian crewmembers are commemorated on non-CWGC memorials.

With thanks to Haakon Vinje for sharing Victor’s story.

Royal Navy Submarines in WW2

Image: A submariner at the diving station of an X-Class Midget submarine

The submarine narrative of the Second World War is, at least in the West, dominated entirely by the sinister wolfpacks of German U-boats. Tales of German subs stalking and ambushing Allied convoys across the Atlantic are well known, but they don’t tell the whole story.

The Allies also fought their own highly successful war below the seas. British, Commonwealth and US subs, alongside those of their allies such as the Dutch, stalked enemy shipping and played a key role in the victories in the Mediterranean and Far East theatres.

The Submarine Service, despite its importance, represented a tiny section of the Royal Navy. It represented just 4% of the RN’s strength at the start of the war, including vessels, crews, and mobile depot ships and onshore facilities.

Submarining was dangerous work. 79 British submarines of all classes were lost during the Second World War, ranging from the two-man Chariot manned torpedoes to the giant T-Class ships.

The RNSS started the war with 57 submarines. Over 230 were built by the end of the war, operating in naval theatres the world over.

What did submarines do in the Second World War?

Submarines performed several duties in the Second World War, including:

• Patrolling coastal waters
• Hunting enemy merchant shipping
• Targeting enemy surface fleets and submarines
• Convoy escort
• Search & Rescue
• Reconnaissance
• Transport of small units (Commandos, SOE operatives, etc.)

Patrolling home waters

Image: Submarines of various classes and sizes berthed at Holy Loch, ready to patrol coastal waters (IWM (A 8429))

Approximately 21 submarines were assigned to home waters at the start of the Second World War, with a further 4 assigned to the Atlantic.

Boats from the 1st and 2nd Flotillas were assigned to a new flotilla, the 3rd, and operated at home. These flotillas were boosted by newly constructed vessels and ships returning from patrol.

Submarines were kept in home waters following the Fall of France in early 1940. All through the autumn, boats stayed to patrol coaster waters. Victory in the Battle of Britain ensured British air supremacy over the UK, essentially negating any proposed German invasion.

At this time, British submarine operations shifted from anti-invasion to anti-U-boat. This took the form of longer-range patrols. For instance, the Bay of Biscay was routinely visited by British subs in the early stages of the war.

As the tide of the war turned, submarine operations at home began to tail off. 

By September 1944 there were 25 subs in UK waters.

Submarine operations in Norway

Image: The Crew of HMS Satyr, one of the British submarines active on Norwegian patrols, hold aloft their Jolly Roger flag (IWM (A 25466))

At the start of the Second World War, British submarines mainly concentrated on home water patrol, patrols from bases in the Far East, and gradually more activity in Norway.

Norway was a choice target in the early days of the war. British submarines, operating out of Scottish bases, began to operate in waters there, ordered to target warships rather than transports. Subs began also to patrol Heligoland. 

The first ship to be sunk by a British submarine in World War Two was an anti-submarine trawler off the coast of Norway in September 1939 by HMS Sturgeon.

On 4 December 1939, HMS Salmon scored the first British submarine-vs-submarine victory of the war, when it sunk U-36.

The Norwegian experience showed that the Royal Navy submarine service required tweaking. At the start of the war, British subs were ordered to target German warships only, which proved essentially fruitless.

Successes were few and three craft had been lost between January and March 1940. 

Gradually, the British submarines began to target troop transports as Nazi Germany stepped up its invasion of Norway. The Sub patrols were unable to halt the Wehrmacht invasion of Norway, but some significant German vessels were sunk.

On 9 April 1940, the British government allowed submarines to begin targeting merchant shipping in Norwegian waters.

In June 1941, following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, submarines began operating along the extremely hazardous Arctic Convoy routes, acting as convoy escorts. 

They had mixed success, but it was thought the actions of Trident, Tigris, Sealion and Seawolf essentially halted German naval activity east of North Cape.

Overall, the early operation of British submarines in Norway left a lot to be desired. Conflicting orders, an impotent strategy, and a lack of clear direction hampered the subs’ impact.

Gradually, the Norway-focussed submarines began to change their approach and upped their effectiveness. Soon, submarines were able to sail into German-controlled harbours and attack ships at anchor.

Submarines also played an important role in disabling the Tirpitz. In September 1943, Six X-Class “Midget” submarines were able to slip under the fearsome German battleship’s protective torpedo nets, let fly with their payload, and severely damage Tirpitz, confining her to her fjord hiding spot.

Royal Navy submarines continued to patrol Norwegian waters until the end of the war. Including manned torpedoes and one-man midget submarines, the Royal Navy lost some 12 submarines on Norwegian operations during the war, mostly in 1940.

British Submarines in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean turned into one of the deadliest seas in the world during the Second World War. Control of the sea was important for several reasons:

• Oil supplies – Britain’s oil came from the Persian Gulf via the Suez Canal
• Cargo – As well as oil, shipment of foodstuffs, munitions, and other vital supplies through Suez necessitate control of the Med
• Axis access – The Italian Regia Marina was an enormous, modern navy. If allowed access to the Atlantic, this could prove massively detrimental to Allied shipping
• Southern Flank – German dictator Adolf Hitler was obsessed with securing his southern flank, leading him to send Wehrmacht forces to Greece and Italy, which subeqnetly led to the battles of Crete and Greece and the invasion of Italy

For the Allies, control of the Mediterranean was vital. The Suez Canal, that vital lifeline between West and East, flowed into the Med, while Malta , Gibraltar and Alexandria offered substantial naval bases for the Royal Navy.

Malta was a focal point for submarine activity and the home of the famous 10th Flotilla. Submarine commanders like David Wanklyn and John Linton and their vessels served as part of the famous 10th. 

Drawn from coastal patrol squadrons, the 10th Flotilla was outfitted with T-Class and U-Class submarines. The U-Class, a smaller submarine, was originally meant for training, but the nimble craft proved formidable hunters in the Med.

10th Flotilla was one of the most successful submarine squadrons of the war. Between January 1941, when the 10th arrived in Malta, to September 1942, the squadron’s 12 submarines accounted for 412,575 tons of Axis shipping.

The target for many British subs in the Med were Italian merchant vessels destined for the battlefields of North Africa. 

There, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was proving a wily foe for the Commonwealth forces but was crucially at the mercy of his long supply lines.

The German armed forces were no strangers to unrestricted submarine warfare and they recognised its importance in their foes. 

Image: HMS Taka launching from Beirut to patrol the Mediterranean (IWM (A 30366))

In September 1941, the German High Command reported: “Now, as formerly, the most dangerous British weapon is the submarine, especially those based on Malta... A very severe supply crisis must occur relatively soon. This is because air transport can never be an adequate substitute for sea transport.”

In the first four months of 1942, Allied naval forces only managed to stop 5% of enemy cargo reaching North Africa. At this time, Malta was being pounded relentlessly by the Italian and German air forces, effectively rendering it useless as a naval base.

However, once the situation on Malta was relieved, losses began to mount for the Axis. Come October 1942, submarine attacks alone had sunk 44% of Rommel’s precious shipping.

The German Field Marshal wrote: “Fuel and munitions are very scarce; I am decidedly pessimistic.”

The 4th and 8th Flotillas were transferred to the Mediterranean, increasing the pressure on Axis supply convoys. 

Such was the toll the British and their allies were beginning to take on Axis Mediterranean shipping the German General staff noted in October 1942, “The enemy has recognized sea supply communications as the weak point in our North Africa operation… Our defence against submarines is barely sufficient, and against air attack is inadequate.”

The Allies were able to take advantage of Germany's relative material poverty in North Africa to launch the desicive battles at El Alamein in Tunisia.

The contribution of the Submarine Service towards the victory in North Africa is often overlooked.

The Allies sunk around 2,000,000 tons of shipping in the Mediterranean. Submarines were responsible for 53% of this total, according to Royal Navy statistics. 

Come September 1943 and the invasion of Italy, the Allies were essentially in total control of the Mediterranean. It remained so until the end of the war, thanks in no small part to the efforts of the Royal Navy Submarine Service.

Royal Navy Submarine patrols in the Far East

Image: HMS Trenchant returns to port following a successful sweep of the Pacific (IWM (A 30366))

British forces were sent reeling by the thunderbolt that was the Imperial Japanese in early 1942. A tide of Japanese soldiers, planes, and ships swept across the Pacific seaboard, capturing important British possessions like Singapore and Hong Kong.

The Royal Navy retreated to bases in India and Sri Lanka with the submarines operating out of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. They were joined by Dutch submarines which were placed under British command and operated alongside their UK counterparts.

The number of boats in the Far East at first was very small. Priorities in Norway, home waters and the Mediterranean limited flotilla sizes. This changed with the Italian surrender of September 1943 with more vessels and crews released for the Far East.

By late 1944, at least 40 British submarines were operating in the Pacific, alongside their American allies.  

The British Submarines of the 2nd, 4th, and 8th Flotillas were a mix of T-Class and S-Class boats. 

They were smaller and less durable than their American equivalents, so were mainly suited to inshore operations in the Java Sea and Sea of China. Some 
British subs of the 8th Flotilla also operated out of US facilities in Subic Bay in the Philippines. 

As more boats became available, the volume of shipping it took out increased. By October 1944, British submarines in the Far East had claimed:

• A cruiser
• Three submarines
• Six small naval vessels
• 100 small vessels
• 41,000 tons of shipping

Allied submarines also wreaked havoc on Japanese troopships. The Imperial Japanese Army relied on the Imperial Japanese Navy to move its men and equipment across the Pacific.

All told, the Allies sunk 44 Japanese troopships, 33 of which had casualties greater than 1,000. 

A sad side effect of British and Allied submarine activity was the death of Allied POWs and local slave labourers. 

The Japanese shipped Prisoners of War and labourers to camps across Japan in cramped vessels known as “hell ships” for their brutal, squalid conditions.

Estimates vary but the sinking of hell ships resulted in the death of between 10,800 – 21,000 prisoners and labourers due to friendly fire. 

In 1944, British submarine patrols were extended to the Sunda and Lombok Straits. This gave them more opportunities for juicier targets. 

Before this, British and Dutch subs had been at work in waters west of Singapore, resulting in few if any large ships being sunk (The Imperial Japanese Navy had headed into the Pacific at this time).

One example of a major British submarine victory in the Far East was the sinking of the 10,000-ton cruiser Ashigara in April 1915. 

While operating in a defensive minefield, HMS Trenchant, commanded by Commander A.R. Hezlet, unleashed a barrage of five torpedoes which struck and wrecked Ashigara.

Ashigara was the IJN’s only serviceable cruiser in that sector of the Pacific. Her sinking meant she could not interfere with the Borneo Landings, resulting in smooth operations in the Borneo Campaign’s early stages.

This demonstrates the huge toll on the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Second World War. While the American submarines took out the bulk of tonnage sunk, the British made an important contribution too.

Commemorating the fallen of the Submarine Service

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s naval memorials are the chief points of commemoration for naval casualties.

Due to the nature of naval combat, particularly submarine warfare, it was highly unlikely that any bodies were recoverable. In the majority, souls went down with the boats, committed eternally to the deep.

The Royal Navy and the British government were faced with the challenge of how best to commemorate these men. The solution was three distinct naval memorials in the three “manning ports” of the UK.

When a person joined the Royal Navy, they were assigned a manning port for administrative regions: Portsmouth, Plymouth, or Chatham.

These towns and cities enjoyed strong naval heritage and made the ideal locations for the new memorials.

With many more Royal Navy casualties to commemorate, the CWGC Naval Memorials were given extensions following the Second World War, with tens of thousands of lost souls added to each.

Today, these stand as the permanent point of commemoration for the 3,400 or so Commonwealth submariners killed in the Second World War.

Discover the Legacy of Liberation with Commonwealth War Graves

The Legacy of Liberation marks the 80th anniversaries of several pivotal moments of the Second World War. 

From Kohima and Imphal to the D-Day Landings, the Legacy of Liberation remembers these remarkable events.

Join us to mark these historic moments. Visit The Legacy of Liberation today to learn more.