Small Patrol Submarine
H.M. Submarine Ultor.
Type:
U Class
Second Group
Pennant No.:
P.53
Laid Down:
30th December 1941 as P.53.
Renamed Ultor in 1943.
Renamed Ultor in 1943.
Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.
Commissioned:
31st December 1942.
Lt. G. E. Hunt.
Commander:
1942 - Oct. 1944
Lt. G. E. Hunt.
Oct. 1944 - June 1945
Lt. J.P. Harvey.
June 1945
Lt. M.R.R. Kirkwood.
June - Aug. 1945
Lt. J.P. Harvey.
Feb. 1943
Lt. S.J. Fovargue.
Complement:
33
4 Officers, 29 Others.
Service Career:
1943
10th Flotilla,Malta.
1944
10th Flotilla, Maddalena.
1944
1st Flotilla, Malta.
1945
7th Flotilla, Rothesay.
Fate:
Completed sixteen 'War Patrols'.
On completion of work up in Holy Loch.
February 1943 - Departed Holy Loch for work up patrol off the coast of Norway.
On lst April 1943 - Newly arrived submarines still made working up patrols in the Gulf of Lions, off the coast of Spain, the south coast of France and in the Gulf of Genoa and these included patrols by Ultor.
12th April 1943 - Attacked Ultor two small ships off St Raphael on the French Riviera firing four torpedoes. She hit both, one sank and the other was damaged.
14th April - 1943 - Fired four more torpedoes off Antibes at the French Penerf hitting her with three of them and sinking her.
23rd May 1943 - Having drawn blank on the east coast of Calabria sighting only a hospital ship and some Swedish relief ships bound for Greece, had moved to the east coast of Sicily. Investigated Augusta harbour and fired a torpedo at an anti-submarine trawler in the entrance. The torpedo found its target and the trawler sank.
6th June 1943 - Departed Malta to patrol the north coast of Sicily south of Lipari Island.
10th June 1943 - Encountered a small naval auxiliary almost at once and fired two torpedoes. The enemy, however, saw the tracks and took avoiding action.
13th June 1943 - Bombarded a direction finding station on Salina Island. Fired 43 rounds and secured many hits.
15th June 1943 - Sighted what was thought to be a cable ship escorted by two destroyers. Fired three torpedoes hitting with one of them and sinking the Italian auxiliary minesweeper Tullio. Later the same day she fired her last three torpedoes at one of two destroyers obtaining one hit but it appears that the enemy was only damaged. With no torpedoes left set course for Malta.
1st July 1943 - Departed Malta to patrol north of Messina.
8th July 1943 - Attacked a large southbound merchant vessel. She fired four torpedoes from the surface at close range and three of them hit the Italian Valfiorita.
28th August 1943 - Sight a destoyer off Alice Point, the destroyer's bows were aground and the stern afloat. Attempts were in progress to refloat her by digging out the bow. Closed and fired a torpedo that hit and sank the torpedo boat, which was Lince.
15th September 1943 - Departed Malta to patrol off Genoa.
24th September 1943 - Attacked a large vessel escorted by E-boats, firing four torpedoes. Two torpedoes hit severely damaging Champagne, a large tanker being used as a troopship in German service. The ship beached herself near Bastia, the next morning, she closed in and fired a torpedo at her which missed. Fired a second torpedo at a Siebel ferry which was in attendance, hit and sank her.
19th October 1943 - Torpedoed and sank the German merchant Aversa off Rapallo, Italy.
7th December 1943 - Departed Malta to patrol off the French Riviera and Toulon.
18th December 1943 - Sank a coast crawling 250-ton canal barge with one hit out of two torpedoes fired.
On completion of this patrol returned to Maddalena.
13th January 1944 - Departed Maddalena sailed for Naples to take part in the Allied landings at Anzio, which had been planned in great haste. The principal duty was to search for mines with the mine detection units of their asdic sets and to help the minesweepers to sweep a channel in the right place.
Ultor was to lead in Force P carrying the British 1st Division.
20th January 1944 - Departed Naples in company with Uproar and spent the 21st submerged off the beaches establishing their positions and using their mine-detecting units. Both contacted the minesweepers after dark that evening and the landings went according to plan except that two ships struck mines. The two submarines were then escorted clear and returned to Naples from where they were sent to recuperate for several days at Capri before returning to Maddalena.
5th February 1944 - Departed Maddalena to patrol the south coast of France between Mentone and Toulon.
8th February 1944 - Fired 4 torpedoes against the German auxiliary minelayer Niedersachsen off St. Raphael, southern France. All torpedoes missed their target.
15th February 1944 - Sank the German sailing vessel Paule with gunfire off Hyeres, southern France.
1st March 1944 - Departed Maddalena for Malta on loan to the 1st Flotilla.
7th March 1944 - Departed Malta to patrol on the northwest coast of Crete. She reconnoitred Potamo in Andikithira Island. She then looked in to Monemvasia and sighted two F-lighters approaching from Cape Kremidi in a rainsquall. She fired a torpedo but it missed. She then found a third F-lighter lying stopped off Cape Paleo. She fired a single torpedo and this time hit and blew the target in half.
20th March 1944 - Returned to Malta.
Departed Malta to patrol the east coast of Morea.
3rd April 1944 - Sank two caiques by gunfire followed by another of all in Port St Nikolo in Kithera. Here she also destroyed a 60-ton caique on the building slip.
4th April 1944 - Sank another caique.
6th April 1944 - Sank two more, one of which blew up violently.
7th April 1944 - Sank a large caique which was flying the German ensign. She was at anchor off Monemvasia and was sunk with a single torpedo.
12th April 1944 - Arrived Malta having sunk eight caiques totalling some 580 tons with one torpedo and seventy-seven rounds of ammunition.
3rd May 1944 - Rejoined the 10th Flotilla having been on loan to the 1st Flotilla at Malta.
5th May 1944 - Sailed for patrol east of the Hyeres Roads.
11th May 1944 - Fired two torpedoes at a KT ship which was escorted by two E-boats. One torpedo exploded underneath her and blew her in half and sank her.
15th May 1944 - Attacked and damaged a French fishing vessel with gunfire off Cape Camarat, southern France.
16th May 1944 - Attacked an 80-ton coaster and obtained hits with her gun and drove her ashore. She was, however, forced to dive by shore batteries before she could finish her off.
30th May 1944 - Sighted a convoy consisting of a 1000-ton salvage vessel towing a 400-ton lighter and three F-lighters escorted by three R-boats near Cape Camarat. Attacked from the landward side, fired four torpedoes aimed at the salvage vessel and two others, which presented a continuous target. One torpedo hit the salvage vessel (SG1) which blew up and sank.
An R-boat then went alongside the 400-ton lighter, fired a single torpedo which hit and sank them both.
31st May 1944 - Sighted two small minesweepers and decided to attack them with her gun. There was, however, a heavy coast battery on Verte Island close by. Succeeded in getting the targets between herself and the shore guns and surfaced and engaged. The nearer minesweeper blew up before the shore battery could get in a shot and she was then forced to withdraw, which she did at full speed on the surface. Her patrol position was then shifted to the Franco-Spanish border.
2nd June 1944 - Attacked a medium sized merchant ship escorted by a destroyer. Fired her three remaining torpedoes from inshore again and hit the ship, which blew up and sank. This was Alice Robert, a French ship in use by the Germans as a minelayer. Returned to Maddalena on completion of the patrol.
16th June 1944 - Departed Maddalena , and took up a position on the coasts of Monaco, Nice and Cannes. She looked in to Nice but found nothing but next day met a tug towing an R-boat. She closed the range to ensure hitting so small a target but one of the escorts saw her periscope and forced her deep. Next day two destroyers and a UJ-boat passed overhead and three hours later she sighted an F-lighter escorted by an R-boat. She fired two torpedoes and both hit blowing the F-lighter to pieces.
27th June 1944 - Encountered a motor ship with four escorts at least two of which were destroyers. Four torpedoes were fired two of which hit and sank the French Cap Blanc which was working for the Germans.
She then sighted a large ship to the southwest in tow of two tugs with no less than eight escorts with five aircraft overhead. The escort included those ships that had been escorting Cap Blanc. Fired her last two torpedoes and both hit. She was able to watch the target, which was the French Pallas in enemy hands, sink.
29th June 1944 - Arrived La Maddalena.
21st July 1944 - Torpedoed and sank the German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ2211/Hardy west of Genoa, Italy.
End of July 1944 - Carried out mine detecting duties in the Gulf of Frejus and off St Tropez.
August 1944 - Departed for refit in UK.
September 1944 - Blyth awaiting refit.
On completion of refit sailed for Portsmouth and placed into Reserve.
Lt. Hunt was the top scoring Commanding officer during the latter period of the 10th Flotilla's existence.
He is reputed to have achieved 32 hits from 68 torpedoes fired destroying a higher number of vessels than any other British submarine CO during the war.
His tally reads as follows:
20 ships and 8 small craft of his aggregate 43,00 tons sunk a high proportion were supply tankers.
Transported chariots for attacks on Taranto in 1943.
Sold and scrapped 22nd January 1946.
On completion of work up in Holy Loch.
February 1943 - Departed Holy Loch for work up patrol off the coast of Norway.
On lst April 1943 - Newly arrived submarines still made working up patrols in the Gulf of Lions, off the coast of Spain, the south coast of France and in the Gulf of Genoa and these included patrols by Ultor.
12th April 1943 - Attacked Ultor two small ships off St Raphael on the French Riviera firing four torpedoes. She hit both, one sank and the other was damaged.
14th April - 1943 - Fired four more torpedoes off Antibes at the French Penerf hitting her with three of them and sinking her.
23rd May 1943 - Having drawn blank on the east coast of Calabria sighting only a hospital ship and some Swedish relief ships bound for Greece, had moved to the east coast of Sicily. Investigated Augusta harbour and fired a torpedo at an anti-submarine trawler in the entrance. The torpedo found its target and the trawler sank.
6th June 1943 - Departed Malta to patrol the north coast of Sicily south of Lipari Island.
10th June 1943 - Encountered a small naval auxiliary almost at once and fired two torpedoes. The enemy, however, saw the tracks and took avoiding action.
13th June 1943 - Bombarded a direction finding station on Salina Island. Fired 43 rounds and secured many hits.
15th June 1943 - Sighted what was thought to be a cable ship escorted by two destroyers. Fired three torpedoes hitting with one of them and sinking the Italian auxiliary minesweeper Tullio. Later the same day she fired her last three torpedoes at one of two destroyers obtaining one hit but it appears that the enemy was only damaged. With no torpedoes left set course for Malta.
1st July 1943 - Departed Malta to patrol north of Messina.
8th July 1943 - Attacked a large southbound merchant vessel. She fired four torpedoes from the surface at close range and three of them hit the Italian Valfiorita.
28th August 1943 - Sight a destoyer off Alice Point, the destroyer's bows were aground and the stern afloat. Attempts were in progress to refloat her by digging out the bow. Closed and fired a torpedo that hit and sank the torpedo boat, which was Lince.
15th September 1943 - Departed Malta to patrol off Genoa.
24th September 1943 - Attacked a large vessel escorted by E-boats, firing four torpedoes. Two torpedoes hit severely damaging Champagne, a large tanker being used as a troopship in German service. The ship beached herself near Bastia, the next morning, she closed in and fired a torpedo at her which missed. Fired a second torpedo at a Siebel ferry which was in attendance, hit and sank her.
19th October 1943 - Torpedoed and sank the German merchant Aversa off Rapallo, Italy.
7th December 1943 - Departed Malta to patrol off the French Riviera and Toulon.
18th December 1943 - Sank a coast crawling 250-ton canal barge with one hit out of two torpedoes fired.
On completion of this patrol returned to Maddalena.
13th January 1944 - Departed Maddalena sailed for Naples to take part in the Allied landings at Anzio, which had been planned in great haste. The principal duty was to search for mines with the mine detection units of their asdic sets and to help the minesweepers to sweep a channel in the right place.
Ultor was to lead in Force P carrying the British 1st Division.
20th January 1944 - Departed Naples in company with Uproar and spent the 21st submerged off the beaches establishing their positions and using their mine-detecting units. Both contacted the minesweepers after dark that evening and the landings went according to plan except that two ships struck mines. The two submarines were then escorted clear and returned to Naples from where they were sent to recuperate for several days at Capri before returning to Maddalena.
5th February 1944 - Departed Maddalena to patrol the south coast of France between Mentone and Toulon.
8th February 1944 - Fired 4 torpedoes against the German auxiliary minelayer Niedersachsen off St. Raphael, southern France. All torpedoes missed their target.
15th February 1944 - Sank the German sailing vessel Paule with gunfire off Hyeres, southern France.
1st March 1944 - Departed Maddalena for Malta on loan to the 1st Flotilla.
7th March 1944 - Departed Malta to patrol on the northwest coast of Crete. She reconnoitred Potamo in Andikithira Island. She then looked in to Monemvasia and sighted two F-lighters approaching from Cape Kremidi in a rainsquall. She fired a torpedo but it missed. She then found a third F-lighter lying stopped off Cape Paleo. She fired a single torpedo and this time hit and blew the target in half.
20th March 1944 - Returned to Malta.
Departed Malta to patrol the east coast of Morea.
3rd April 1944 - Sank two caiques by gunfire followed by another of all in Port St Nikolo in Kithera. Here she also destroyed a 60-ton caique on the building slip.
4th April 1944 - Sank another caique.
6th April 1944 - Sank two more, one of which blew up violently.
7th April 1944 - Sank a large caique which was flying the German ensign. She was at anchor off Monemvasia and was sunk with a single torpedo.
12th April 1944 - Arrived Malta having sunk eight caiques totalling some 580 tons with one torpedo and seventy-seven rounds of ammunition.
3rd May 1944 - Rejoined the 10th Flotilla having been on loan to the 1st Flotilla at Malta.
5th May 1944 - Sailed for patrol east of the Hyeres Roads.
11th May 1944 - Fired two torpedoes at a KT ship which was escorted by two E-boats. One torpedo exploded underneath her and blew her in half and sank her.
15th May 1944 - Attacked and damaged a French fishing vessel with gunfire off Cape Camarat, southern France.
16th May 1944 - Attacked an 80-ton coaster and obtained hits with her gun and drove her ashore. She was, however, forced to dive by shore batteries before she could finish her off.
30th May 1944 - Sighted a convoy consisting of a 1000-ton salvage vessel towing a 400-ton lighter and three F-lighters escorted by three R-boats near Cape Camarat. Attacked from the landward side, fired four torpedoes aimed at the salvage vessel and two others, which presented a continuous target. One torpedo hit the salvage vessel (SG1) which blew up and sank.
An R-boat then went alongside the 400-ton lighter, fired a single torpedo which hit and sank them both.
31st May 1944 - Sighted two small minesweepers and decided to attack them with her gun. There was, however, a heavy coast battery on Verte Island close by. Succeeded in getting the targets between herself and the shore guns and surfaced and engaged. The nearer minesweeper blew up before the shore battery could get in a shot and she was then forced to withdraw, which she did at full speed on the surface. Her patrol position was then shifted to the Franco-Spanish border.
2nd June 1944 - Attacked a medium sized merchant ship escorted by a destroyer. Fired her three remaining torpedoes from inshore again and hit the ship, which blew up and sank. This was Alice Robert, a French ship in use by the Germans as a minelayer. Returned to Maddalena on completion of the patrol.
16th June 1944 - Departed Maddalena , and took up a position on the coasts of Monaco, Nice and Cannes. She looked in to Nice but found nothing but next day met a tug towing an R-boat. She closed the range to ensure hitting so small a target but one of the escorts saw her periscope and forced her deep. Next day two destroyers and a UJ-boat passed overhead and three hours later she sighted an F-lighter escorted by an R-boat. She fired two torpedoes and both hit blowing the F-lighter to pieces.
27th June 1944 - Encountered a motor ship with four escorts at least two of which were destroyers. Four torpedoes were fired two of which hit and sank the French Cap Blanc which was working for the Germans.
She then sighted a large ship to the southwest in tow of two tugs with no less than eight escorts with five aircraft overhead. The escort included those ships that had been escorting Cap Blanc. Fired her last two torpedoes and both hit. She was able to watch the target, which was the French Pallas in enemy hands, sink.
29th June 1944 - Arrived La Maddalena.
21st July 1944 - Torpedoed and sank the German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ2211/Hardy west of Genoa, Italy.
End of July 1944 - Carried out mine detecting duties in the Gulf of Frejus and off St Tropez.
August 1944 - Departed for refit in UK.
September 1944 - Blyth awaiting refit.
On completion of refit sailed for Portsmouth and placed into Reserve.
Lt. Hunt was the top scoring Commanding officer during the latter period of the 10th Flotilla's existence.
He is reputed to have achieved 32 hits from 68 torpedoes fired destroying a higher number of vessels than any other British submarine CO during the war.
His tally reads as follows:
20 ships and 8 small craft of his aggregate 43,00 tons sunk a high proportion were supply tankers.
Transported chariots for attacks on Taranto in 1943.
Sold and scrapped 22nd January 1946.