Undaunted Crest

Small Patrol Submarine

 


Type:
U Class
First Group

Pennant No.:
N.55

Laid Down:
2nd December 1939.
Vickers, Barrow-in-Furness.

Commissioned:
30th December 1940.
Lt. J.F. Livesay

Commander:
1940-1941.
Lt. J.F. Livesay

Complement:
31
4 Officers, 27 Others.

Service Career:
1940-1941.
9th Flotilla, Dundee
1941
1st Flotilla, Fort Blockhouse.
1941
10th Flotilla - Malta.

Fate:
Completed one War Patrol she was lost on her second patrol.

Sailed for trials and work up at Holy Loch arriving 30th December 1940. On completion of work up she joined 9th Flotilla at Dundee. She joined the First Flotilla at Portsmouth in March 1941. Sailed Portsmouth to join Iron Ring boats on 3rd April 1941 and then onto Malta to join the 10th Flotilla.

Replaced Unique, Usk and Upholder in Home waters when they were dispatched to the Med, April 1941.

Joined other submarines forming the iron ring around Brest in the hope of intercepting the battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhost.

All of these boats were recalled on 10th April 1941.

First Patrol - 9th March 1941.
Departed Dundee to patrol off South-West Norway near Bergen.
21st March - Ended patrol at Dundee.

3rd April 1941 - Departed Portsmouth for Gibraltar.
13th Apr - Arrived at Gibraltar.
14th April - Departed Gibraltar for Malta.
21st April - Arrived at Malta.

Second Patrol - 29th April 1941.
Departed Malta to relieve Truant on a patrol line with Upholder, Ursula and Upright.
1st May - She sent her last signal when she reported a large escorted convoy. Italian reports state that one of the merchant vessels reported being attacked by torpedo which narrowly missed the stern of the vessel, it would appear that this was Undaunted.
2nd May - The patrol line was cancelled and Undaunted was ordered to a position north of Tripoli. She wasn't heard from again. She did not return from patrol. It is not known what happened to her.

She was lost during her first Mediterranean patrol off Tripoli being the second U class boat to be lost.

Although the reason for her loss has never been confirmed it is likely that she struck a mine between the 7th and 10th May 1941.