HMS Ursula (N59)

HMS "Ursula" was a British U class submarine, of the first group of that class, built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 19 February 1937 and was commissioned on 20 December 1938.

She served in home waters in the North Sea, and later in the Mediterranean, before being transferred to the Soviet Navy in 1944.

Career as HMS "Ursula"

Opening actions

"Ursula" started the war operating in home waters. On 9 September, 1939, she fired the first British submarine torpedoes of the war when attacking the German submarine U-35. The U-boat escaped only to be sunk roughly 2 months later.

Attacking the "Leipzig"

On 14 December, 1939 "Ursula" was on patrol off the Elbe estuary when she sighted the German light cruiser "Leipzig", escorted by six destroyers. The "Leipzig" was returning to Kiel to undergo repairs, having been torpedoed and damaged by HMS "Salmon". The waters of the Elbe estuary are shallow and to dive deep is a dangerous undertaking involving the risk of getting stuck on a sandbank. Nevertheless, "Ursula" dived beneath the destroyer screen and got within range of the cruiser, the depth of water being only just enough to allow this maneuveur. On coming up again to periscope depth, "Ursula" was found to be within point-blank range of the "Leipzig". She fired a salvo of six torpedoes and the two resulting explosions were so close that the "Ursula" herself was badly shaken. On returning to periscope depth, there was no sign of the cruiser, but it did reveal four of her escorting destroyers closing in at high speed to attack. One of these, the destroyer escort "F9", had been hit and was sinking. Once again, risking the sandbanks, the "Ursula" went deep and managed to evade the inevitable depth charges. Of the cruiser, "Leipzig", no further trace was seen, but when the "Ursula" returned to look for evidence, two of the destroyers were still in the area and engaged, apparently, in a search for survivors. "Ursula's" commander, Lt.Cdr. G.C. Phillips, was awarded the DSO and promoted. The "Leipzig" had in fact been missed, the torpedoes had instead hit the "F 9". "Leipzig" made it to port and underwent repair. [ [http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/lightcruiser/leipzig/operations.html Leipzig] , German-navy.de]

ervice in the North Sea and Mediterranean

"Ursula" continued to harass enemy shipping in the North Sea, sinking the German merchant "Heddernheim", before being reassigned to operate in the Mediterranean. There she sank the Italian auxiliary submarine chaser V 135 / "Togo" and the German merchants "Sainte Marguerite II" and "Odysseus" (the former Norwegian "Gran"). She also damaged the Italian merchant "Sabbia", in which "Ursula" herself was damaged by depth charges during a counter-attack by the Italian torpedo boat "Generale Carlo Montanari". She also launched unsuccessful attacks against the German transport ships "Brook" and "Tilly L.M. Russ", the Italian troop transport "Vulcania" and the German submarine "U-73". She also attacked and damaged the Italian tanker "Beppe", which had to be towed to Tripoli. [ [http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3386.html HMS Ursula] , Uboat.net]

Career as "V-4"

"Ursula" was transferred on loan to the Soviet Union on 26 June 1944. She was renamed "V-4 "Soviet Svanetia" by the Soviets, and had a relatively quiet career, surviving the war. She was returned to Britain in early 1950 and was scrapped at Grangemouth in May 1950.

References

*"Submarines, War Beneath The Waves, From 1776 To The Present Day", by Robert Hutchinson
*Colledge