Ships · United Kingdom · 1938-1945
U-class submarine
submarine
Small and originally designed as unarmed training targets before being fitted out as fighting submarines, the U-class became the Royal Navy's principal Mediterranean boat, operating from Malta against Axis convoys supplying North Africa. Losses were severe, with fewer than half the class surviving the war, but individual boats such as HMS Upholder under Malcolm Wanklyn sank tens of thousands of tons of Axis shipping.
| displacement | 540-662 long tons (surfaced) |
|---|---|
| armament | 6 x 21-inch torpedo tubes, 1 x 3-inch gun |
| built | 49 |
Mediterranean and North Africa, Western Europe
