HMS Urge was one of the most famous and successful British U-class submarines of the Second World War. Built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness, she was launched on 19 August 1940 and commissioned on 12 December 1940. She served with the renowned 10th Submarine Flotilla at Malta and gained an exceptional combat record before being lost in 1942.
Command
Urge was commanded for most of her operational career by:
Lieutenant Commander Edward Philip Tomkinson, DSO and Bar, widely regarded as one of the Royal Navy's outstanding submarine commanders. Contemporary senior officers believed that had he survived the war he might have received even higher decorations for gallantry.
Operational Record
Between 1941 and 1942, Urge carried out about 20 war patrols in the Mediterranean.
Her achievements included:
- Torpedoing the Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto on 14 December 1941.
- Sinking the Italian light cruiser Giovanni delle Bande Nere on 1 April 1942.
- Attacking Axis merchant shipping supporting Rommel's forces in North Africa.
- Conducting clandestine missions landing intelligence agents and early Special Boat Service (SBS) personnel on enemy-held coasts.
Urge became one of the most effective submarines operating from besieged Malta.
Loss
On 27 April 1942, as Axis bombing intensified over Malta, Urge was ordered to leave the island for Alexandria, Egypt. On board were:
- Her crew of 32.
- 11 naval passengers.
- One civilian war correspondent.
Urge failed to arrive at Alexandria and was reported overdue on 6 May 1942. For decades her fate remained one of the Royal Navy's great wartime mysteries.
Discovery of the Wreck
In 2019, researchers from the University of Malta located a submarine wreck off Malta. Subsequent investigation and dives confirmed that it was HMS Urge. The letters of the submarine's name were still visible on the conning tower.
The wreck lies upright on the seabed close to Malta with severe damage to the bow. Evidence showed conclusively that Urge struck a German mine shortly after leaving Malta, rather than being lost hundreds of miles away as some earlier theories suggested.
Fate: Lost with all 44 aboard on 27 April 1942, after striking a German mine shortly after departing Malta. The wreck was discovered and identified off Malta in 2019-2021.
