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Follow HMS Upholder as it battles through rough seas and broken equipment to keep Rommel's forces from capturing Egypt.
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00:00Through the spring and summer of 1941,
00:07British submarines fight tirelessly in the Mediterranean.
00:13They must stop supplies and reinforcements from reaching Erwin Rommel in North Africa.
00:18If he captures the Suez Canal, it would be a disaster for the Allies.
00:23Britain will be cut off its vital supplies from the Crown Colony of India and from the oil reserves in the Middle East.
00:30British submarines must hold the line.
00:45The stakes couldn't be higher.
00:48In World War II, a subsea weapon allows warriors to fight from beneath the waves.
01:02For cunning, force and tenacity, their enemies strike back.
01:09Revolutionary, but still sometimes primitive,
01:13It's a desperate bid to change the course of war.
01:20Their stories are legend.
01:23It's a desperate bid to change the course of war.
01:33May 24th, 1941.
01:35Eleven miles off the coast of southern Italy.
01:40Crew of British submarine HMS Upholder spots an indistinct shape.
01:46The darkening night and stormy seas make periscope observation difficult.
01:51Captain?
01:53The submarine's captain, Lieutenant Commander Malcolm Wanklin, takes a closer look.
02:02Wanklin joined the Royal Navy as a teenager and began to serve aboard submarines in 1933.
02:09Wanklin is generally regarded as the greatest submarine ace in the Royal Navy's history.
02:14He's a very able officer.
02:17He's very thoughtful.
02:19And he certainly had the trust of his crew and the trust of his superiors.
02:23And even when he's not doing as well as he might hope, nonetheless, he's kept there and eventually he comes good.
02:29This might just be his chance.
02:32The dark shape is a large convoy of Italian ships making their way to North Africa.
02:37At least four destroyers protect four troop liners.
02:43Range 2,200 yards.
02:45But it's going to be difficult.
02:48After ten days on patrol, Upholder has only two torpedoes left.
02:53Even worse, the submarine has lost use of important equipment.
02:59Saltwater has damaged their ASDIC, or sonar system.
03:03Active sonar is a way to locate objects underwater with pings.
03:10Passive sonar means listening for the sounds made by other ships.
03:17By using ASDIC, you get to hear the enemy approaching.
03:20Now that's good in offensive terms, you know where the enemy is and can move towards them.
03:25It's also good in defensive terms, you know when the enemy is coming towards you.
03:29Once you've lost ASDIC, then you've got to have eye contact.
03:33This requires frequent checks with the periscope,
03:36which means the submarine itself can also be seen.
03:45With the torpedo tubes loaded, Wanklin prepares for his attack.
03:50Down periscope!
03:52It's quite a straight forward plan.
03:53He's got to penetrate the escort.
03:55Let's get close, get in and hit hard and get out again.
03:59Wanklin's failure here could lead to the Allies' collapse in one of the most important theaters of the war, the North African Front.
04:08The war in North Africa began as an Italian campaign.
04:12The Germans are dragged in by Italian defeat in autumn and winter 1940-41.
04:23With the success of British and Commonwealth forces, Churchill was so confident he could defeat the Italians that he redeployed British soldiers to Greece.
04:31His overconfidence proves costly.
04:35Around the same time in February, Hitler decides to defend Nazi Germany's Axis alliance with Italy.
04:42He sends what would become the infamous Deutsches Afrika Korps to the region.
04:47A German officer assumes command.
04:52General Leutnant Erwin Rommel.
04:55Rommel and his corps drive rapidly to the east, seizing British-held territory and pushing Allied forces back toward their bases in Egypt.
05:04If Rommel takes Egypt, the Nazis would control the Suez Canal.
05:10It would be a disaster for the Allies.
05:12Britain will be cut off its vital supplies from the crown colony of India and from the oil reserves in the Middle East.
05:21On April 10th, Rommel attacks the key port city of Tobruk, about 90 miles from the Egyptian border.
05:29The Italians and the Germans have got the problem in North Africa that their supplies go through Tripolis, which is hundreds of kilometers to the west.
05:38So Tobruk would be vital to get the reinforcements and the supplies quicker to the front line.
05:45Rommel tries to take Tobruk while hoping to press farther into British territory.
05:50He sends in his troops piecemeal and is not successful.
05:54He has to leave a sieging force behind and parts of his forces are sent to the Egyptian border.
06:00Rommel believes it's only a matter of time before the city falls. And if Tobruk falls, Egypt will be next.
06:10To stall the Axis offensive, the Allies must cut off supplies and reinforcements.
06:17The Allies' best hope is now a tiny island along the shipping route between Italy and North Africa.
06:22Malta.
06:28Malta is home to a British submarine base, which consists mainly of U-class submarines.
06:34The tradition in British flotilla craft, like submarines, is to have all submarines starting with the same letter.
06:40So we have undaunted, unbeaten and upholder.
06:43The small size and maneuverability of the U-class proved more effective than large submarines in the confined waters of the Mediterranean.
06:56British submarines need to sink Italian merchant shipping carrying supplies, men and armaments to Rommel's armies.
07:03But the crews in Malta prove vulnerable.
07:06Malta suffers heavy air attacks, its fighter defenses are not very good, and therefore getting supplies to Malta, living at Malta, operating submarines out of Malta, or any asset out of Malta, can be extremely difficult.
07:24The British submarine force needs to sink ships and help turn the tide of war.
07:32Up, periscope!
07:34Wanklin approaches the destroyers, which protect the troop ship convoy.
07:41Target bearing 285, range 2200 yards.
07:47Upholder maneuvers into position.
07:50They're just outside the Italian convoy's screen of escort ships.
07:54As he's lining up for an attack on the convoy, lo and behold, 400 yards ahead of him, an Italian destroyer is heading straight for him.
08:04Down, periscope!
08:06Wanklin's immediate reaction is to crash dive, and get down to about 150 feet, because what he thinks is going to happen is that he's going to be depth charged.
08:14But the destroyer is only on a routine sweep, and unaware that an enemy submarine has penetrated their convoy.
08:30The destroyer is only on a routine sweep, and unaware that an enemy submarine has penetrated their convoy.
08:40Up, periscope!
08:41Up, periscope!
08:42Now inside the escort screen, Upholder needs to act fast.
08:50Wanklin sets up a clear shot on a massive troop ship.
08:54Stand by, tubes one and four.
08:56With his last two torpedoes ready, he doesn't hesitate.
09:02Fire one!
09:04Fire one!
09:08Fire four!
09:09Fire four!
09:10Fire four!
09:12Wanklin's last two torpedoes hurtle towards the target.
09:16Their distinctive trail is spotted on the surface by a lookout on one of the ships.
09:21When the escort sights the torpedoes, the first thing he must do is fire a flare to alert the commander of the convoy.
09:29This enables the convoy commander to take evasive action as soon as possible.
09:37But it's too late to save a Conte Rosso.
09:40Both torpedoes hit the 17,800-ton troop ship.
09:43She quickly starts to sink and takes nearly half of the 3,000 soldiers and crew down with her.
10:14The destroyers begin a search for the submarine.
10:20Down periscope!
10:26They follow the torpedo's track to the submarine's position.
10:30The convoy's escorts now close in on HMS Upholder and prepare a counter-attack.
10:36May 1941.
10:44British submarine HMS Upholder has just sunk the Italian troop ship Conte Rosso.
10:49The sub's captain, Lieutenant Commander Malcolm Wanklin, fired his last two torpedoes into the liner.
10:58Their trail in the water leads the destroyers protecting the convoy directly to their position.
11:03The destroyers take immediate action to find and sink Upholder.
11:08With no remaining torpedoes, Upholder cannot defend itself.
11:13Its damaged aztec, or sonar, means the crew has lost its ability to listen and locate the enemy.
11:20Wanklin must rely on his instinct to outmaneuver the destroyers now hunting for him.
11:27Keep 150 feet!
11:29Wanklin's best chance is to escape, but he's limited by his submarine.
11:35Submarines of this period are very slow underwater, and the U-class weren't slow even by contemporary submarine standards.
11:42This is why it's very useful, if you're being attacked, to know where the enemy is, so you can take avoiding action using what limited mobility you've got.
11:51The sound of the destroyers' propellers gets louder and louder, until they're right overhead.
12:05All Upholder's crew can do is wait for the attack.
12:14Death charges begin to rain down around the submarine.
12:20Sitting on a submarine under attack is probably the most terrifying thing you could possibly imagine.
12:36Unable to do anything at all except sit.
12:39Attack follows attack.
12:57Starboard 30!
12:59Wanklin continues to order course and speed changes.
13:03Keep 70 feet!
13:04Being unpredictable makes it harder for the destroyers to track the submarine.
13:09Another turn.
13:22Very little separates the crew from the explosions outside.
13:37When you're in a tube, which is no bigger than, say, a London tube train, and there are explosions going on around you, the explosions have the effect of inflicting damage on the insides of the submarine.
13:49It is a very nerve-wracking experience indeed.
13:54As the tension builds, one young submariner starts to lose control of his fear.
14:01There are certain people, sadly, no fault of theirs, who crack under the strain.
14:12The crew member is desperate to escape the confines of the submarine and the noise.
14:16He tries to climb up the ladder to get away.
14:20The danger is not that he can open the hatch.
14:23The water pressure at this depth is enormous.
14:26But his fear threatens the submarine and its crew.
14:29If someone cracks in a submarine, particularly a small submarine, it can get very contagious, it can actually spread.
14:36And therefore, if somebody panics, it can have very negative effects on morale.
14:39Even worse, it could undermine confidence in the captain and his orders.
14:44The panicked sailor is removed from harm's way.
14:45The panicked sailor is removed from harm's way.
14:47He appears to have been physically subdued, and it was up to Simpson, the commander of the submarine force, what happened to him.
14:50The panicked sailor is removed from harm's way.
14:55The panicked sailor is removed from harm's way.
15:07The panicked sailor is removed from harm's way.
15:08He appears to have been physically subdued, and it was up to Simpson, the commander of the submarine force, what happened to him.
15:13Wanklin seems to have recommended he be taken off submarines, and he was taken off submarines, and returned to general service.
15:24Slow ahead, both.
15:26Wanklin continues to give course alterations to escape the Italian destroyers overhead.
15:32Keep 100 feet, follow ahead, both.
15:34But one depth charge comes too close for comfort.
15:47Then another.
15:50When it is incredibly close, it can be shattering glass, it can be shattering gauges, it can be all kinds of things.
15:57Keep 150 feet.
16:04You think?
16:05While the end of the medicine reviewing requires a particularly modernization.
16:06access to escape.
16:07Kameka keeper
16:24One more depth charge explodes.
16:25But then, the explosions stop.
16:36The crew later reports an awful creaking noise, like the scraping of wire along the hull.
16:44As they fear for their safety, Wanklin takes time to assure his crew.
16:48One of the things he does is give a running commentary of the noises that are going on outside.
16:53So he's giving the crew confidence that it's the fate of the Conte Rosso that they can hear, not a coming fate for them.
17:03Two hours later, Upholder finally breaks the surface.
17:08The destroyers are gone.
17:11Wanklin's risk pays off because not only do they sink the Conte Rosso and the troops it's carrying,
17:16but also delay the arrival of further reinforcements to Rommel in North Africa.
17:21The Conte Rosso sinking is a major achievement for the Malta submarines.
17:28It's the major achievement.
17:30It's the biggest ship sunk.
17:32And the fact that he does it without all his equipment,
17:36the fact that he is willing to take such risks,
17:40means that he has become, you might almost say, the best symbol of the Malta submarine.
17:45To acknowledge his achievement, Wanklin is later awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry in the presence of the enemy.
17:54It's the highest award possible for a member of the British Armed Forces.
17:58In May 1941, out of torpedoes and in need of repairs,
18:06British submarine HMS Upholder returns to Malta.
18:10But even in port, there is little rest for the crew.
18:15So close to Italy, the island is an easy target for German bombers.
18:19The main difference is that even when you come back to base, you're under attack.
18:25You might, in fact, have to submerge your submarine, so it will not be sunk.
18:29Therefore, you come back to harbour and you stay in the submarine.
18:32It doesn't happen everywhere. In fact, it only happens in Malta.
18:35So the stresses are so much greater.
18:38There's no safety in harbour.
18:40It's as dangerous in harbour as it is at sea.
18:42Malta remains uniquely positioned to protect British interests in the Middle East and North Africa.
18:52Malta is an island, and Malta can also be considered as an aircraft carrier.
18:57They can use it for the aircraft to sink the excess ships from the air,
19:04or also to use it as a submarine or as a naval basis.
19:10Malta is very close to Italy.
19:12So much so, in fact, that it's thought at the beginning of the war that Malta is unsustainable.
19:18Supplying it is very difficult, both from west and east.
19:22Long maritime supply lines, lots of opportunities for ships to be sunk.
19:26And in fact, one reason the Germans don't take Malta
19:29is because they're worried about supplying it themselves.
19:32But during the summer of 1941, the situation changes as Hitler invades the Soviet Union.
19:37The first air siege, so-called, comes to an end in the summer of 1941,
19:55because the German aircraft are called away to support the campaign in Russia.
19:59And this means that the second half of 1941, it's relatively quiet in Malta.
20:05And this allows not just the submarines to operate more easily,
20:09but even allows the operation of surface forces.
20:11The Malta-based allies soon gain another advantage.
20:20In June 1941, British intelligence breaks the Italian naval code.
20:24Now the British know when the Italian ships will sail.
20:28Rommel, though, remains defiant.
20:30In summer 1941, Rommel has already beaten back two British counter-attacks
20:36to relieve the siege at Tobruk.
20:39And Rommel shows that he is quite capable.
20:42And this means he's still a force to be reckoned with.
20:46The British submarines need to press home their advantage
20:49and cut off Rommel's supply lines once and for all.
20:52In August 1941, the 10th Fotilla receives intelligence
20:57that important shipment of troops is about to leave Messina for Tripoli.
21:03HMS Upholder departs Malta in pursuit
21:06for her 13th war patrol in the Mediterranean.
21:09After two days, Wanklin spots nine ships.
21:24Six destroyers protect three Italian troop transports.
21:28Neptunia, Oceania, and Marco Polo.
21:32But the distance between Upholder and the convoy is great.
21:35Wanklin would like to close the gap.
21:41But troop ships have a top speed of 19 and a half knots.
21:45The submarine cannot keep up.
21:48It can only do about 12 and a half knots on the surface,
21:51which isn't fast by submarine standards, even at that time.
21:55The convoy repeatedly changes course and zigzags farther away.
21:59Oh, let's go!
22:05With his torpedoes loaded and ready,
22:08Wanklin makes the quick decision to fire.
22:10They estimate the ships to be 6,000 to 7,000 yards away.
22:15It will be a long shot, but he's got nothing to lose.
22:20Wanklin must fire before the convoy gets completely out of range.
22:24Stand by, old tubes.
22:27Fire!
22:28Fire!
22:28Fire!
22:31Wanklin fires four torpedoes at the distant convoy.
22:34But not one finds its target.
22:53When Wanklin had fired his four torpedoes at the convoy,
22:56he's very much exposed.
22:58The sea is very calm.
22:59It's daylight.
23:01Very quickly then, the Italian escorts
23:03are able to focus in on where those torpedoes came from.
23:07Two escorts give chase.
23:09Upholder has gone from predator to prey.
23:12Down, periscope.
23:19August 1941.
23:23In the Mediterranean,
23:25the British submarine HMS Upholder
23:27is under attack from Italian convoy escorts.
23:33But this time,
23:38Wanklin has the help of the Royal Navy's version of sonar,
23:42called ASDIC.
23:46The crew can use passive sonar
23:48to listen to determine the location of the escorts,
23:51then dodge the depth charges.
23:55Upholder endures 25 depth charges for 14 minutes.
23:59Three up, keep 70 feet.
24:02But Wanklin avoids every one.
24:05And in the confusion,
24:07Upholder manages to escape.
24:13Unhindered,
24:14the other enemy ships continue their swift voyage to North Africa.
24:17early September 1941.
24:25For nearly five months,
24:28Allied troops in Tobruk
24:29have continued to hold out against Rommel's forces.
24:33But with new Axis reinforcements arriving,
24:37Rommel pushes the Allies to the breaking point.
24:39So when Rommel wants to take Tobruk by storm,
24:42he throws in everything he has.
24:44So he throws in his tanks,
24:46his assault guns,
24:48and Stukas dive bombers.
24:50So for the Allied soldiers in Tobruk in 1941,
24:54it must have been a terrifying experience.
24:57Hitler orders six U-boats to the Mediterranean
25:00to cut off supplies to Allied forces.
25:05The British fear their war in North Africa will soon be over.
25:08And their supply of Middle Eastern oil
25:13will be lost to the Germans.
25:15The last line of defense
25:17is the Malta submarine fleet.
25:25September 1941.
25:28The commander of Malta's submarine flotilla,
25:32Captain George Simpson,
25:33gets a highly classified message
25:35based on ultra-decrypts.
25:37A fast convoy of three of the enemy's largest liners,
25:41Neptunia, Oceania, and Volcania,
25:44are once again on their way from Italy to Tripoli.
25:47Simpson has to act now.
25:49It's a fast-moving convoy,
25:51and if he hesitates,
25:53the ships will get past them.
25:54He comes up with a daring plan.
25:56The Simpson plan is reminiscent of what the Germans do in the Atlantic,
26:01and it's to form a patrol line of boats about a dozen miles apart
26:04to wait for the convoy,
26:06and then when the convoy is sighted,
26:08the boats can concentrate against it.
26:11But at such short notice,
26:13he needs volunteers.
26:14When Captain Simpson called the meeting,
26:20all submarine crews are beginning to feel the stress.
26:23And at that time,
26:24one of the commanders thinks that Simpson's plan
26:27is not as effective as it should be.
26:30Wanklin, on the other hand,
26:31understands the position,
26:33and he makes sure that his crew understands the position.
26:38They may be becoming tired,
26:39but it is essential that they intercept these convoys.
26:43Men, we are off on a patrol.
26:46Despite the demands of near-constant patrols,
26:50Wanklin agrees to make the run.
26:53Simpson gets three more crews,
26:55and soon after, four British submarines.
26:58Upholder, Upright, Ursula, and Unbeaten depart Malta.
27:03By midnight, September 17th,
27:10each of the submarines have moved into place.
27:22The weather doesn't help.
27:25The seas are wild.
27:27Upholder lurches and rolls in the swells.
27:33All right, take a look at this.
27:36Even worse, the submarine's gyro compass is not working.
27:41This means their navigation depends on the magnetic compass,
27:44which orients to magnetic, not true north.
27:47A gyro compass is an electrically driven compass
27:49that doesn't have so much impact
27:51in terms of the metallic field around it.
27:54Surrounded by the steel of the submarine's hull,
27:57the magnetic compass will be much less accurate.
28:01So, Wanklin is in serious trouble
28:02once he's having to rely on that underwater.
28:05And even on the surface, that's a real problem as well.
28:08The helmsman worked hard to maintain course,
28:11using the flickering needle of the magnetic compass.
28:14After three hours of struggling against the elements,
28:20HMS Unbeaten,
28:22captained by Lieutenant Commander Edward Woodward,
28:25spots shapes about eight miles away.
28:26When one of Upholder's sisters, Unbeaten,
28:36spots the convoy,
28:37it follows it as fast as it can,
28:40which isn't perhaps fast enough.
28:44Even if it cannot keep pace,
28:46Unbeaten can warn the others.
28:48The convoy is headed right towards Upholder.
28:50But Upholder's subsonic transmission,
28:57its means of rapid communication with other submarines,
29:00isn't working.
29:01Messages from Unbeaten are not getting through.
29:05Upkeep and repairs are constant struggle
29:07at this stage of the war.
29:09Submarines are very high-maintenance assets.
29:12They need a lot of attention,
29:14they need a lot of support and spare parts.
29:17And sometimes the spare parts situation
29:19was so dire in Malta,
29:20that bits would be taken off one submarine
29:23to be put on the other.
29:24And then that would be replaced
29:26by another submarine coming in.
29:27Until I think on one occasion,
29:29one submarine had to go to sea
29:30not working properly
29:31because it had been at the end of the line.
29:33So it's very, very difficult.
29:35It's very, very challenging.
29:37Unbeaten also routes its message through Malta,
29:40but this will take longer.
29:44Meanwhile, Upholder battles
29:46to maintain position in heavy seas,
29:48unaware of the convoy
29:49that bears down on them.
29:53About 30 minutes later,
29:55Upholder receives the message from Malta.
29:57Wanklin immediately joins his first lieutenant
30:05on the bridge.
30:07Three large troop liners
30:09and six destroyers loom in the darkness.
30:12The message had arrived just in time.
30:15They strain through the nightglasses
30:17to estimate the course, range,
30:19and speed of the passing transports.
30:21The ship's press at nearly twice the speed of Upholder.
30:28Wanklin is under incredible pressure
30:30to achieve something.
30:31He is, after all, commanding
30:32the overall operation at sea.
30:35Once he has the message
30:37that the convoy is there,
30:38he realizes he has no chance
30:39of catching up with the convoy.
30:41He's under pressure
30:42to create some kind of victory.
30:45With the British hold
30:47on North Africa in the balance,
30:49this time,
30:51Wanklin cannot afford to miss.
30:58September 18th, 1941.
31:01An enemy Italian convoy
31:02steams through rough seas.
31:04A stocking British submarine,
31:09HMS Upholder,
31:10is at a grave disadvantage.
31:12As with Upholder's 13th patrol,
31:15the sub's captain,
31:17Lieutenant Commander Malcolm Wanklin,
31:19must fire on a convoy
31:20that's moving far too fast for him
31:22from over three miles away.
31:27In an odd twist of fate,
31:29the convoy even has two
31:30of the same Italian troop liners,
31:32Neptunia and Oceania.
31:35Six destroyers protect the convoy,
31:38leaving in and out.
31:39Although Wanklin's at long distance,
31:41he's in a position
31:42which the lines of the convoy
31:45appear to overlap.
31:47That gives him the opportunity
31:48to have a bigger target
31:49with the spread of the torpedo.
31:54But they've got another problem.
31:56Without the gyrocompass,
31:58the submarine is being navigated
32:00by the helms and using magnetic compass
32:03and with movement to the sea,
32:05the boat is beginning to yaw
32:06from side to side.
32:09Wanklin must line up his shot
32:10without the help of basic instruments
32:12and taking into account
32:14the movement of his ship,
32:15the distance,
32:16and the speed of the convoy.
32:17With torpedoes loaded and ready,
32:26he times his shots carefully.
32:28Fire one! Fire one!
32:30Wanklin is using the yaw of the boat,
32:33so the first torpedo is released
32:35at one extreme movement of the yaw,
32:38allows the boat to swing to the next area,
32:41fires a second torpedo.
32:42Fire three! Fire three! Fire four!
32:45Fire!
32:46Fire three! Fire four!
32:48Fire three! Fire four!
32:49Fire three! Fire four!
32:49Fire three! Fire four!
32:49Fire four! Fire four!
32:50Fire four! Fire four!
32:51Fire four! Fire four!
32:52Fire four! Fire four!
32:53Once the torpedoes have been fired,
32:54it's a long time for anybody
32:56waiting for those explosions
32:58to see what happens,
32:59although it was probably only
33:00about five minutes.
33:01It must have seemed like hours.
33:05But success means they will stop
33:07further reinforcements
33:08from reaching Rommel
33:09in North Africa.
33:10Fire four!
33:11Fire four!
33:12Fire four!
33:13Fire four!
33:14Fire four!
33:15Fire four!
33:16Fire four!
33:20Fire four!
33:20Fire four!
33:21Fire four!
33:21Fire four!
33:22Fire four!
33:24Fire four!
33:25Fire four!
33:27Fire four!
33:27Fire four!
33:28Fire four!
33:29After a long wait,
33:30they hear an explosion...
33:31and then another...
33:34and then another one of wanklin's torpedoes hits the troop liner neptunia and it quickly begins to
33:53sink expecting retaliation the lookouts and first lieutenants scramble down
34:11wanklin pulls the hat shut overhead as the rush of water covers the conning tower and the submarine
34:17dives to conceal their position but upholder has not finished with the convoy
34:28the crew continues south and descends to 60 feet to reload the torpedo tubes
34:38wanklin returns to the location of his earlier success
34:40up periscope dawn breaks and its light reveals the aftermath of upholders attack one troop ship
34:50vulcania sails away escorted by a destroyer the second neptunia has disappeared beneath the waves
34:58the third oceania has stopped dead in the water two destroyers hover close by to rescue survivors
35:05from the water slow ahead together upholder slips back inside the destroyer's screen
35:14as he moves to periscope ready to make this attack suddenly he sees in front of him
35:19a destroyer moving fast towards him down periscope keep 45 feet he has to dive immediately to avoid a
35:27collision
35:45the destroyer passes overhead
35:46the crew braces for a depth charge attack
36:00but they are lucky the destroyer does not know they are there
36:05but they're not safe yet
36:08in the confusion wanklin now finds himself on a collision course with his target
36:13the troopship oceania down periscope
36:23september 18th 1941 in close quarters with enemy ships in the mediterranean
36:29down periscope keep 45 feet british submarine hms upholder tries to maneuver into position
36:36for an attack but by that point he's moved far too close to the oceana for attack to be effective
36:42and there's a danger that even colliding with the with the vessel so immediately orders another
36:47dive to go under the ship down periscope keep 250 feet
36:53wanklin must dive deep enough to slip under oceania
36:57to avoid being rammed a collision with the troop ship with sink upholder
37:12it works upholder slides beneath the troop ship
37:26two thousand yards past wanklin swings the submarine around
37:31then he prepares to finish off oceania
37:33wanklin orders upholder to periscope depth
37:39they are in a perfect position for a final attack on the damaged troop ship
37:43stand by tubes one and two
37:49but upholder's subsonic transmitter remains damaged without it they are unable to communicate with the
37:55other submarines nearby wanklin has no idea where the other british subs are
38:00what he didn't realize is the unbeaten which had been the vessel that originally signaled the convoy
38:08had been following in the convoys wake all night and itself was taking up position
38:13lieutenant commander edward woodward aboard hms unbeaten readies for his own attack on oceania
38:19one of the problems of allowing submariners to do their own thing even in group tactics is that
38:30you're liable to have what they call a blue on blue in other words they might attack each other
38:37woodward also does not know that upholder is on the other side of the troop ship
38:41if either submarine misses the target there's a good chance they will hit the other at such close
38:48range it would sink killing everyone on board fire one fire two
39:01the torpedoes rush in the direction of the enemy ship and hms unbeaten
39:06on the other side woodward also readies his shot check firing bearing
39:17but he is not fast enough
39:23both of wanklin's torpedoes crash into the side of the 20 000 ton troop ship oceania
39:28it must be the ultimate frustration for a submarine commander to line up your target and about to
39:36fire and suddenly your target is taken away from you by your colleague
39:41luck plays a big part in submarine warfare
39:45wanklin was not very lucky to start with but suddenly the gods began to smile on him
39:49and they were very lucky indeed it only takes eight minutes for oceania to sink
39:55down periscope wanklin's performance on this occasion was nothing short of exceptional the ability at that
40:04distance using the eye for the most part using the boat as a means of creating the salvo in that way
40:13was a stunning piece of submarine work
40:15hms upholder enters malta harbor on september 20th 1941
40:26prior to going out on the september patrol the crew had been called back from rest and wanklin
40:32had made it clear it was very important that they went to sea and they carried out this attack
40:36when they came back they did get a rest but it was a short rest and back they were at sea to patrol
40:42of sicily shortly afterwards after 25 patrols hms upholder is considered a tonnage leader of the royal navy
40:52their tally includes 119 000 tons of enemy shipping including three u-boats
41:00and the liner ships conveying troops and supplies to the battlefront in north africa
41:04wanklin is regarded as perhaps the finest submarine commander in the long history of the royal navy's
41:13submarine service when the royal navy went back to operating conventionally powered submarines for a
41:19while the first of the class was called upholder on november 18th the british launch operation crusader
41:27hugely successful they throw back the access forces rommel and his men retreat 500 miles in only six weeks
41:37denied the supplies they need to fight you can attribute the problems rommel is in in autumn 1941
41:44to the single fact that malta is still in british hands the british push back the italian and german
41:52forces back over the sierra neika and rommel finds himself where he had started the war a couple of
41:59months earlier the 240-day siege of tabruk is lifted and the exhausted defenders are able to march out in
42:07triumph upholder's story would end differently wanklin and upholder disappear on april 14 1942
42:18we still don't precisely know what happened and it's rather typical of the submarine service actually
42:26and the covertness of the operation and the stealth of the operation that we still don't know what
42:31happened certainly to one of the greatest submarine officers in history the contributions of the british
42:38submarine force remain overlooked the submarine service in the royal navy has never really received
42:44as much publicity as the anti-submarine campaign say in the north atlantic or the u.s submarine campaign
42:51in the pacific when we talk about submarine warfare in the second world war we often connected to the
42:59battle of the atlantic with the germans being the submarine hunters and the allies being the hunted
43:05in the mediterranean it was exactly the opposite the allies were the hunters and the germans and the
43:12italians were the hunted when you look at the losses the axes sustained in the mediterranean almost half
43:18of them are attributed to submarine warfare the rest to ships and to aircraft but the submarines are the
43:28greatest danger for axis convoys over the mediterranean from italy to north africa it is a
43:35critical win for the allies the loss of north africa before the end of 1941 could have been absolutely
43:43disastrous for britain both in terms of the manpower and raw materials securing the suez canal shipments
43:51from the colony of india and critical oil supplies from the middle east ensured britain would survive and
43:57continue to fight
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