Welcome
This website is brought to you in association with the Barrow-in-Furness Branch of the Submariners Association and is the premier UK internet resource for Submariners and anyone interested in Royal Navy Submarines.
Vickers and Barrow are names synonymous with the development of the submarine. Hundreds of submarines covering virtually every class have been built for the Royal Navy and foreign Navies. This site is dedicated to not only to those who have served on Her Majesty's Submarines but also to those employees past and present whose skills and efforts have given pride to the phrase 'Barrow built' and made the name Vickers known and respected throughout the world.
On This Day - April 18
| 1905 | A 13 (I 03) | Launched |
| 1916 | E 33 | Launched |
| 1923 | L 69 | From 18th April to 8th May L69 (also known as Lucia) went on sea trials. |
| 1923 | L 69 | Completed |
| 1931 | O 13 (Dutch) | Launched |
| 1940 | Sterlet (N 22) | HMS Sterlet was sunk She attacked another enemy convoy made up of the German transporter's Moltkefels, Neidenfels and Hanau, escorted by the German minesweeper M 75 and several German auxiliaries. The German submarine-chasers UJ 125, UJ 126 and UJ 128 were patrolling nearby when HMS Sterlet carried out this attack, leading them to launch a submarine-hunt which many believe, resulted in the sinking of HMS Sterlet. There is however, a possibility that HMS Sterlet escaped the counterattack of the German anti-submarine trawlers, but later hit a mine on her way back to base. Either way, she never returned from war-patrol No. 7; she was lost with all hands. |
| 1940 | Sea Wolf (N 47) | Sank the German ship Hamm off the Skaw, 5,874 tons. |
| 1941 | Urge (N 17) | Whilst on the way to Malta on Submarine HMS URGE made an attack on the 10,585 ton Italian Tanker FRANCO MARTELLI in position 46`51'N 08`29'E in the Bay of Biscay firing torpedoes at a range of approximately 2,000 yards. One torpedo hit and the target sank. It is reported that the tanker had been returning to Italy from Brazil. |
| 1942 | Torbay (N 79) | HMS Torbay torpedoes and sinks the German army cargo ship Bellona in the Ionian Sea about 50 nautical miles east-south-east of Capo Colonna, Italy. |
| 1942 | Umbra (P 35) | HMS Umbra attacks the Italian merchant Nino Bixio about 40 nautical miles south-west of Pantelleria Island. All torpedoes missed. |
| 1943 | Regent (N 41) | HMS Regent sailed from Malta on 12 April 1943 to patrol in the southern Adriatic & was mined north of Monopoli. That evening a large explosion was heard in that area, which is believed to have been HMS Regent striking a mine. HMS Regent was reported overdue at Beirut on 1 May 1943. All 53 crew are lost. Post mortem on some bodies wearing British uniforms which were washed ashore between Brindisi and Otranto during April and May 1943 gave indication of a sinking three weeks earlier, hence between 18 and 25 April |
| 1943 | P 615 | HMS P615 left Freetown under escort by minesweeper HMS MMS-107 on passage to the South Atlantic Command to provide ASW escort training. During the night they lost contact but found each other the next morning. U-123 spotted both vessels at 0344 and missed them with two spreads of two torpedoes at 0534 & 0647, one of the torpedo tracks was sighted by the escort, but was put down to a porpoise. At 1101, a merchant vessel was sighted and at 1153 the U-boat fired one torpedo at the minesweeper on station about 300 yards off the submarines starboard quarter, but missed. At 1154, a spread of two torpedoes was fired at the submarine, which was hit by one of them on the starboard side, exploded and sank immediately about 100 miles SW of Freetown. U-123 then torpedoed at 1239 hours Empire Bruce and left the area after sinking her with two coup de grace. The minesweeper picked up the survivors from the merchantman and returned to Freetown |
| 1943 | Unseen (P 51) | HMS Unseen torpedoes and sinks the German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ-2205 north-north-west of Isola di Femmine, Sicily, Italy. |
| 1944 | Taurus (P 339) | HMS Taurus lays mines off Penang. |
| 1944 | Thor (P 349) | Launched |
| 1944 | Tiara (P 351) | Launched |
| 1945 | Tireless (P 327) | Completed |
| 1967 | Warspite (S 103) | Completed |
