| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | U1 |
| Fate: | Sank after collision with the Norwegian Atle Jarl off the River Tyne entrance 29th April 1940. Lt. Low along with three ratings remained below shutting bulkhead doors while the remainder of the crew reached safety. Lt. Low was posthumously awarded the George Cross. All four who remained behind were lost. |
1938-1939 - 6th Flotilla: HMS Titania, Blyth.
1939-1940 - 6th Flotilla: HMS Titania, Rothesay.
Was part of the submarine force which was in the Kattegat and off the coast of Norway during the German invasion of Norway.
Three launches in one day, Triumph, Ursula & Unity
Roll of Honour |
4
|
| Hare, James Sneddon |
|
|||||
| Leading Seaman | ||||||
| Low, John Niven Angus GC |
|
|||||
| First Lieutenant | ||||||
| Awarded Empire Gallantry Medal for sacrificing their own lives so that others could escape. This was changed and presented as George Cross in 1940. |
||||||
| Miller, Henry James GC |
|
|||||
| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Awarded Empire Gallantry Medal for sacrificing their own lives so that others could escape. This was changed and presented as George Cross in 1940. |
||||||
| Shelton, Cecil |
|
|||||
| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| 19-02-1937 | Laid Down |
| 16-02-1938 | Launched |
| 05-10-1938 | Completed |
| 00-04-1940 | In the North Sea, the British submarine Unity attacked U-2, but missed |
| 29-04-1940 | At 1730 HMS Unity sailed from Blyth to patrol off Norway. The visibility was down to 300 yards as Unity moved out in the main channel, where the Norwegian ship Atle Jarl was proceeding on her way from Scotland to the Tyne A short while later visibility was down to 100 yards and neither vessel was aware of the other until the submarine spotted the ship at 50 yards and on a collision course. There was just time to shut the bulkhead doors and order the engines astern before the Atle Jarl smashed into the submarine. The order to abandon the submarine was given and Lt. Low along with three ratings remained below shutting bulkhead doors while the remainder of the crew reached safety. Unity sank only five minutes after the collision. All four who remained behind were lost. . Lt. Low was posthumously awarded the George Cross. |
| Length overall | 190 ft 7 inch |
| Beam | 15 ft 9 inch |
| Depth | 15 ft 9 inch |
| Displacement | 630 tons (surface) |
| 730 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 200 ft |
| Speed | 11.5 knots (surface) |
| 9 knots (submerged) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 4050 miles at 10 knots (design) |
| Submerged: 23 miles at 8 knots or 170 miles at 2.5 knots (design) | |
| Armament | (i) 4 x 21 inch bow tubes (8 torpedoes carried) |
| (ii) 1 x 3 inch gun | |
| 3 x 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| Complement | (peacetime) 4 Officers, 23 Others, |
| (at war) 4 Officers, 27 Others | |
| Note | (i) The first seven U Class submarines had two additional external bow tubes installed and carried 10 torpedoes |
| (ii) Undine and Unity, which were not fitted with the 3 inch gun, had 27-man complements. |
It is with deep sadness, yet immense pride, that we, his family, announce the 'crossing of the bar' of D H
A revised edition of an account of peacetime submarine disasters from 1774 to the present day, previously published in 1991. Examines the development of the submarine from experimental stages in the late 18th century to the present day, and provides details of all disasters ever reported.
22 pages added or updated in the last 2 month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
| Length overall | 190 ft 7 inch |
| Beam | 15 ft 9 inch |
| Depth | 15 ft 9 inch |
| Displacement | 630 tons (surface) |
| 730 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 200 ft |
| Speed | 11.5 knots (surface) |
| 9 knots (submerged) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 4050 miles at 10 knots (design) |
| Submerged: 23 miles at 8 knots or 170 miles at 2.5 knots (design) | |
| Armament | (i) 4 x 21 inch bow tubes (8 torpedoes carried) |
| (ii) 1 x 3 inch gun | |
| 3 x 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| Complement | (peacetime) 4 Officers, 23 Others, |
| (at war) 4 Officers, 27 Others | |
| Note | (i) The first seven U Class submarines had two additional external bow tubes installed and carried 10 torpedoes |
| (ii) Undine and Unity, which were not fitted with the 3 inch gun, had 27-man complements. |
It is with deep sadness, yet immense pride, that we, his family, announce the 'crossing of the bar' of D H
A revised edition of an account of peacetime submarine disasters from 1774 to the present day, previously published in 1991. Examines the development of the submarine from experimental stages in the late 18th century to the present day, and provides details of all disasters ever reported.
22 pages added or updated in the last 2 month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
This form is for you to comment on, or add additional information to this page. Any questions will be deleted. If you wish to ask a question contact the Branch or the Webmaster using the Contact Us page or ask your question on our Facebook Page