| Miles at sea, beneath the deep We immerse our weary way A constant watch, we have to keep Throughout the Night and Day A periscope breaks through the foam To scan the silvery sea In case a ship should chance to roam Manned by the enemy Dived all day, the air gets thin And breathing is so cruel Some thirty men encased within Awaiting its renewal The welcome night descends at last And Spreads its protective cloak The weary hours of Day are past Without a single smoke We break the surface with a rush The hatch is opened wide All is quiet, the night is hush But for the lapping tide Oh! what a change, this air so sweet, A chance to smoke at will The rhythm that the engines beat Throughout the night - so still The stars shine bright far up above A refreshing breeze doth blow The sort of night that we all love When Natures beauties show. But very soon the sun will rise And set the Heavens aglow Another dawn breaks through the skies So it's time to go below Bows down she slides beneath the foam To start another day But soon those bows she'll turn home 'UNSWERVING' on her way |
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Author: Bill Prytherds
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During the bleak, heartbreaking days of early 1942, when beleaguered Malta was reeling under bombardment and blockade and Rommel was making his last desperate thrust towards Egypt, only one British submarine was operating in the western Mediterranean - the tiny, 600-ton Unbroken.
In twelve months in the Med, Unbroken sank over 30,000 tons of enemy shipping, took part in four secret operations, three successful gun actions, and survived a total of over 400 depth charges, as well as innumerable air and surface attacks.
This account of the 26-year-old Alastair Mars' command of this outstandingly successful submarine embraces her construction, sea trials and voyage to Gibraltar preparatory to her vital role in the Mediterranean. Once there, she was responsible for the destruction of two Italian cruisers and played a pivotal part in Operation Pedestal, the convoy that saved Malta from surrender.
Alastair Mars writes simply and without pretension, and his words evoke the claustrophobic yet heroic world of the submariner.
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During the bleak, heartbreaking days of early 1942, when beleaguered Malta was reeling under bombardment and blockade and Rommel was making his last desperate thrust towards Egypt, only one British submarine was operating in the western Mediterranean - the tiny, 600-ton Unbroken.
In twelve months in the Med, Unbroken sank over 30,000 tons of enemy shipping, took part in four secret operations, three successful gun actions, and survived a total of over 400 depth charges, as well as innumerable air and surface attacks.
This account of the 26-year-old Alastair Mars' command of this outstandingly successful submarine embraces her construction, sea trials and voyage to Gibraltar preparatory to her vital role in the Mediterranean. Once there, she was responsible for the destruction of two Italian cruisers and played a pivotal part in Operation Pedestal, the convoy that saved Malta from surrender.
Alastair Mars writes simply and without pretension, and his words evoke the claustrophobic yet heroic world of the submariner.
17 pages added or updated in the last Array 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.
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