| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | River 2 |
| Fate: | Sold on 30th July 1946 and scrapped at Durban. |
1935-1936: Portsmouth. 1936-1939: Mediterranean. 1939 - 8th Flotilla: Gibraltar. 1940 - 6th Flotilla: HMS Titania, Blyth. 1941 - 2nd Flotilla: Rosyth. 1941 - 8th Flotilla: HMS Maidstone, Gibraltar. 1944: Eastern Fleet.
1939 - Patrolled the Freetown-Natal Route in the South Atlantic.
1940-1941 - Served in Home Waters.
April-June 1940 - Was part of the submarine force which was in the Kattegat and off the coast of Norway during the German invasion of Norway.
1941-1944 - Served in the Mediterranean sinking two ships of 4,300 tons.
April/October/November 1942 - "Magic Carpet" run to Malta.
1944 onwards Eastern Fleet.
| 15-05-1933 | Laid Down |
| 15-03-1934 | Launched |
| 12-04-1935 | Completed |
| 13-05-1940 | HMS Clyde attacks the German armed merchant cruiser Widder with gunfire off Stadlandet, Norway but was out gunned and Clyde had to break of the attack. |
| 20-06-1940 | About 40 nautical miles north-west of the island of Halten, Norway. HMS Clyde hit the German battleship Gneisenau in the bow with one torpedo, putting her out of action for many months. Lt. Cdr. D. Ingram was awarded the DSC. for the action. |
| 16-07-1940 | HMS Clyde sinks the Norwegian fishing vessel SF 52 with gunfire east of Alesund, Norway. |
| 22-07-1940 | West of Bergen, Norway HMS Clyde fires 6 torpedoes at what is thought to be and enemy submarine. Luckily the torpedoes miss as they we aimed against HMS Truant. |
| 01-06-1941 | HMS Clyde torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant San Marco about 5 nautical miles east of Cape Carbonara, Sardinia, Italy. |
| 08-06-1941 | HMS Clyde sinks the Italian merchant Sturla with gunfire in the Golfo di Policastro about 5 nautical miles from Maratea. |
| 14-06-1941 | HMS Clyde sinks the Italian sailing vessel/auxiliary patrol vessel V 125/Giovanni Bottigliere with gunfire about 20 nautical miles south of Spartivento Sardo, Sardinia, Italy. |
| 28-09-1941 | HMS Clyde unsuccessfully attacks the German submarine U-67 in Tarafal Bay, Cape Verde Islands. |
| 02-03-1945 | HMS Clyde sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with scuttling charges of the west coast of Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies. |
| 04-03-1945 | HMS Clyde sinks the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Kiku Maru with gunfire off the west coast of Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies. |
| 15-05-1945 | HMS Clyde sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire of the west coast of Siam. |
HMS Clyde was adopted by the Stewartry on Monday. A crest of HMS Clyde was presented to the county and the county gifted a bronze plaque bearing the county arms and an appropriate inscription. The ceremony took place in the Town Hall Castle-Douglas. The plaque to Clyde was presented to Captain Maitland-Kirwan and was to be placed in the conning tower of the submarine. The plaque bore the following inscription: 'This plaque is presented to HMS Clyde to commemorate her adoption by the citizens of the Stewartry during Warship Week.' At the top of the plaque the county arms were cut out in relief. It was hoped that one day the presentation and adoption plaques would be together again (meaning Clyde would survive the war). The greatest care would be taken of the adoption plaque and it would remind them of the great effort made by every section of the community to raise the enormous sum of money and the Clyde was their submarine. He assured Captain Kirwan that the crest would be one of their most precious and valued possessions.
| Length overall | 345 ft |
| Beam | 28 ft 3 inch |
| Depth | 18 ft 3 inch |
| Displacement | 2165 tons (surface) |
| 2680 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 300 ft |
| Speed | Surface 21.75 knots (design) |
| Surface 22.5 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 10.5 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 10000 miles at 8 knots (design) |
| Surface: 16100 miles maximum (service) | |
| Submerged: 10 miles at 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged: 13 miles at 10 knots or 118 miles at 4 knots (service) | |
| Armament | 6 x 21 inch bow tubes, (12 torpedoes carried). 1 x 4 inch QF gun |
| 6 x 21 inch bow tubes, (12 torpedoes carried). 1 x 4 inch QF gun | |
| 6 x 21 inch bow tubes, (12 torpedoes carried). 1 x 4 inch QF gun | |
| Complement | 5 Officers and 56 Ratings. |
It is indeed a far cry from Blyth on the east coast of England to Kimberley in Griqualand West, South Africa, and a long span of time, over sixty-two years, since I was a boy-telegraphist (wireless operator) serving on HM Submarine J3 part of the tenth submarine flotilla stationed at Blyth.
The story of HM Submarine Upholder, ordered just days before the Second World War started.
Serving with the 10th Submarine Flotilla, she was commanded by David Wanklyn VC. One of the most successful British submarines of World War Two, sinking two destroyers, three submarines, three transports, ten merchant ships, two tankers and one trawler, totalling 128,353 tons of shipping.
Upholder sailed out of Grand Harbour, Valetta, in Malta in April 1942, never to be seen again, and is believed sunk off the Lybian coast, near Tripoli.
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| Length overall | 345 ft |
| Beam | 28 ft 3 inch |
| Depth | 18 ft 3 inch |
| Displacement | 2165 tons (surface) |
| 2680 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 300 ft |
| Speed | Surface 21.75 knots (design) |
| Surface 22.5 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 10.5 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 10000 miles at 8 knots (design) |
| Surface: 16100 miles maximum (service) | |
| Submerged: 10 miles at 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged: 13 miles at 10 knots or 118 miles at 4 knots (service) | |
| Armament | 6 x 21 inch bow tubes, (12 torpedoes carried). 1 x 4 inch QF gun |
| 6 x 21 inch bow tubes, (12 torpedoes carried). 1 x 4 inch QF gun | |
| 6 x 21 inch bow tubes, (12 torpedoes carried). 1 x 4 inch QF gun | |
| Complement | 5 Officers and 56 Ratings. |
It is indeed a far cry from Blyth on the east coast of England to Kimberley in Griqualand West, South Africa, and a long span of time, over sixty-two years, since I was a boy-telegraphist (wireless operator) serving on HM Submarine J3 part of the tenth submarine flotilla stationed at Blyth.
The story of HM Submarine Upholder, ordered just days before the Second World War started.
Serving with the 10th Submarine Flotilla, she was commanded by David Wanklyn VC. One of the most successful British submarines of World War Two, sinking two destroyers, three submarines, three transports, ten merchant ships, two tankers and one trawler, totalling 128,353 tons of shipping.
Upholder sailed out of Grand Harbour, Valetta, in Malta in April 1942, never to be seen again, and is believed sunk off the Lybian coast, near Tripoli.
12 pages added or updated in the last 3 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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