HMS Urge

Submarines had a notoriously short lifespan. Out of the 49 U-class submarines built by Vickers Armstrong, only three would go on to survive World War II. HMS Urge was not one of them; its tragic destiny a mystery until 2019. With an overall length of 58m, a beam of 4.90m and a draught of 4.62m, HMS Urge was laid down on 30 October 1939 and commissioned on 12 December 1940, under the command of Lieutenant EP Tomkinson as commanding officer. For most of its service, HMS Urge operated in the Mediterranean, forming part of the 10th Submarine Flotilla based in Malta. The 630-tonne submarine had a top speed of 11 knots at the surface and 10 knots while submerged. Near the Straits of Messina, on 14 December 1941, HMS Urge made history when it attacked the Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto, the largest enemy battleship to be torpedoed at sea by the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Four months later, on 1 April 1942, HMS Urge torpedoed and sank the Italian cruiser Giovanni dell Bande Ner