Dear Francesco,

As I said before we can only agree to disagree. Your theory that HMS URGE was lost at Ras Hilal is not substantiated by documents. I am ready to believe that there are several wrecks at Ras Hilal (U 205 is one of them) but there is no solid evidence that one of them is HMS URGE. The sonar photographs are blurred and it could be anything, I am not at all convinced that they are "irrefutable proofs" that this is URGE.
That a single CR 42 fighter aircraft reported that it had attaked five miles from Ras Hilal a submarine and missed by 30 metres (not even a direct hit) and that this was HMS URGE can be challenged. As far as I know no other aircraft of vessel witnessed the "incident". As you know the list of claims of submarine sinkings that were later disproved is pretty long. There were quite a few cases of whales or dolphins being attacked by some nervous pilots!
Other readers of this forum may be directed to HMS URGE's page in the Allies section of this web site:
[uboat.net]
You are assuming:
1. That HMS URGE could be at Ras Hilal at 0810/29 April: her speed did not permit it.
2. That she received Ultra-based secret orders to sink the schooner SAN GIUSTO and did 220 miles per day instead of her usual 90 to reach Ras Hilal. Where are those orders? No evidence can be found. If they exist, why HMS PROTEUS was not informed? She was closer to Navarino from where SAN GIUSTO sailed for Ras Hilal. She would have been more likely ordered to intercept. There are no signals from Malta or Alexandria indicating that URGE beat speed records and deviated from her course. In fact a southbound 3000-ton tanker had been reported on 26 April and HMS PROTEUS had been ordered to intercept. It seems to me it was a more important target that a schooner. The Tenth Flotilla was being evacuated to Alexandria and I have seen no orders contradicting this, no mention at all of a hint that URGE was to go to Ras Hilal on a "Special Mission". You mention that the three German F-lighters "witnessed" the attack. These were MFP 150, 154 and 156 and they did pass Ras Hilal on that day, in fact I believe the CR 42 were providing the air escort (one at a time, relaying themselves about every 90 minutes according to their file). Yet the war diaries of the 2.Landungsflottille to which the F-lighters belonged mention their trip yet are quite silent about any submarine attack. I have seen the SAN GIUSTO file at the Ufficio Storico and there is no mention of a submarine attack. Granted the file may be incomplete as she was lost two weeks later and one can argue that the "record of the attack" was lost.
But the theory of HMS URGE at Ras Hilal is based on very wild suppositions, none based on any fact except the testimony of a fighter pilot who did not even claim a sinking. Unfortunately diving in Libyan waters is not exactly the safest destination today and so were are unlikely to put this theory aside once and for all.
As for HMS UPHOLDER, I have my doubts but that is another story!
However I do enjoy our lively discussions!

Best regards,

Platon