General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
Re: HMS URGE
Posted by:
Platon Alexiades
()
Date: June 11, 2015 02:17PM
Dear Francesco,
"U" class submarines may have been able to do 220 miles per day in peacetime but to my knowledge never did more than 130 miles during the war in the Mediterranean. If you can show me otherwise I will be more receptive to this idea.
I do not dispute you that the course of HMS URGE would have taken her 60-70 miles from Ras Hilal but this would have been on 2 May not 29 April.
You are telling me that SAN GIUSTO was shelled by a submarine. Where is this report except in a deduction made by Tenente di vascello Barich from Supermarine in a phone conversation (no. 5180) with Comandante Dadone of Superareo in Rome.
He was informed by Dadone that an aircraft covering a convoy attacked a submarine off Ras Hilal.
1. Which vessels were in this area? Answer: probably SAN GIUSTO.
2. Deduction: so the submarine must have been attacking SAN GIUSTO.
It is a big step to take to assume that this "guess" is the definitive "proof".
Unfortunately there is no trace that SAN GIUSTO actually reported being attacked by a submarine. The only time her file reveals any attack by a submarine is when she was sunk by HMS TURBULENT on 14 May 1942 [I have checked her file at the Ufficio Storico].
I will believe you that there was without a doubt a submarine at Ras Hilal on 29/4 when you can tell me the identity of the "submarine' which was seen and attacked by a CANT Seaplane and a CA.311 bomber off Benghazi on 1 May. It is a simple question and I have many more like that and would be delighted if you can provide answers to them.
If aircraft pilots never made mistakes then we must assume that many more submarines were sunk then the Official Histories are telling us.
Respectfully yours,
Platon
"U" class submarines may have been able to do 220 miles per day in peacetime but to my knowledge never did more than 130 miles during the war in the Mediterranean. If you can show me otherwise I will be more receptive to this idea.
I do not dispute you that the course of HMS URGE would have taken her 60-70 miles from Ras Hilal but this would have been on 2 May not 29 April.
You are telling me that SAN GIUSTO was shelled by a submarine. Where is this report except in a deduction made by Tenente di vascello Barich from Supermarine in a phone conversation (no. 5180) with Comandante Dadone of Superareo in Rome.
He was informed by Dadone that an aircraft covering a convoy attacked a submarine off Ras Hilal.
1. Which vessels were in this area? Answer: probably SAN GIUSTO.
2. Deduction: so the submarine must have been attacking SAN GIUSTO.
It is a big step to take to assume that this "guess" is the definitive "proof".
Unfortunately there is no trace that SAN GIUSTO actually reported being attacked by a submarine. The only time her file reveals any attack by a submarine is when she was sunk by HMS TURBULENT on 14 May 1942 [I have checked her file at the Ufficio Storico].
I will believe you that there was without a doubt a submarine at Ras Hilal on 29/4 when you can tell me the identity of the "submarine' which was seen and attacked by a CANT Seaplane and a CA.311 bomber off Benghazi on 1 May. It is a simple question and I have many more like that and would be delighted if you can provide answers to them.
If aircraft pilots never made mistakes then we must assume that many more submarines were sunk then the Official Histories are telling us.
Respectfully yours,
Platon
