Early 1941 saw Malta’s tribulations increasing in direct proportion to her strategic significance. The newly-arrived German X Fliegerkorps was taking over from the Regia Aeronautica the task of reducing the island fortress to impotence and, despite the devoted efforts of the weary and supply-starved defenders, a permanent dust cloud hung over Valletta and its rubble-choked streets. Its magnificent and rambling Grand Harbour was virtually devoid of warships but, even so, the Royal Navy could not countenance falling back on the relative safety of Gibraltar and Alexandria, for these were critical times in the sea war.

Following their success against the Italians in North Africa, British land forces were being transferred in large numbers to fight the abortive campaigns of Greece and Crete. At the same time, however, Rommel’s Afrika Korps and its equipment were being shipped to North Africa in a continuous flow of convoys. Malta was well placed both to interdict these and to assist in the covering of the British troop movements. The Luftwaffe’s role was to prevent this and it had succeeded to the point where the Royal Navy’s surface ships had been obliged, temporarily, to leave and the RAF’s airfields had been reduced to a state unfit to service and operate strike aircraft. For the while, Malta’s offensive capacity devolved largely upon her submarines.

It was into this cockpit that David Wanklyn brought HMS Upholder. Not yet 30 years of age, Wanklyn had already commanded two old ‘H’ class boats in home waters before standing by his new submarine as it took shape on a Vickers’ slip during 1940. He was to be her first and only commanding officer.

January 1941 saw the Upholder join a mixed bag of boats working out of Lazaretto Creek, the old Quarantine Harbour distanced by the

Valletta Peninsula from the bustle of the Grand Harbour, Under the command of Captain ‘Shrimp’ Simpson, they were to be officially organized into the 10th Submarine Flotilla.

On 24 January, following voyage repairs, the Upholder sailed on her first combat patrol,

accompanying three other boats. In pre-dawn blackness two days later, the little boat was lying on the surface awaiting the source of propeller noises heard clearly over the asdic (sonar). Sure enough, the vague shapes of three southbound merchantmen and their single escort reluctantly detached themselves from the deep gloom. Wanklyn loosed a full spread of four torpedoes. All missed, the enemy sailing serenely on, oblivious of their assailant. Chagrined, the Upholder’s crew reloaded and sweated out the day on the bottom. Torpedoes in Malta were like summer snow and their wastage was not popular. With darkness came the welcome order to surface, to recharge batteries and refresh the boat’s foul atmosphere. She was astride the main Trapani Tripoli route and targets abounded; unfortunately a group of three passing merchantmen were northbound in ballast and the remaining four torpedoes were conserved for loaded targets.

Before dawn on the following morning came a chance with two heavily-laden targets trundling south over a calm sea, Two shots produced the Upholder’s first hit: the 4,000-tonner settled slowly by the bows as her companion bore on. Wanklyn was determined to verify a kill but, not daring to surface in daylight to use his deck gun yet unwilling to sacrifice a further torpedo,hung around for hours until the reluctant victim plunged quietly and without fuss.

It was to be 48 hours later that the final two torpedoes were expended against a single, escorted target. One hit was scored, which did not prove fatal, and the submarine was soundly and accurately depth charged. By a combination of silent routine and frequent changes in both course and depth, Wanklyn successfully disengaged, the destroyer giving up to succour her injured charge.

Still very much at the learning stage, the submarine entered a lean spell and it was not until the end of April that her score was boosted with a 5,500-tonner. Anxious to do better, Wanklyn nearly stranded the boat in destroying a loaded freighter abandoned on the Kerkenab Bank.

This was a time of little respite for the Malta boats, who lost two of their number in May. On 25 May the Upholder was in quiet conditions east of Sicily, having disposed of a 5,000-ton freighter in the Messina Strait during the day before, when hydrophone effect prompted a periscope check. What Wanklyn saw was a submariner’s dream: four southbound liners, packed with troops. Unfortunately, they were accompanied by an alert escort of five destroyers and the Upholder was down to her last two torpedoes. Both had to count and an attacking position had to be achieved rapidly. Concentrating hard, Wanklyn was surprised by the urgent beat of an escort at close quarters. Only by an immediate flooding of the ‘Q tanks was the submarine able to gain sufficient depth to avoid being struck. Levelling out at 24 m (80 ft) the fugitives were grateful to discover that they had not, in fact, been detected. Time, however, had been lost and the boat was back to periscope depth immediately; both torpedoes were loosed at a two-funnelled ship as the Upholder again plummetted and changed course. Skippers who survived never dallied to observe results! Two explosions were clearly audible at the appointed time but the escort ran down the torpedo tracks and heavily depth-charged the release area. The Upholder was still perilously close to this point but, resisting the temptation to break into a noisy gallop, Wanklyn slowly put distance between himself and what was an unco-ordinated assault.

Victoria Cross

Reaching Malta without damage, he disoovered that he had despatched the liner Confe Rosso (17,879 grt). Of the 2,500 troops aboard, over 800 perished; the remainder of the convoy promptly reversed course. For his coolness and achievement, Wanklyn was awarded the Victoria Cross. He, his crew and his boat were now a formidable combination.

By June the 10th Flotilla comprised nine ‘U-boats’, with other excellent reputations being made by such as HMS Urge, HMS Unique and HMS Unbeaten. Bigger boats worked out of Gibraltar and Alexandria, but for the ‘U’ class boats the war began on their doorstep and they rarely returned without the Jolly Roger at the periscope head.

On 28 July 1941, near Marittimo, the Upholder put two torpedoes into the cruiser Garibaldi without, however, sinking her. A month later, on 22 August as she was picking off a 4,000tonner from a convoy, the Unique was sinking the 11,400-ton Esperia, a survivor of the earlier troop convoy. Shortly after, on her l4th patrol, the Upholder was part of a submarine line off Tripoli, a trap to intercept three more large troopships.   In the early hours of 18 September, surfaced with casing awash, she received warning of the convoy's approach from the ,Unbeaten the next in line

With the Italians having no radar, it was possible to remain surfaced, with the sound gear giving a rough bearing. Vague shadows, barely separable

 from the general gloom, the enemy duly appeared,moving fast.Long prepared, Wanklyn fired three torpedoes at an estimated 45'10 m (5,000 yards) and dived fast. Men mentally counted off seconds until a muffled

 thud released held breath. Smiles erupted into cheers when, immediately afterward, two more explosions were heard. A full house. 

Still there came no counter attack and a cautious peep with the perscope was made as the crew wrestled and cursed silently in the task

 of reloading. Destroyezs appeared to be engaged in rescuing survivors while the stationary bulk of a liner loomed nearby. Dawn confirmed the situation,

 with the added problem of a destroyer circling protectively but as yet blindly, Of the third liner there was no sign. 

Though once forced down by the escort, the Upholder  was worked slowly, patiently, into an attack position and, as the morning sun shone yellow on its plates,

 the immobilized trooper was lifted by the simultaneous eruption of torpedoes. As though weary of further struggle  she quietly slid under.

          The Upholder had disposed of the 19,500-ton sisters Neptunia and Oceania. The third ship, Vulcania, evaded an attack by HMS Ursula to make Tripoli safely.

Though now credited with over 100,000 grt sunk, the boat was now to experience two totally uneventful patrols.

 In early November 1941, however, an improvement in the situation in Malta allowed the surface ships of Force K  to operate for a while. 

They totally destroyed one convoy, together with an escort, and the Upholder (ever the opportunist) encountered the aftermath and added a further destroyer

, the Libeccio, to the list. Rommel, now desperate for supplies, pressured the Italians to the point where warships were used as transports.

 The Upholder encountered, and despatched in a miqhty detonation, the petrol-laden Italian submarine St Bon.

Following a necessary spell ashore in early 1942, Wanklyn rejoined his command and sank a second submarine, the Tricheco,

 in the Strait of Otranto, heavy weather then frustrating an attack on enemy capital ships.

On 6 April 1942 the Upholder sailed on her 25th patrol. She landed an agent ashore and transferred another to HMS Unbeaten

before proceeding to her usual patch off Tripoli. She was never seen again.

 Other boats in the area heard a prolonged depth charge attack and the Italians credited their destroyer Pegaso with a positive kill. 

Wanklyn and his dedicated crew had made their last contribution to the unremitting blockade that was to guarantee the defeat of the 

Afrika Korps in the battles around El Alamein only six months later.