The Artificers (1974)

The Artificers is a recruitment film produced for the Royal Navy by the Central Office of Information. Features footage of artificer apprentices at HMS Fisgard and outward bound training.

Followed by footage of marine engineering artificer training at HMS Caledonia and aboard HMS Amazon (a newly built Type 21 frigate at this time).

Followed by footage of air engineering training at HMS Daedalus with decriptions of 3 types of air artificer and extensive footage of the Lee-on-Solent Search and Rescue flight.

Followed by footage of electrical and weapons engineering training at HMS Collingwood, some tricky problem solving aboard a nuclear submarine, followed by firing the ASW mortar on HMS Argonaut (Leander-class frigate).

Armed merchant cruiser HMS Dunvegan Castle torpedoed “on this day” 27 August 1940

“On this day in history” 27 August 1940, Royal Navy armed merchant cruiser HMS Dunvegan Castle (Capt. H. Ardill) struck by 3 torpedoes from submarine U-46 (Oblt. E. Endrass) while escorting Convoy SL-43 (convoy commodore RAdm. J. C. Hamilton).

The first torpedo struck Dunvegan Castle at 21.47 aft of the bridge, but the ship remained underway. The second torpedo struck the engine room at 22.12 and the third torpedo stuck forward of the bridge at 22.51.

Dunvegan Castle foundered and caught fire, with 27 men (3 officers, 24 ratings) killed. Convoy escorts HMS Harvester (LtCdr. M. Thornton) and HMS Primrose (LtCdr. C. Sanders) took off 240 survivors.

HMS Primrose (K91) rescued survivors from Dunvegan Castle.

Dunvegan Castle sank in position 54°54N/11°W, 75-miles NW of Ireland.

German submarine U-185 sunk by US Navy aircraft “on this day in history” 24 August 1943

On 24 August 1943, German submarine U-185 (Type IXC/40, Kptlt. A. Maus) sunk by depth charges from Avenger and Wildcat aircraft of US Navy Composite Squadron 13 (VC-13), operating from escort carrier USS Core (CVE-13) in position 27.00N, 37.06W.

U-185 sinking (photo: US Navy)

Records on U-185 are held at the US National Archives.

German submarines at sea “on this day in history” 24 August 1939-44

“On this day in history” 24 August, the following U-boats were at sea:

1939 20
1940 14
1941 45
1942 99
1943 70
1944 69

Always ask the experts

Two things:
1. Just because a photo archive provides a caption it doesn’t mean the information in that caption is factual.
2. So always ask an expert.

@mrdavidboberesq No, it is an error. Early British A class submarines did not have names official or unofficial.

— R N Submarine Museum (@RNSubMuseum) June 27, 2016

“On this day in history” German submarine U-122 missing presumed lost, 1940

“On the day in history” 22 June 1940, German Type IXB submarine U-122 (KrvKpt. Hans-Günther Looff) missing presumed lost in the North Atlantic.

U-122’s last reported position was approx. 56.00N, 10.30W on 21 June 1940. The submarine was reported missing on 27 July 1940 after repeatedly failing to report its position.

It is possible that U-122 was lost due to a collision with SS San Felipe on 22 June 1940, but there is no record of a wreck.

All 49 officers and men aboard U-122 were lost.

“On this day in history” HM Submarine A12 placed in commission, 1908

“On this day in history” Royal Navy A-class submarine HMS A12 placed into commission.

Embed from Getty Images

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Getty seem to have captioned this photo “HMS Aurora A12,” but this is a mistake. The Aurora with pennant no. 12 was an Arethusa-class cruiser. Definitely not a submarine.

The A-class were the Royal Navy’s first submarines built to a British design. All thirteen submarines in the class were built by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness.

Flotilla of A-class submarines, including HMS A12.

Already obsolete by the outbreak of war in 1914, A12 and the other submarines in her class were used for harbour defence and training. After the war, A12 was placed on the disposal list and scrapped at Ardrossan in 1920.

“On this day in hisstory” German submarines at sea during Battl of the Atlantic

German submarines at sea “on this day in history” 22 June during the Battle of the Atlantic.

1940 21
1941 41
1942 74
1943 99
1944 81
1945 2

The two U-Boats still at sea in 1945, more than six weeks after the official German surrender, were U-530 and U-977, both on their way to Argentina.

“On this day in history” HMSM Saga placed in commision, 1945

“On this day in history” 14 June 1945, Royal Navy S-class submarine HMSM Saga (P257) placed in commission.

HMSM Saga underway. (IWM FL18545)

Saga was built at Cammell Laird, Birkenhead and launched in March 1945. She left the builder’s yard in June, and commissioned at Holy Loch on 14 June 1945, Lt P. Thirsk, RNR commanding.

Saga‘s Royal Navy service was short. She was still undergoing working up trails at Scapa Flow and Holy Loch when the war with Japan ended. On 10 February 1946, Saga collided with the fishing vessel Girl Lena in the English Channel, causing the trawler to sink.

In 1948, Saga was sold to Portugal and renamed NRP Nautilo. She continued to serve in the Marinha de Guerra Portuguesa until 1969.

 

“On this day in history” Avenger aircraft sink submarine U-118

“On this day in history” 12 June 1943, German Type XB submarine U-118 (KrvKpt. Werner Czygan) was sunk with depth charges by a flight of Avenger aircraft operating from the US Navy escort carrier USS Bogue (ACV/CVE-9). There were 43 dead (including Czygan) and 16 survivors. The wreck of U-118 lays west of the Canary Islands at 30.49N, 33.49W.

Remarkably, a gun camera photo of the attack exists. The photo is in the collection of US Naval History and Heritage Command.

Fourth attack run on U-118, TBF pilot Ltjg W. F. Chamberlain, USNR. Staffed U-boat and dropped two depth charges. (NHHC 80-G-6894)