Today, 14^th April marks the 81^st anniversary of when Britain’s most successful WWII submarine, the HMS Upholder sank while out on a mission from Malta.

The ship that sank on its 25^th war patrol operated many successful missions against the Germans and Italian out of Malta.

Malta was seen as the perfect spot to attack enemy ships heading to Libya. By January of 1941, U-Class submarines were sent to the island where a base was established near Lazzaretto in the Marsamxett Harbour.

This eventually led to the establishment of the 10th Submarine Flotilla of Malta where its orders were to strictly stop supplies from arriving to Tripoli.

The 10^th Submarine Flotilla was extremely successful and sank a whopping 390,660 tons of supplies between January 1941 and May 1942.

One such submarine was the HMS Upholder which was led by Lieutenant Commander Malcolm David Wanklyn. It went on to become Britain’s most successful WWII submarine.

It completed 24 patrols and sank an Italian destroyer, minesweeper, and two submarines, as well as three troopships and seven other vessels.

It even managed to sink the extremely well defended ship Conte Rosso. In fact, for his exemplary efforts Lieutenant Wanklyn was awarded the honourable Victoria Cross.

However, after all its success, the submarine left Malta on the 6^th April 1942 and never returned. On the 14^th April the ship was overdue and was declared missing on the same day.

To this day, nobody quite knows what exactly happened to it and the men on board.

It is most likely believed to have been sunk by the Italian torpedo boat Pegaso, somewhere near Tripoli.

The Admiralty communiqué had announced her loss by expressing how “The ship and her company are gone, but the example and inspiration remain”.

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