📍 HMS P36 Submarine Memorial
Location Map Coordinates 35.902231, 14.519625
Royal Navy U-class Submarine (1941–1942)
Introduction
HMS P36 was a Royal Navy U-class submarine that served with the famous Tenth Submarine Flotilla operating from Malta during the Second World War. Built as part of the Third Group of the successful U-class, she was designed specifically for aggressive patrols in the confined waters of the Mediterranean.
Commissioned in September 1941, HMS P36 undertook patrols against Axis shipping and warships operating between Italy, Sicily and North Africa. Although her operational career lasted only a few months, she took part in several important patrols before becoming a victim of the devastating Luftwaffe attacks on Malta during the spring of 1942.
Unlike many of the earlier Royal Navy submarines, HMS P36 never received a traditional name and served throughout her career under her pennant number. She is commemorated on the Submarine Roll of Honour at Fort St Elmo together with the other submarines lost while operating from Malta.
Technical Specifications
| Class | U-class submarine (Third Group) |
|---|---|
| Builder | Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness |
| Launched | 28 April 1941 |
| Commissioned | 24 September 1941 |
| Length | 196 ft (59.7 m) |
| Beam | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
| Displacement | 540 tons surfaced / 740 tons submerged |
| Speed | 11.25 knots surfaced / 9 knots submerged |
| Complement | Approximately 31 officers and men |
| Armament | Six 21-inch torpedo tubes, 3-inch deck gun and anti-aircraft machine guns |
| Commanding Officer | Lieutenant Harry Noel Edmonds, DSC, RN |
Operational Service
After working up in British waters, HMS P36 transferred to the Mediterranean and joined the Tenth Submarine Flotilla at Malta. She carried out patrols against Italian and German shipping during a period when British submarines were inflicting serious losses on Axis supply routes to North Africa.
Among her notable operations, HMS P36 attacked an enemy submarine in the Bay of Biscay during November 1941, although her torpedoes missed. In February 1942 she unsuccessfully attacked the Italian heavy cruisers Gorizia and Trento, before damaging the Italian destroyer Carabiniere two days later. These patrols demonstrated the increasingly aggressive role played by Malta-based submarines despite overwhelming enemy air superiority.
Loss of HMS P36
On 1 April 1942, HMS P36 was lying alongside HMS Talbot at Lazaretto Creek, Malta, during one of the heaviest Luftwaffe air raids of the siege. At approximately 2.30 pm a large bomb exploded alongside the submarine, tearing open her port side and causing rapid flooding. Despite desperate efforts to save the vessel, P36 rolled over and sank alongside the jetty.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities. The submarine had been secured with watertight doors closed, while one officer and two ratings were inside the control room when the explosion occurred. All three men escaped, and the remainder of the crew reached safety before the submarine settled on the harbour floor.
Because of the intensity of the siege and the continuing air attacks, HMS P36 could not be salvaged during the war. She remained on the bottom of Lazaretto Creek until 1958, when she was successfully raised after an extensive salvage operation. Having suffered irreparable damage, she was towed out to sea and scuttled off Malta on 22 August 1958.
The Crew's Later Tragedy
Although every member of HMS P36's crew survived the bombing of their submarine, many of them faced tragedy only a few weeks later. Following the loss of P36, numerous members of her crew were transferred to HMS Olympus for passage from Malta to Gibraltar.
On 8 May 1942, shortly after leaving Grand Harbour, HMS Olympus struck a mine and sank with 89 men on board. Only nine survived the seven-mile swim back to Malta. Many former members of HMS P36 were among those who lost their lives, making the escape from P36 only a temporary reprieve.
Legacy
Although HMS P36 did not sink with loss of life, her destruction reflected the immense pressure placed upon the Malta submarine flotilla during the island's darkest days. The submarine campaign continued despite constant bombing, with damaged vessels frequently repaired under fire before returning to sea.
Today HMS P36 is commemorated on the Submarine Roll of Honour at Fort St Elmo, Valletta, alongside the Royal Navy, Free French and Greek submarines that served from Malta during the Second World War.