📍 HMS P.39 Submarine Memorial
Location Map Coordinates 35.902231, 14.519625
HMS P.39 was a Royal Navy U-class submarine that served with the famous 10th Submarine Flotilla based in Malta during the Second World War. Although her operational career was short, she became one of the casualties of the relentless Axis bombing campaign against Malta, being damaged beyond repair while alongside in Grand Harbour during an air raid in March 1942.
Unlike many submarines commemorated on the Malta Submarine Memorial, HMS P.39 was not lost at sea with her crew. Nevertheless, the submarine herself became a total loss during the Siege of Malta and is remembered among the Allied submarines that served from the island.
Ship Details
| Class | U-class submarine (Third Group) |
|---|---|
| Pennant Number | P39 |
| Builder | Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness |
| Laid Down | 12 June 1940 |
| Launched | 5 May 1941 |
| Commissioned | 29 September 1941 |
| Length | 58.22 m (191 ft) |
| Beam | 4.90 m (16 ft 1 in) |
| Draught | 4.62 m (15 ft 2 in) |
| Displacement | 545 tons surfaced 740 tons submerged |
| Speed | 11.25 knots surfaced 10 knots submerged |
| Complement | Approximately 31 officers and men |
| Armament |
4 × 21-inch bow torpedo tubes Up to 8 torpedoes 1 × 3-inch deck gun |
Service History
Commissioned in September 1941, HMS P.39 was allocated to the Mediterranean where Malta had become the Royal Navy's principal offensive submarine base. Operating from Grand Harbour, submarines of the 10th Submarine Flotilla attacked Axis merchant shipping carrying troops, fuel and supplies to North Africa.
The constant pressure placed upon the Axis supply routes from Malta-based submarines played a vital role in disrupting the logistics supporting the German Afrika Korps and Italian forces. However, the success of the flotilla came at a heavy price, as Malta itself endured almost continuous bombing during 1941 and 1942.
Loss of HMS P.39
On 26 March 1942, during one of the heaviest Axis air raids on Malta, HMS P.39 was lying alongside in Grand Harbour when bombs exploded close to the submarine. The blast caused severe structural damage, flooding and distortion of her pressure hull.
Although there was no catastrophic loss of life aboard, the damage proved beyond economical repair. After inspection it was decided that HMS P.39 could not be returned to operational service. She was subsequently stripped of useful equipment before her hulk was scuttled off Malta.
The loss of P.39 further reduced the strength of the Malta submarine flotilla during one of the most critical periods of the Siege of Malta. Together with other submarines damaged in harbour, her fate illustrated that vessels were almost as vulnerable alongside as they were on operational patrol.
Roll of Honour
HMS P.39 was rendered a constructive total loss during the Axis air raid on Malta on 26 March 1942. Contemporary Royal Navy records indicate that there were no fatalities when the submarine was damaged beyond repair, as her crew had taken shelter ashore during the attack.
Following the loss of the submarine, members of P.39's ship's company were reassigned to other vessels. Two officers were subsequently lost on 8 May 1942 while leaving Malta aboard HMS Olympus, which struck a mine shortly after departing Grand Harbour. Their names are recorded under HMS P.39 in Malta Defiant & Triumphant – Rolls of Honour 1940–1943 and are also commemorated on the HMS Olympus memorial at Fort St Elmo.
| Name | Rank | Fate |
|---|---|---|
| Hawkyard, Douglas | Temporary Sub-Lieutenant, RNR | Lost in HMS Olympus, 8 May 1942 |
| Owen, Ronald P. G. | Temporary Lieutenant, RNR | Lost in HMS Olympus, 8 May 1942 |
Although HMS P.39 herself did not suffer fatalities during the air raid that ended her operational career, these two officers remained part of her ship's company and are commemorated in connection with the submarine on Malta's Submarine Roll of Honour.
Legacy
Although HMS P.39 was not lost during an operational patrol, her destruction was a direct consequence of the relentless Axis bombing campaign against Malta. The loss of submarines while alongside in harbour demonstrated that the island's naval base was under constant threat and that no vessel was truly safe during the siege.
Together with submarines such as HMS P.36, HMS P.39 represented the sacrifices made by the Royal Navy's 10th Submarine Flotilla while operating from Malta. The flotilla's attacks on Axis supply convoys played a vital role in weakening enemy forces in North Africa and contributed significantly to the eventual Allied victory in the Mediterranean.
Today HMS P.39 is commemorated on the Submarine Roll of Honour at Fort St Elmo, Valletta, alongside the Royal Navy, Free French and Royal Hellenic Navy submarines that operated from Malta during the Second World War.
Related Pages
Photograph
A wartime photograph of HMS P.39 will be added here when available.