HMS Urge Submarine Memorial

📍 HMS Urge Submarine Memorial

Location Map Coordinates 35.902231, 14.519625

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Introduction: An Outstanding Record of Success

HMS Urge was a British U-class submarine of the Royal Navy that achieved legendary status during a critical phase of the Second World War. Operating from Malta between 1941 and 1942, HMS Urge maintained an outstanding record of success against Axis forces. Her crew consistently damaged and destroyed enemy warships and supply ships, landed and recovered British Special Forces, and safely deployed secret agents on hostile coastlines while defending vital Malta supply convoys.

The Fateful Patrol and Discovery

Shortly before dawn on April 27, 1942, HMS Urge slipped out of Malta bound for Alexandria, tasked with escaping the severe aerial bombardment targeting the island. Tragically, she was never heard from again. She sank on course from Malta to Egypt with the loss of all 32 of her ship's company along with 12 passengers. The mystery of her final resting place endured for generations until 2019, when a specialized search project led by the University of Malta, in coordination with Maltese authorities and the commanding officer's family, discovered the wreck intact on the seabed, proving she had struck a German mine during her exit.

The historical text inscribed upon the memorial monument records the high esteem in which the vessel and her commander were held by the Admiralty:

"THE ADMIRALAL IN COMMAND OF THE ROYAL NAVY'S SUBMARINES IN 1942 STATED THAT LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER TOMKINSON'S COURAGE, LEADERSHIP AND GREAT SKILL WERE SECOND TO NONE IN THE BRITISH SUBMARINE SERVICE, IN EITHER THE FIRST OR SECOND WORLD WARS. THE OFFICIAL REPORT INTO THE LOSS OF HMS URGE RECORDED THAT LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER TOMKINSON WAS AN OUTSTANDINGLY ABLE LEADER OF A FINE SHIP'S COMPANY, AND THAT HIS DETERMINATION, FORETHOUGHT AND EXCELLENT EYE PRODUCED RESULTS OF THE HIGHEST ORDER OF MERIT. FURTHER AWARDS TO HIM WERE INTENDED FOR A SUCCESSFUL ATTACK ON A BATTLESHIP, SPECIAL FORCES MISSIONS AND THE SINKING OF A CRUISER, BUT WERE PENDING AT THE DATE OF HIS LOSS."

"HMS URGE'S CREW BUILT A SUPERLATIVE REPUTATION AS FIGHTING SUBMARINERS, MOST HAVING SERVED WITH THE SUBMARINE SINCE LAUNCH. THE TOWN OF BRIDGEND IN WALES ADOPTED HMS URGE FROM NOVEMBER, 1941. AFTER THE WAR THE BRITISH ROYAL NAVY NAMED BUILDINGS IN HONOUR OF HMS URGE'S EXCEPTIONAL COMMANDING OFFICER AND SHIP'S COMPANY."

THE COURAGE AND SACRIFICE OF ALL THOSE LOST IN HMS URGE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN.

HMS Urge Casualties & Passengers: Roll of Honour

Below is the fully transcribed list of casualties from the fateful sinking on April 27, 1942, as well as personnel lost on earlier special operations, categorized by their structural roles aboard the vessel.