HMS Union (N56)

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Union.

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Union
Builder	Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down	9 December 1939
Launched	1 October 1940
Commissioned	22 February 1941
Fate	Sunk 20 July 1941
General characteristics
Displacement	960 long tons (980 t) surfaced 1,150 long tons (1,170 t) submerged
Length	192 ft (58.5 m)
Beam	16 ft (4.9 m)
Draught	15 ft 9 in (4.8 m)
Installed power	615 bhp (459 kW) (diesel) 825 hp (615 kW) (electric)
Propulsion	2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	11.25 kn (20.84 km/h; 12.95 mph) surfaced 9 kn (17 km/h; 10 mph) submerged
Range	4,050 nmi (7,500 km; 4,660 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) on the surface
Test depth	200 feet (61.0 m)
Complement	33
Armament	4 × bow 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes 1 × 12-pdr deck gun

HMS Union was a British U class submarine, of the second group of that class, built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness. She was laid down on 9 December 1939 and was commissioned on 22 February 1941.

Career and sinking

Union spent much of her short career operating in the Mediterranean, where she sank the Italian merchant Pietro Querini. Her success was short-lived however. Union sailed from Malta at 1 o’clock on the morning of 14 July 1941 with orders to intercept a convoy north of Tripoli the following day. On 20 July 1941 she was depth charged and sunk with all hands during an attack on the convoy by the Italian torpedo boat Circe south of Pantelleria. When Union failed to return to Malta she was reported overdue on 22 July 1941.

References

• Akermann, Paul (2002). Encyclopaedia of British Submarines 1901–1955 (reprint of the 1989 ed.). Penzance, Cornwall: Periscope Publishing. ISBN 1-904381-05-7.
• Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• McCartney, Innes (2006). British Submarines 1939–1945. New Vanguard. Vol. 129. Oxford, UK: Osprey. ISBN 1-84603-007-2.

External links

• The abandoned Pietro Querini photographed by a Malta-based RAF Blenheim. The vessel later sank