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RN:
The Commanding Officer, Lieut Cdr R D Cayley, DSO, RN, (center) with his officers and men on board U class submarine HMS Utmost beneath their Jolly Roger, Holy Loch Feb 6, 1942
8 merchant ships sunk (white bars) 1 warship (red bar - darker on in the pic) 8 "cloak and dagger" ops (daggers on the right) 1 rescue (life bouy) 1 gun action (star) 1 gun action
17 Nov 1942
HMS Utmost (Lt. J.W.D. Coombe, RN) departed Malta for her 25th war patrol (22th in the Mediterranean). She was ordered to patrol between Tunisia and Sicily.
23 Nov 1942
HMS Utmost (Lt. J.W.D. Coombe, RN) attacked the Italian auxiliary minelayer Barletta (1975 GRT) with torpedoes with torpedoes 3 miles north of Cape Blanc (Bizerta). No hits were obtained.
Barletta was on passage from Palermo to Bizerta escorted by the torpedo boat Groppo (C.C. Beniamine Farina). At 1215 hours, the minelayer observed three torpedo tracks, took evading action and dropped three depth charges. Groppo who was ahead and equipped with sonar did not observe or hear anything. Barletta went on to Bizerta while the torpedo boat turned back to search for the submarine. Groppo observed only dead fish which marked the position of Barletta’s depth charges but did not obtain a contact.
Utmost had withdrawn from the area and reported in her last signal timed 1231A/23 that she had made a successful attack. Perhaps the depth charges from Barletta had been mistaken for hits. She was in approximately 37°40'N, 11°03'E at 2200A and was expected in Malta on 25 November.
Italian radio finding had detected the signal and estimated it to be from a position about 010° - 35 miles from Bizerta or approximately 37°50'N, 10°00'E. She was never heard again and disappeared with all hands.
It is most likely that HMS Utmost was lost on a minefield as she was returning to Malta.
The Commanding Officer, Lieut Cdr R D Cayley, DSO, RN, (center) with his officers and men on board U class submarine HMS Utmost beneath their Jolly Roger, Holy Loch Feb 6, 1942
8 merchant ships sunk (white bars) 1 warship (red bar - darker on in the pic) 8 "cloak and dagger" ops (daggers on the right) 1 rescue (life bouy) 1 gun action (star) 1 gun action
17 Nov 1942
HMS Utmost (Lt. J.W.D. Coombe, RN) departed Malta for her 25th war patrol (22th in the Mediterranean). She was ordered to patrol between Tunisia and Sicily.
23 Nov 1942
HMS Utmost (Lt. J.W.D. Coombe, RN) attacked the Italian auxiliary minelayer Barletta (1975 GRT) with torpedoes with torpedoes 3 miles north of Cape Blanc (Bizerta). No hits were obtained.
Barletta was on passage from Palermo to Bizerta escorted by the torpedo boat Groppo (C.C. Beniamine Farina). At 1215 hours, the minelayer observed three torpedo tracks, took evading action and dropped three depth charges. Groppo who was ahead and equipped with sonar did not observe or hear anything. Barletta went on to Bizerta while the torpedo boat turned back to search for the submarine. Groppo observed only dead fish which marked the position of Barletta’s depth charges but did not obtain a contact.
Utmost had withdrawn from the area and reported in her last signal timed 1231A/23 that she had made a successful attack. Perhaps the depth charges from Barletta had been mistaken for hits. She was in approximately 37°40'N, 11°03'E at 2200A and was expected in Malta on 25 November.
Italian radio finding had detected the signal and estimated it to be from a position about 010° - 35 miles from Bizerta or approximately 37°50'N, 10°00'E. She was never heard again and disappeared with all hands.
It is most likely that HMS Utmost was lost on a minefield as she was returning to Malta.
