September 18th - On This Date - RN Submarine Service

1916                Submarine HMS E49 launched

1933                Submarine HMS Snapper laid down

1941                Four Royal Navy U class submarines attacked a heavily escorted Italian convoy off the North African coast, sinking two large transports and damaging the third

1941                HMS Upholder sinks the Italian troop ships Neptunia and Oceania; 384 people are drowned

1941                HMS Triumph torpedoes and damages the Italian tanker Ardor off Capo Colonna.

1941                HMS Ursula fires three torpedoes against the Italian troop transport Vulcania off Tripoli, Libya. All torpedoes missed.

1944                HMS Tradewind torpedoes and sinks the Japanese army cargo ship Junyo Maru about 18 nautical miles south of Mukomuko, Sumatra, Netherlands East Indies. Unbeknown to the Commanding Officer of the submarine, the Japanese ship was carrying 4200 Javanese slave labourers and 2300 Allied prisoners from Batavia to Padang. 5620 lives were lost in the sinking.