HMS Untiring (P59): A Halibut Boat Sunk by Accident

Constructed at Newcastle

HMS Untiring was built by Vickers Armstrong at Newcastle-on-Tyne, launched on 20 January 1943 and commissioned on 9 June 1943 under Lieutenant Robert Boyd, a U-class submarine that would go on to fifteen war patrols, chiefly in the Mediterranean after initial operations off Norway and in the Bay of Biscay.

An Unfortunate Start

During her shakedown cruise off Norway on 27 August 1943, Untiring sank the Norwegian fishing vessel Havbris I while it was out fishing for halibut, a remarkably awkward opening note for a submarine that would soon go on to far more legitimate targets.

Real Successes in the Mediterranean

Untiring redeemed herself with a solid run of Mediterranean successes: Netztender 44, a German net layer also known as Prudente, on 14 December 1943; the barge F 296 off Genoa on 6 January 1944; the barges FP 352 and FP 358, known as Jean Suzon and St Antoine, off Cape Drammont on 31 January 1944; the auxiliary minesweeper M 6022, or Enseigne, on 11 April 1944; the auxiliary submarine chaser UJ 6075, or Clairvoyant, off Toulon on 27 April 1944; the merchant vessels Diana and Astrée that April and May; and finally the auxiliary submarine chaser UJ 6078, or La Havraise, on 10 June 1944, a productive run against a mix of naval auxiliaries and merchant shipping.

A Long Retirement Under Two Flags

Untiring was loaned to the Royal Hellenic Navy in July 1945 under the name Xifias, serving with the Greek fleet for seven years before returning to British control in 1952.

She was finally sunk as an Asdic training target off Start Point on 25 July 1957, and today rests in 53 metres of water near Salcombe in good condition, a popular dive site for those wanting to visit the submarine that once, memorably, sank a fishing boat by mistake.