Unbeaten left the island again on the evening of the 24th of June 1941, destined for her third patrol, only two days after returning from her last jaunt. She would head north to join the submarines Urge and Upholder which were already on station. The position of Unbeaten’s patrol area was a long way off Cape Passero. She was placed there in anticipation of intelligence received stating that an enemy convoy, consisting of four large merchantmen and five destroyers, was due to pass that area. Unbeaten only remained in that area for a short period of time. The enemy convoy was actually attacked by the Fleet Air Arm some distance from Unbeaten. Not long afterwards the boat received a recall back to Malta, safely entering harbour on Friday the 27th of June 1941.
Meanwhile back in Great Britain during June 1941, a renowned sailor, scientist, and socialist was seconded to assist RAF Coastal Command in the war effort. His job was to head a team whose task it was to develop new procedures and equipment for use in the hunting and attacking of U-boats from the air. His appointment would have a direct effect on Unbeaten, although no one knew it yet.
Unbeaten’s next patrol from Malta was between the 11th to the 22nd June 1941. She was to proceed to the areas East of Sicily and to the South of the Straits of Messina. At 13:45 on the 11th Unbeaten sailed from her Lazaretto base at Manoel Island; having had repairs to the damaged caused by the heavy depth charging she received during her last patrol. This second patrol for Unbeaten would also be an eventful one. However un-like her first, this patrol would see one of her crew sail from Malta, never to return. The book will go into greater detail
about this fateful patrol. The book is well on track for its release date in November 2012. The completed chapters are sucessfully passing proof reading. The fantastic book cover is complete and looks really great. The cover art and book title will be added to this site near publication. The cover was initially designed by me in-conjunction with a talented designer from Germany, who happens to be an authority on WWII German U-Boats. My research is always ongoing, I find out more about Unbeaten and her crew every day. Everyone who as contributed to the making of this book has been fantastic, so far. I won't lie and say it has been easy, but I will push on and see it through. The story needs to be told. These men should not be forgotten!
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