Quote:

Platon Alexiades
All the indications point at this period that URGE would reach the meridian of Ras Hilal during the night of 2/3 May (not on the morning of 29 April!), please refer to the signal from HMS PORPOISE.

Could HMS URGE have gone to Ras Hilal? Not entirely impossible: if she had mechanical defects that forced her to abandon her attempt to reach Alexandria. She might have tried to reach the Libyan coast ca. 3 May but then nobody claimed her sunk at that time and there were no minefields at Ras Hilal.

Hi Platon,
Your above cited arguments are most convincing against my thoughts. And, of course you are right, when you say:
"I need more proofs than wild guesses ...".

But I (and not me alone) am defending my guesses as long as I don't know enough about facts, which at last discredit my theory. Controversial theories and even guesses are helpful to find out the real solid and convincing arguments.

For the case of URGE I have to concede: As no other orders exist, URGE had, of course, to hold her (slow) average speed, and that means, URGE would in no case have crossed the course of SAN GIUSTO on 29th April, not before 3rd October, however she took the deepwater course or the coastal course, respectively.

And as no other of the submarines took the coastal course it is unprobable that URGE did so, on her own responsibility.

Thanks a lot, Platon, for your detailed elaboration. It was very, very helpful for me.

With best regards
Thomas