~ WW2 British HMS Upstart 1942 Royal Navy U Class Submarine Bronze Badge ~
The central image depicts a classical sailor tied to a ships wheel with the submarines name above and their motto “Boldly Intruding” below. It comes with a mounting board.
This is most likely a screen badge as it is too large to be a tompion (a gun muzzle cover).
It has been heavily polished especially to the centre and lower half, a sure sign of active duty at sea!
~ HMS Upstart ~
HMS Upstart (P65) was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Upstart. After the war, she was loaned to the Greek Navy and renamed Amfitriti.
Upstart spent most of her wartime career operating off the south coast of France, where she sank the French fishing vessels Grotte de Bethlehem and Torpille, the German auxiliary minelayer Niedersachsen (the former French Guyane) and the German merchant Tolentino (the former French Saumur). She also launched failed attacks against the French merchant Medjerda and the Italian merchant Pascoli.
Upstart survived the war and was loaned to the Greek Navy in 1945, where she was renamed Amfitriti. She served with the Greek Navy for seven years, and was returned to the Royal Navy in 1952. She was subsequently sunk as an ASDIC target off the Isle of Wight on 29 July 1959.
~ Condition ~
The piece is heavily polished leading to some loss of definition. One of the fixing screws is bent.
~ Dimensions ~
The actual badge is 18 cm (7.25 inches) wide on the banner by 24 cm (9.5 inches) tall.
The board is 22 cm (8.75 inches) wide by 32 cm (11.5 inches) tall.
The total weight is 3.72 Kg.
#9230
