One of Our Submarines

Last updated
"One of Our Submarines"
Single by Thomas Dolby
from the album Blinded by Science EP
Released1982
Recorded1981
Genre Synthpop, new wave
Length5:11
7:18 (extended version)
Label Venice in Peril (UK)
Capitol Records (U.S.)
Songwriter(s) Thomas Dolby
Producer(s) Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby singles chronology
"She Blinded Me With Science"
(1982)		"One of Our Submarines"
(1982)		"Hyperactive!"
(1984)

"One of Our Submarines" is a song by British musician Thomas Dolby. The song was recorded in August 1982 and remains a favourite among Thomas Dolby fans. Originally written for the Thompson Twins, [1] the track was released in a 12" extended version (found on the successful 1982 "Blinded by Science" EP) clocking in at 7:18, as well as in the album version found on The Golden Age of Wireless .

Contents

Inspiration

The inspiration for the song was Dolby's late uncle, who died as a submarine crewman during World War II. On February 2, 2018, Dolby published this statement on his personal Facebook page: [2]

In 1981 I wrote a song called 'One Of Our Submarines.' It was the B-side to the single 'She Blinded Me With Science', and the two songs were included on a reissue of my debut album The Golden Age of Wireless.

In interviews I often told the story of my uncle, Stephen Spring-Rice, who was 2nd in command of a British Navy WW2 submarine P48 when it sank, with the loss of all hands. In the song lyrics, his submarine 'ran aground on manoeuvres.' I imagined this took place off the coast of England in a non-combat situation, near Plymouth where she was stationed. This was the story as I remembered it in family folklore—or as I pictured it at the time. (I have often written lyrics that rhymed and scanned and used poetic license, without much solid research behind them!) In 1981 not much was known or published about Stephen’s U-boat, P48, other than a book by the same title that included a dedication to 'Sprice.'

In the 35+ years since I wrote the song, a great deal more information about P48 has come to light. Certain naval records have become declassified. Commissioned in 1942, she had a short-lived but quite action-packed career. In particular, it is now known that Stephen’s sub, P48, was actually lost off the coast of Tunisia. She was depth charged by the Italian torpedo boat Ardente on Christmas Day in 1942 at 37°15'N, 10°30'E, near to Zembra Island. She was tracking an important enemy ship convoy, one of which she may have destroyed. It is not clear whether she sank right away or survived initially only to perish elsewhere. [3]

In the last few months, a dive expedition off the North African coast believe they have located the wreck of the P48 submarine. In July 2018 they hope to dive to the wreck, which may reveal clearer a clearer picture of her sinking. Obviously, I’m very keen to follow their progress, and I will update the story I tell—though it’s a little too late to change the lyrics to 'One Of Our Submarines.'

Remixes

In 2002, an EP of techno remixes was released on Salz Music, including versions by Ricardo Villalobos and Hardfloor.

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Dolby</span> English musician (born 1958)

Thomas Morgan Robertson, known by the stage name Thomas Dolby, is an English musician, producer, composer, entrepreneur and teacher.

German submarine U-869 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II, her keel was laid down 5 April 1943 by Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG Weser of Bremen. It was commissioned on 26 January 1944 with Kapitänleutnant Hellmut Neuerburg in command. Neuerburg went down with his boat. The wreck of U-869 was discovered off the coast of New Jersey in 1991.

German submarine <i>U-853</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-853 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 21 August 1942 by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen. She was commissioned on 25 June 1943 with Kapitänleutnant Helmut Sommer in command. U-853 saw action during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. She conducted three patrols, sinking two ships totalling 5,353 GRT and 430 tons.

HMS <i>Sidon</i> (P259) Royal Navy submarine sunk in Portland Harbour by explosion of a faulty torpedo

HMS Sidon was a submarine of the Royal Navy, launched in September 1944, one of the third group of S class built by Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead, named after the naval bombardment of Sidon in 1840. An explosion caused by a faulty torpedo sank her in Portland Harbour with the loss of 13 lives.

USS <i>Crevalle</i> Submarine of the United States

USS Crevalle (SS/AGSS-291), a Balao-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy named for the crevalle, the yellow mackerel, a food fish, found on both coasts of tropical America, and in the Atlantic as far north as Cape Cod.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She Blinded Me with Science</span> 1982 single by Thomas Dolby

"She Blinded Me with Science" is a song by the English musician Thomas Dolby, released in 1982. It was first released as a single in the UK in October 1982. It was subsequently included on the EP Blinded by Science and the 1983 re-release of Dolby's debut album The Golden Age of Wireless.

<i>The Golden Age of Wireless</i> 1982 studio album by Thomas Dolby

The Golden Age of Wireless is the debut album by English musician Thomas Dolby. Originally released in May 1982, the album was reissued in a number of different configurations, with later resequencings including the pop hit "She Blinded Me with Science".

<i>Blinded by Science</i> 1983 EP by Thomas Dolby

Blinded by Science is an EP by new wave/synthpop artist Thomas Dolby, comprising extended 12-inch single versions of songs from the 1982 album The Golden Age of Wireless. It was released in 1983.

<i>Shadow Divers</i> Book by Robert Kurson recounting the discovery of a World War II German U-boat wreck

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II is a 2004 non-fiction book by Robert Kurson recounting of the discovery of a World War II German U-boat 60 miles (97 km) off the coast of New Jersey, United States in 1991, exploration dives, and its eventual identification as U-869 lost on 11 February 1945.

HMS <i>Holland 5</i> Submarine of the Royal Navy

Holland 5 was the last of the five Holland-class submarines ordered by the British Admiralty to evaluate the potential of the submarine with the Royal Navy. She was one of the first submarines to be accepted into Royal Navy service, and unique to her class, she carried one of the earliest periscopes. By the time she was launched, a number of A-class submarines had already been ordered to replace this class in navy service.

German submarine <i>U-352</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-352 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 11 March 1940, at the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft yard at Flensburg, launched on 7 May 1941, and commissioned on 28 August 1941, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hellmut Rathke. She was part of the 3rd U-boat Flotilla, and was ready for front-line service by 1 January 1942.

HMS <i>P48</i> (1942) Submarine of the Royal Navy

HMS P48 was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. Commissioned on 18 June 1942, she spent most of her career in the Mediterranean Sea.

SM UB-65 was a Type UB III U-boat of the Imperial German Navy during World War I. Ordered on 20 May 1916, the U-boat was built at the Vulkan Werke shipyard in Hamburg, launched on 26 June 1917, and commissioned on 18 August 1917, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Martin Schelle.

German submarine <i>U-123</i> (1940) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-123 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II. After that conflict, she became the French submarine Blaison (Q165) until she was decommissioned on 18 August 1959.

HMS <i>Saracen</i> (P247) S-class submarine of the Royal Navy

HMS Saracen was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War. Completed in 1942, Saracen conducted a patrol in the North Sea where she sank a German U-boat. She was then assigned to the 10th Submarine Flotilla in Malta, from where she made three patrols; on her second, she sank an Italian submarine. Saracen was then reassigned to the 8th Submarine Flotilla, based in Algiers, French North Africa.

German submarine <i>U-701</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-701 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that served in the North Atlantic during World War II. It was launched on 16 April 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Horst Degen, with a crew of 43.

SM UB-32 was a German Type UB II submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 22 July 1915 and launched on 4 December 1915. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 11 April 1916 as SM UB-32.

SM UC-44 was a German Type UC II minelaying submarine or U-boat in the German Imperial Navy during World War I. The U-boat was ordered on 20 November 1915 and was launched on 10 October 1916. She was commissioned into the German Imperial Navy on 4 November 1916 as SM UC-44. In 6 patrols UC-44 was credited with sinking 28 ships, either by torpedo or by mines laid. UC-44 was sunk by the detonation of one of her own mines off the Irish coast at position 52°07′N6°59′W on 4 August 1917; its commander, Kurt Teppenjohanns, was the only survivor. UC-44's wreck was raised by the Royal Navy in September 1917 and later broken up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Europa and the Pirate Twins</span> 1981 single by Thomas Dolby

"Europa and the Pirate Twins" is a song by English artist Thomas Dolby, from his 1982 album The Golden Age of Wireless. Written by Dolby, who produced it alongside Tim Friese-Greene, the song was released as a single on 3 October 1981.

German submarine U-576 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She carried out five patrols, sinking four ships of 15,450 gross register tons (GRT) and damaging two more of 19,457 GRT. She was sunk on 15 July 1942 by depth charges from two US aircraft and gunfire from a merchant ship, near the East Coast of the United States. The wreck was discovered in August 2014.

References

  1. ↑ J, Andy (2004-01-21). "Andy J's Guide to Thomas Dolby". Archived from the original on October 18, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  2. ↑ Dolby, Thomas (February 2, 2018). "Thomas Dolby - Posts". Facebook.
  3. ↑ "HMS P 48 (P 48)". uboat.net.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.