The Polish exile navy accepted the old American S-25 after the Royal Navy judged its unique controls awkward for British training and operations. As Jastrzab, the boat covered convoy PQ 15 but encountered escorts after the convoy diverted around ice. Allied standing orders required submarines to keep clear and escorts to attack unidentified contacts quickly, so HMS Seagull and the Norwegian destroyer St Albans depth-charged and damaged her beyond recovery. Later accounts assigned blame, although the wartime court of inquiry censured no commander and treated the loss as a recognition failure under operational orders.
Notable Point · 39:54-48:04
Jastrzab and the lethal identification rules around convoy PQ 15
The old American S-25 became Polish Jastrzab and was lost when an Allied convoy escort attacked a submarine inside the convoy's diverted route.