The Admiralty's loss notice unusually praised Upholder and her Malta record as an inspiration to her flotilla and the wider fleet, signalling how exceptional her reputation had become. Under Lieutenant Commander David Wanklyn, Upholder completed 24 patrols from Malta and sank roughly 93,000 gross registered tons of Axis shipping. Her victims included troop transports, a fleet destroyer, and enemy submarines, showing how one small boat could strike both the supply system and the warships protecting it. Even soldiers rescued from a sinking were unlikely to arrive ready for immediate service. Wanklyn received the Victoria Cross, and the later Upholder class of diesel-electric attack boats revived the submarine's name.
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HMS Upholder's Malta patrols and wartime reputation
Upholder's 24 Malta patrols struck Axis troop movements and warships, earning Wanklyn the Victoria Cross and an unusually warm Admiralty tribute when the boat was lost.