Some U-class boats retained P numbers because they were lost before receiving names. Others were meant to be formally commissioned at a destination they never reached. Urgent missions could also send a boat straight out before its planned ceremony. Wartime deployment and losses could therefore interrupt the intended naming sequence.
Notable Point · 6:53:46-6:54:13
Why some wartime U-class boats never received names
Operational urgency sent several U-class boats to sea under P numbers before formal naming, and some were lost before the ceremony could occur.