British Submarines of World War Two - Part 5

Junon to Oxley
Page last Updated:
5-Jan-2008

Name Class Pennant Crew Built Builder Disposal Date Method

Junon
Minerve P19 42 15-Sep-35 Normand, Le Havre 6 Dec 54
Scrap
FS Junon French SM in UK at fall of France and taken under RN control 1940, given to Free French Navy. Took part in Operation Musketoon, the transportation, from the Orkneys, and landing of 12 Commandos at Bjaerangfjord, Norway for a successful raid on an aluminium factory at Glomfjord. Chosen for its similarity, in silhouette, to a U-boat.
19 Oct 42, torpedoed and sank the Norwegian merchant Nordland (725 GRT) off the coast of Norway, 67º12'N, 12º57'E.
Dundee until 44 then returned to France - reserve at Oran. Decommissioned 6 Dec 54.

L23
L 23L, 23N, N23 39 1-Jul-19 Vickers, Barrow 1946 Scrap/Lost
L23 diving Completed at Chatham Dockyard. Commissioned 5-8-24. Sep 39-Mar 40-6th Flotilla Rosyth and Blyth. Patrols off Norway Dec 1939 and Feb 1940. Heavily depth charged off Danish coast, repaired Rosyth. Mar-May 40-5th Flotilla at Portsmouth. May-Jun 40 - 3rd Flotilla Rosyth for patrols off Texel. From the end of 1941 onwards was used mostly for AS training. From Mar 43 in Canada for Anti-Submarine Training running from Halifax and Digby. 22 Feb 1943 sent to Philadelphia, USA for a refit. Sold to Metal Industries, Montreal, in 1946 for scrap. Broke adrift under tow and foundered off the coast of Nova Scotia.

L23 and L26 at Gosport, outside Otway.

L26
L 26L, 26N, N26 39 29-May-19 Vickers. Barrow 1946 Target
L26 Completed at Chatham Dockyard, commissioned 12-Oct-26. Aug 39 - Nov 39 - 6th Flotilla at Rosyth. Nov 39-May 40-5th Flotilla Portsmouth. May-Jun 40 - 3rd Flotilla Rosyth. 18 May 40 picked up 9 refugees in an open boat in the North Sea. Mar 41-Feb 43 - 7th Flotilla Rothesay employed in Anti-Submarine Training. May 44 on assignment to RCN working at first from Bermuda and from Oct 44 at Halifax Sep 46 - Bottomed in St. Margaret's Bay, outside Halifax, as a sonar bottom target. Rediscovered during the search for remains of SwissAir Flight 111. Dived on and photographed by Eco-Nova Productions Ltd., Halifax.

L27
L 27L, 27N, N27 39 14-Jun-19 Vickers, Barrow 1946 Scrap
Completed at Chatham Dockyard, commissioned 25-Mar-26. Nov 39-Apr 41- 5th Flotilla. Refit then to Rosyth. Sep 40 to July 41 (Lt. R.E. Campbell, RN) made patrols in Bay of Biscay. While off Cherbourg on 16 Oct 40 made three torpedo hits on a 7000-ton merchant ship escorted by 7 trawlers. On 5 Nov 40 had bridge wrecked by a mine while dived. After repairs was assigned to training duties. Jun 41 - Sep 43 7th Flotilla Rothesay on Anti-Submarine Training.
Sep 43 - To Royal Canadian Navy for A/S Training at Halifax and Bermuda. July 1946 sold to Metal Industries, Montreal, CA, where she was eventually scrapped.
L27 Pre-War

November 1940

Minerve
Minerve P26 42 23 Oct 34 Arsenal de Cherbourg, FR 19 Sep 45 Scrap, Sunk
In Plymouth at the fall of France, July 1940. Seized by Britain and given to Free French Navy in September 1940.
19 Apr 41, (Lt. P.M. Sonneville) fired two torpedoes against the Norwegian tanker (in German control) Tiger (3941 GRT) north-west of Egersund, Norway, 58º42'N, 05º34'E.
10 Oct 43, attacked by a Coastal Command Liberator, killing two crew, about 300 miles west of Brest. Minerve was on the surface repairing a diesel engine when attacked. Decommissioned in 1945, on 19 September 1945, on her way to scrap, Minerve ran aground after her tow line parted. She lies off Chesil Beach, near Portland, Dorset, UK, 50.31.01N, 02.27.06W in 10 meters of water, and is apparently badly broken up.

Narwhal
Porpoise 45M, N45 55 28-Feb-36 Vickers Armstrong Barrow 01-Aug-40 War Loss
Narwhal Minelayer; Lt.Cdr. E.R.J. Oddie, RN.
25 Feb 40, the German submarine U-63, trying to attack convoy HN-14, in doing so she was sighted by Narwhal. The escorting destoyers HMS Escort, HMS Inglefield and HMS Imogen were warned. They located, attacked and sank U-63 with depth charges south east of the Shetland Islands.
Lt Cdr Ronald J Burch DSO RN
4 Apr 40, laid minefield FD 1 (50 mines) in the North Sea in position 54º37'N, 06º35'E.
13 Apr 40, the German armed trawler V403/Deutschland damaged when she hit a mine laid by Narwhal on 4 Apr 40 off Skagen.
13 Apr 40, laid minefield FD 5 (50 mines) in the Kattegat in position 57º26'N, 10º45'E.
20 Apr 40, the German merchant Togo (5042 GRT) damaged when hitting a mine laid by Narwhal on 13 Apr 40 off Skagen in position 57º26'N, 10º45'E.
23 Apr 40, the German auxiliary minesweeper M1302/Schwaben (436 GRT) sunk on a mine laid by Narwhal on 13 Apr 40 off Skagen in position 57º26'N, 10º45'E.
On the night of 1 May 1940, Narwhal had just finished laying mines in the Kattegat, in the entrance to Laeso Rende, when several ships including the German Buenos Aires sailed into his periscope sights. In a well executed attack, several torpedoes were fired and Buenos Aires quickly sank with 30 casualties. On the same night, Narwhal also torpedoed and severely damaged S.S. Bahia Castillo II (8,570 grt) which belonged to the same company that had owned Buenos Aires. The ship was towed to Kiel and after inspection was found to be beyond economical repair and was subsequently broken up.
1 May 40, the Swedish merchant Haga (1296 GRT) sinks on a mine laid by Narwhal on the same day in the Skaggerak east of Cape Skagen in position 57º30'N, 10º43'E.
1 May 40, laid minefield FD 6 (50 mines) in the Kattegat in position 57º30'N, 10º43'E.
3 May 40, the German auxilary minesweeper M1102/H.A.W. Möller sinks on a mine laid by Narwhal on 1 May 40 in the Skaggerak east of Cape Skagen in position 57º30'N, 10º43'E.
11 May 40, laid minefield FD 12 (50 mines) off Bud, Norway in position 62º58'N, 06º48'E.
30 May 40, the German armed trawler V1109/Antares (291 GRT) sinks on a mine laid by Narwhal on 11 May 1940 off Molde, Norway in position 62º58'N, 06º48'E.
3 Jun 40, laid minefield FD 16 (50 mines) off Jaederens Point, Norway in position 58º46'N, 05º25'E.
5 Jun 40, the German merchant Palime (2863 GRT) and the German minesweeper M 11 (874 tons) both hits mines. The M 11 sinks while the Palime is beached and later delared a total loss. The mines were laid by Narwhal on 3 June 40 off Feiestein, Norway in position 58º46'N, 05º25'E.
12 Jun 40, laid minefield FD19 (50 mines) off Haugesund, Norway in position 59º26'N, 05º10'E.
4 Jul 40, laid minefield FD 21 (50 mines) north of Kristiansund, Norway in position 63º15'N, 07º39'E.
6 Jul 40, the German auxiliary submarine chaser UJD/Treff VIII (356 GRT) sinks on a mine laid by Narwhal on 4 Jul 40 off the Norwegian coast in position 63º15'N, 07º34'E.
28 Sep 40, the German merchant Clara M. Russ (1600 GRT) damaged when hitting a Narwhal mine laid on 3 June 40, 15 nm SW of Stavanger, Norway in position 58º46'N, 05º25'E.
13 Oct 40, the German auxiliary minesweepers Gnom7, Kobold1 and Kobold3 sink on mines laid by Narwhal on 12 Jun 40 off the Osterfjord, Norway in position 59º26'N, 05º10'E.
Sailed from Blyth 22-Jul-40 to lay mines off Kristiansand, Norway on 23-Jul-40. German Dornier-17 aircraft reported attacking a submarine of afternoon of 28-Jul-40 about 125 nm east of Aberdeen, Scotland in position 56º50'N, 01º40'E. Narwhal failed to return to base and was paid off on 1-Aug-40. May have been sunk by German mines or aircraft; lost with all hands.

Oberon
O 21P, N21 55 24-Sep-26 HMDY Chatham 24-Aug-45 Scrap
Oberon Originally O-1. 1927-1931 5th Flotilla, Portsmouth. 1931-1934 1st Flotilla, Malta. 1934-1935 1st Flotilla, Home Fleet. 1935-1939 5th Flotilla, Portsmouth. Jun 1944 to Reserve. 11 Oct 1935 Damaged in collision with HMS Thanet at Devonport. 1938-1939 reserve and refit at Portsmouth. 2-Aug-39 recommissioned for war service, principally for training but with some patrols. Based on UK ports - 1940 7th Flotilla Holy Loch. March 1944 6th Flotilla Blyth - until paid off 5-Jul-44 at Blyth. 24-Aug-45 Sold for breaking up at Dunston. Had straight bow, compared with other O class.

Odin
O 84P, N84 55 21-Dec-29 HMDY Chatham 13-Jun-40 War Loss
Odin, alongside Medway (?) Portsmouth 1929-30; 4th Flotilla Hong Kong 1930-39; East Indies 39-40 (8th Flotilla Colombo); Malta/Alexandria (1st Flotilla) 1940. (CO Lt.Cdr K Woods RN) Sailed from Alexandria, Egypt, for patrol in Gulf of Taranto. The Italian Destroyer Strale sighted Odin at 2321 on 13-Jun-40. The Destroyer turned to attack, first with torpedoes, and then with gunfire. Strale then attempted to ram the submarine, which fired a torpedo from a stern tube before diving. Having failed to ram the submarine, the Strale launched a pattern of depth charges before returning to her designated patrol. At 0157 the Torpedo Boat Baleno sighted Odin surfacing about 9 miles from the position of the original attack. The Baleno also attempted to ram the submarine, which once again dived to avoid her pursuer. Passing over the area Baleno dropped two depth charges, turned and dropped three more. Later that morning aerial reconnaissance by the Italian Air Force revealed oil slicks in both attack areas. The Italians believed the attacks to be on two separate submarines, but it is believed that both attacks were on Odin. The first badly damaging the submarine, the second finished her off. Lost c 39-30'N, 17-30'E.
Odin

Olympus
O 35P, N35 55 1927-30 Beardmore, Dalmuir 8-May-42 War Loss
Olympus 1931-1939 4th Flotilla, China Station. 1939-1940 8th Flotilla, Colombo. 1940-1942 Mediterranean. Damaged 7 July 1940 by bomb while in dock in Malta. (CO Lt. Cdr H G Dymott RN) Left Malta 8 May 42 and lost off Malta Grand Harbour (6 miles from St Elmo Light) - German E-boat-laid mines. On passage with personnel from Malta to Gibraltar, including many of the crews of bombed submarines Pandora, P.36 and P.39. Survivors swam 7 miles back to Malta, but only nine survived. 89 men lost.

Orpheus
O 46P, N46 55 23-Sep-30 Beardmore, Dalmuir 19-Jun-40 War Loss
Orpheus Based Portsmouth 1930-31; 4th Flotilla Hong Kong 1931-39; 8th Flotilla Colombo, East Indies 1939-40; 1st Flotilla Alex/Malta 1940, CO Lt. Cdr J.A.S. Wise RN. Third submarine lost in a week (with Grampus and Odin), North of Tobruk, eastern Libya circa 34.00N, 24.00E - when depth charged by Italian destroyer Turbine. From Alexandria on patrol off coast of Libya, on her first Med patrol.

Osiris
O 67P, N67 55 25-Jan-29 Vickers Armstrong Barrow Sep 1946 Scrap
Osiris Portsmouth 1929-30; Hong Kong 1930-37; Portsmouth 1938-1939; Med 1939-42 (1st Flotilla, Malta and Alexandria); Lt Cdr J R Harvey RN; 16 Aug 1940 sank a transport. 22-Sep-40 sank Italian torpedo boat Palestro off Brindisi, Strait of Otranto, while attacking a convoy. When returning to Alexandria she was presented with a 'Jolly Roger' flag by the Captain SM, the first use of such a flag in WW2. Malta Bus operations 1940. Refit Chatham Jan-Jun 1941. 1st Flotilla Malta/Alex July 1941 to Aug 42; While on a patrol from Alexandria in Jan 42, Osiris lost first her starboard engine with a breakdown, then later, her port engine while in a force 6 gale; although they managed to make repairs, the patrol was abandoned and the boat returned to Alexandria, where prior to reaching port, the engines broke down again. The submarine was then relegated to non operational duties. Eastern Fleet for A/S training 1942-1944. Paid off March 1945. Scrapped 1946 at Durban.

Oswald
O 58P, N58 55 19-Jul-28 Vickers Armstrong Barrow 1-Aug-40 War Loss
Oswald Based at Portsmouth 1929-30, Hong Kong 1930-37, Portsmouth 1938-39, 1st Flotilla Malta 1939-40. Left Alexandria 19-Jul-40 for patrol east of Sicily. At 1230 30 July, spotted convoy of three merchant ships and several destroyers passing through the Strait of Messina. Sent sighting reports and made unsuccessful attack. Italian 14th and 16th Destroyer Squadrons ordered to seek out the submarine. Sighted on the surface at midnight 1-Aug-40, at range of 2500 meters, by Italian destroyer Ugolino Vivaldi. According to the subsequent investigation (Aug 1943) the Captain of Oswald (Lt. Cdr D A Fraser) was called to the bridge by the night-alarm, but was unable to see because he had been de-cyphering a signal in the wardroom without wearing night-adaption red goggles. He therefore took no avoiding action and no effort was made to man the gun or bring the torpedo tubes to bear. The destroyer came in to ram, hitting Oswald on the starboard side with a glancing blow, but the captain had ordered 'Abandon Ship', just before the collision. The submarine was scuttled by the captain's order. Lost 10 miles SE of Cape Spartivento, SW Italy in Ionian Sea. circa 37.50N 16.10E. Fifty two of the crew of fifty five survived.

Otus
O 92P, N92 55 31-Aug-28 Vickers Armstrong Barrow 1946 Scuttled
Otus Portsmouth 1929-30; 4th Flotilla Hong Kong 1930-39; 8th Flotilla Ceylon, Oct-39 to May-40. Med 1940-42 (1st Flotilla Alexandria, 8th Flotilla Gibraltar). Refit 1942. Transported aviation fuel, torpedoes and ammunition to Malta Aug 42. Returned to Home waters 1942 then South Atlantic for A/S training from 1943. Scuttled off Durban 1946.

Otway

OA2
O 51P, N51 53 9-Sep-27 Vickers Armstrong Barrow 1945 Scrap
Otway Designed and built for Australia, known as OA2. Commissioned 1 Apr 27 under the command of Lt Cdr George J.D. Tweedy RN. Departed Portsmouth, in company with her sister ship HMAS Oxley, on 8 Feb 28 and proceeded to Malta where both submarines were based until Nov 1928. On 15 Nov they departed Malta for Singapore, arrived in Sydney on 14 Feb 29. The remainder of Otway’s service with the Royal Australian Navy was confined to exercises off the NSW coast. On 10 May 1930 both Otway and Oxley paid off into Reserve, alternating with each other once weekly for diving exercises. Otway paid off on 9 Apr 31 for transfer to the RN, commissioning as HMS Otway on 10 April 1931. Sailed from Sydney on 29 Apr 31, in company with Oxley, for Malta. Based in Med 1931-1936; Portsmouth 1937-38; Reserve 1938-39 then recommissioned for war. Sept-39, 1st Flotilla, Malta; Nov-41, 7th Flotilla, Holy Loch; May-45 6th Flotilla, Blyth. Paid off on 24 August 1945 and was handed over to the British Iron and Steel Corporation. She was subsequently scrapped by Messrs T.W. Ward of Inverkeithing, who completed demolition towards the end of 1946.
Otway

Oxley
OA1
O 55P 55 1-Apr-27 Vickers Armstrong 10-Sep-39 War Loss
Designed and built for Australia. Commissioned on 1 Apr 27 under the command of Cdr Hugh R. Marrack DSC RN. Departed Portsmouth, in company with her sister ship HMAS Otway, on 8 February 1928 and proceeded to Malta where both submarines were based until November 1928. On 15 Nov 28 they departed Malta and, via the Suez Canal and Singapore, arrived in Sydney on 14 Feb 29. The remainder of Oxley's service with the Royal Australian Navy was confined to exercises off the NSW coast. On 10 May 30, both Oxley and Otway paid off into Reserve, alternating with each other once weekly for diving exercises. Oxley paid off on 9 April 1931 for transfer to the Royal Navy, commissioning as HMS Oxley on 10 April 1931. She sailed from Sydney on 29 April 1931, in company with Otway, for Malta. Med 1931-1936; Portsmouth 1937-38; Reserve 1938-39. Recommissioned for war. 2nd Flotilla, Dundee. (Lt Cdr H G Bowerman) Sunk off Obrestad, Norwegian coast, south of Stavanger (c 58-30'N, 5-30'E) - torpedoed in error by HMS/M Triton. Submarines Oxley and Triton were patrolling off Norway on 10-Sep-1939 and had been in regular contact when Triton spotted an unidentified submarine. Believing it might be Oxley, a number of signals of recognition were flashed by Triton. No reply was forthcoming and after several challenges Triton fired two torpedoes that struck the submarine and sent her to the seabed. Triton closed in on the area and found three survivors. A Board of Enquiry found that Oxley was some way out of position and that Triton had acted correctly and was not culpable for the sinking.

A report of the incident from the Triton point of view:

At 1955 on 10 September 1939, Triton had surfaced, fixed a position off the Obrestad Light, set a slow zigzag patrol, and began charging batteries. Lieutenant Commander Steele, having verified that the area was clear and having posted lookouts, gave the bridge to the Officer of the Watch (OOW) and went below, leaving orders that he was to be called if anything unusual appeared. At 2045, he was called to the bridge when an object in the water could be seen very fine on the port bow.

Steele ordered propulsion shifted to the main motors, the signalman to the bridge, and torpedo tubes 7 and 8 readied for firing. The object was recognised as a submarine low in the water.

Once on the bridge, the signalman sent three challenges over several minutes with the box lamp, none of which were answered. Steele wondered if the boat could be HMS Oxley, which should have been patrolling next in line, but some distance away. Steele and his bridge crew studied the silhouette, but could not distinguish what type of submarine it was.

A fourth challenge was sent: three green rifle-grenade flares. After firing, Steele counted slowly to 15 and then decided that they were seeing a German U-boat. He ordered tubes 7 and 8 fired with a three-second interval. Less than a minute later, an explosion was heard.

Triton moved into the area to investigate and heard cries for help. The light from the Aldis lamp revealed three men floundering amid oil and debris.

Lieutenant Guy C. I. St.B. Watkins and Lieutenant Harry A. Stacey entered the water and rescued Lieutenant Commander H.G. Bowerman, Oxley's commanding officer, as well as Able Seaman Guckes, a lookout. The third person in the water, Lieutenant F.K. Manley, was seen to be swimming strongly when he suddenly sank from view. Neither Manley's body nor any other survivors from Oxley were found.

H28 to H50 P32 to P222