HMS P32 (1940)
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness |
| Laid down: | 30 April 1940 |
| Launched: | 15 December 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 3 May 1941 |
| Fate: | Mined 18 August 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: |
Surfaced - 540 tons standard, 630 tons full load Submerged - 730 tons |
| Length: | 58.22 m (191 ft) |
| Beam: | 4.90 m (16 ft 1 in) |
| Draught: | 4.62 m (15 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion: |
2 shaft diesel-electric |
| Speed: |
11.25 knots (20.8 km/h) max surfaced 10 knots (19 km/h) max submerged |
| Complement: | 32 |
| Armament: |
4 bow internal 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes - 8 - 10 torpedoes 1 - 3-inch (76 mm) gun |
HMS P32 was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness.
The submarine left Malta on 12 August 1941 for a patrol area near Tripoli. Six days later she sighted a small Italian convoy or five merchant ships protected by destroyers and torpedo boats heading towards the port. P32 and two other U-class submarines attempted to attack the convoy, but HMS P33 was almost certainly sunk in the attempt, whilst HMS Unique managed to sink an Italian merchant ship, SS Esperia two days later.
P32 was not in a good position to make an attack, and so attempted to get to a better position by running underneath a moored minefield. Believing that she had cleared the minefield, the commanding officer, Lieutenant D.A.B. Abdy ordered the submarine to rise to periscope depth to resume the attack. A mine, either part of the minefield, or laid by an allied aircraft, exploded against her port side and flooded the portion of the boat forward of the control room, killing the 8 crew members in that part of the boat. The submarine developed a severe list and sank to the seabed.
Most of the 24[1] survivors retired to the engine room to attempt a DSEA escape. However Coxswain Abdy, Petty Officer Kirk and ERA Martin attempted to escape using the conning tower. Martin was killed in the attempt but the other two crew survived and were picked up by an Italian ship. No other crew members survived. Abdy and Kirk were exchanged for Italian prisoners of war in 1943. The wreck lies about 15 nautical miles (28 km) east-north-east of Tripoli.
[edit] References
- HMS P32. Uboat.net. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
- Submarine losses 1904 to the present day. RN Submarine Museum. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
- H.M. Submarine P.32. Britsub.net. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Boat Database:P32. Submariner's Association, Barrow in Furness Branch. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
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