HMS P32 (1940)

HMS P32 (1940)

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 [cite web | url=http://www.submariners.co.uk/Boats/DB/index.php?choice=P32&seln=Boat&ID=498 | title=Boat Database:"P32" | work= Submariner's Association, Barrow in Furness Branch| accessdate=2007-01-28] 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 convert|15|nmi|km|0 east-north-east of Tripoli.

References

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*cite web | title= H.M. Submarine "P.32" | work=Britsub.net | url = http://www.britsub.net/html/p32.htm | accessdate=2007-01-28

Footnotes


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