Oxley (P55)
Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
Build Group: | O Group 1a |
Fate: | HMS Oxley was torpedoed, in error, by HMS Triton (Lieutenant Commander Hugh Patrick de Crecy Steel, Royal Navy) in the North Sea (off Norway) on Sunday 10th September 1939. HMS Oxley had accidentally strayed into the patrol area allocated to HMS Triton and had failed, for various reasons to respond to challenges. The Submarine Crew included a large proportion of Reservists, some of whom had served in Submarines in WWI, had only just been recalled for further Active Service. There were only two survivors – the Commanding Officer Lt Cdr Harold Godfrey Bowerman and Able Seaman Herbert Gluckes C/J105279 |
Built for the Royal Australian Navy.
On their delivery voyage to Australia in 1928, Oxley and Otway encountered very severe weather in the Bay of Biscay which badly strained their engine columns, forcing them to remain in Malta for several months whilst British experts repaired the damage.
After useful service in the Royal Australian Navy, the two vessels were transferred to the Royal Navy in 1931 where they served in the Home Flotilla
Roll of Honour
Name | Rank | Number | Hons | Age |
Banks, John Alfred Thomas | Able Seaman | C/J110100 | 31 | |
Bargrove, Richard Ernest John | Chief Petty Officer | C/J41545 | 40 | |
Bishop, John James | Able Seaman | C/SSX 18445 | 24 | |
Bonnett, Harry Douglas | Chief Stoker | P/K62458 | 38 | |
Had 3 service numbers SS121568 (1916), J49198 (1919), K62458 (1925-1939) | ||||
Burgess, Herbert Donald | Electrical Artificer 1st Class | P/M33700 | 39 | |
Butt, George Albert | Stoker 1st Class | C/KX 76126 | 33 | |
Coppinger, Robert Patrick | Lieutenant | 29 | ||
Davis, Horace Edward | Stoker 1st Class | P/KX 86668 | 22 | |
Dicker, Robert | Petty Officer | P/JX 125939 | 29 | |
Dover, William Alfred | Signalman | C/J113040 | 30 | |
Farbrace, Percy John | Leading Seaman | C/J108523 | 31 | |
Faux, Frederick William | Leading Seaman | C/J112436 | 30 | |
Foster, George | Leading Stoker | P/KX 75831 | 36 | |
Francis, Alfred Richard | Chief Petty Officer | C/J34250 | 40 | |
Fuller, Albert James | Telegraphist | P/J106465 | 32 | |
Ganderton, Robert | Leading Stoker | C/KX 75550 | 31 | |
Graham, William | Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class | P/MX 49892 | 29 | |
Gregory, Peter Francis | Stoker 1st Class | P/KX 83851 | 24 | |
Groom, Ronald Albert | Petty Officer Telegraphist | C/JX 133959 | 25 | |
Gynes, Frank Arthur James | Petty Officer Steward | P/LX 20007 | 32 | |
Henderson, Gordon John | Able Seaman | C/JX 134554 | 24 | |
Hickey, Campbell James | Petty Officer Cook | M38178 | 33 | |
Holt, Harold | Stoker 1st Class | P/KX 76324 | 32 | |
Hopkins, William James | Able Seaman | P/J101323 | 34 | |
Hunter, Walter George | Stoker 1st Class | D/KX 76701 | 32 | |
Jackson, John Willie | Stoker 1st Class | D/KX 76978 | 31 | |
Jenkins, Harold Leslie | Stoker 1st Class | D/KX 76754 | 35 | |
Jordan, Michael | Stoker 1st Class | P/K66610 | 34 | |
Launders, Edward William | Leading Telegraphist | C/JX 138235 | 23 | |
Livesey, Hezekiah | Leading Stoker | P/KX 78377 | 30 | |
Lound, Reginald Calvert | Stoker 1st Class | P/K61407 | 35 | |
Manley, Frederick Kirk | Lieutenant | 30 | ||
Lieutenant RNR | ||||
Martin, John Herbert | Stoker Petty Officer | D/KX 76524 | 31 | |
Miller, Cuthbert | Leading Stoker | P/KX 76722 | 33 | |
Mingay, Alfred George | Petty Officer | C/JX 129665 | 28 | |
Mitchell, Cyril Robert | Engine Room Artificer 1st Class | C/MX 45921 | 34 | |
Mockett, Jack | Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class | C/MX 50823 | 31 | |
Morris, Robert Henry | Leading Stoker | C/KX 76732 | 32 | |
Palmer, Wilfred Hinton | Sub Lieutenant | 22 | ||
Pickering, William | Able Seaman | D/JX 142446 | 21 | |
Robertson, Robert William Crossman | Warrant Engineer | (Ex M37038) | 33 | |
Sanders, Nathaniel | Able Seaman | P/J73151 | 38 | |
Stevenson, Laurence | Able Seaman | P/J100806 | 34 | |
Thomas, Reginald Alfred Sherborne Hammond | Leading Telegraphist | P/JX 111595 | 30 | |
Tiley, Frederick James | Leading Seaman | D/J109077 | 32 | |
Underwood, Arthur William | Telegraphist | P/J10048 | 33 | |
Waters, Charles Leslie | Stoker 1st Class | P/KX 84422 | 24 | |
Watson, William Bradford | Able Seaman | D/J105736 | 33 | |
Webb, Harold Edward | Able Seaman | P/J 111488 | 30 | |
Wilson, Henry Ronald | Leading Seaman | P/JX 131810 | 26 | |
Woodward, Leslie | Leading Seaman | P/J97242 | 34 | |
Worth, William Norman | Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class | D/MX 51189 | 26 | |
Events
24-08-1925 : | Laid Down |
29-06-1926 : | Launched |
22-07-1927 : | Completed |
28-08-1938 : | HMS Oxley arrived at Dundee. |
25-08-1939 : | HMS Oxley departed Portsmouth for Dundee. |
04-09-1939 : | HMS Oxley departed Dundee for her 1st war patrol. She was ordered to patrol off the South-West coast of Norway near Stavanger. |
10-09-1939 : | HMS Oxley sunk off Obrestad, Norwegian coast, south of Stavanger - torpedoed in error by HMS Triton. Submarines Oxley and Triton were patrolling off Norway and had been in regular contact when Triton spotted an unidentified submarine off the coast of Norway. 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 |
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