HMS P33 (1941)

HMS P33 was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS P33.

History
United Kingdom
Builder: Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness
Laid down: 18 June 1940
Launched: 28 January 1941
Commissioned: 30 May 1941
Fate: Sunk August 1941, probably during depth charge attack on 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
  • 2 Paxman Ricardo diesel generators + electric motors
  • 615 / 825 hp
Speed:
  • 11.25 knots (20.8 km/h) max surfaced
  • 10 knots (19 km/h) max submerged
Complement: 33
Armament:
  • 4 bow internal 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes - 8 - 10 torpedoes
  • 1 - 3-inch (76 mm) gun

Commanded throughout her entire career by Lieutenant R.D. Whiteway-Wilkinson, the submarine was attached to the 10th Submarine Flotilla based at Malta. On 15 July 1941, the submarine sunk the 5,300 ton motor-vessel Barbarigo south of Punta Sciaccazza, Pantelleria, part of a small Italian convoy.

The submarine departed on her final patrol on 6 August 1941 from Malta to patrol off Sicily to intercept an Italian convoy heading towards Libya. Her sister boat P32, which was attacking the same convoy along with HMS Unique, reported hearing a prolonged depth charge attack on 18 August and subsequently attempted unsuccessfully to contact P33. P32 was herself sunk later that day. P33 became overdue on 20 August and was almost certainly have been sunk in this attack. It is, however, possible that she was sunk by the Italian torpedo boat Partenope near Pantelleria on 23 August. Lost aboard P33 was Lieutenant Richard Cunningham, the son of Vice Admiral John Cunningham, who would later become First Sea Lord.

References
  • "HMS P33". Uboat.net. Retrieved 28 January 2007.
  • "Submarine losses 1904 to the present day". RN Submarine Museum. Archived from the original on 2 January 2007. Retrieved 28 January 2007.
  • "H.M. Submarine P.33". Britsub.net. Retrieved 28 January 2007.
  • Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
  • Hutchinson, Robert (2001). Jane's Submarines: War Beneath the Waves from 1776 to the Present Day. London: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-00-710558-8. OCLC 53783010.


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