Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
Royal Navy — Submarine

HMS Oxley

Odin-class submarine

HMS Oxley
photographer not identified — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate AWM Caption: "PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND. C.1927. PORT BOW VIEWS OF HMA SUBMARINES OXLEY (I) AND OTWAY (I) (IN THE BACKGROUND). NOTE THE TALL WIRELESS MAST AND EXTENDED PERISCOPES. (NAVAL HISTORICAL COLLECTION)"

Service

  1. Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Oxley1 April 1927 — 10 May 1930
  2. Royal Navy as HMS Oxley10 April 1931 — 10 September 19399 days of the war
Odin-class submarine Particulars
Name
HMS Oxley
Builder
Vickers-Armstrong Limited
Laid down
March 1925
Launched
30 June 1926
Commissioned
1 April 1927
Decommissioned
10 May 1930
Fate
Torpedoed and sunk, 10 September 1939
By torpedo (1939)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, surfaced
1,350 long tons (1,372 t)
Displacement, submerged
1,870 long tons (1,900 t)
Length
83.82 m (275 ft) OA
Beam
8.84 m (29 ft)
Draught
3.96 m (13 ft)
Speed
15.5 knots (28.7 km/h, 17.8 mph)
Complement
54
Main gun
102 mm (4 in)

HMS Oxley was a Odin-class submarine in service with the Royal Australian Navy. Vickers-Armstrong Limited laid her keel in March 1925. Launched on 30 June 1926, she entered service on 1 April 1927.

She was one of eight ships of her class. The class followed the L class and was succeeded by the Parthian-class submarine.

The boat displaced 1,350 long tons surfaced and 1,870 long tons submerged. She measured 83.8 m (275 ft) long with a beam of 8.8 m (29 ft). Her designed speed was 15.5 knots, and she carried a complement of 54.

Her main battery was one 102 mm (4 in) guns.

She served with the Royal Australian Navy as HMAS Oxley until 10 May 1930. She then passed to the Royal Navy, serving as HMS Oxley from 10 April 1931. She was in commission for 9 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 10 May 1930.

She was sunk on 10 September 1939 by torpedo, at 58°30′N 5°30′E. The wreck survives.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • Diesel motors for surface running and electricity generation, electric motors when submerged
Armament
  • 1 x 4 in gun
  • 8 x 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (6 bow tubes, 2 stern tubes)
  • 2 x machine guns

Sister ships

Sources

  • Facts harvested from HMS Oxley on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: photographer not identified — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons