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This website is brought to you in association with the Barrow-in-Furness Branch of the Submariners Association and is the premier UK internet resource for Submariners and anyone interested in Royal Navy Submarines.

Vickers and Barrow are names synonymous with the development of the submarine. Hundreds of submarines covering virtually every class have been built for the Royal Navy and foreign Navies. This site is dedicated to not only to those who have served on Her Majesty's Submarines but also to those employees past and present whose skills and efforts have given pride to the phrase 'Barrow built' and made the name Vickers known and respected throughout the world.

On This Day - August 18

1920	P 553	Launched
1932	L 9	Foundered in Hong Kong harbour during a typhoon HMS L9 broke adrift from a buoy in Hong Kong during a typhoon. The submarine struck a merchant ship and damaged a dockyard wall before foundering. She was later salvaged.
1941	P 33	HMS P33 was lost On 6th August 1941 HMS P33 sailed from Malta with orders to intercept an Italian convoy bound for Libya. On 18th August HMS P32 reported hearing a prolonged depth charge attack that lasted for two hours. When the attack was finally over P32 attempted to contact P33 but received no response and it is almost certain that P33 had perished in the attack.
1941	P 32	Sunk by mine off Tripoli
1942	Safari (P 211)	HMS Safari torpedoes and sinks the Italian merchant Perseo near Cape Carbonara, 15 nautical miles south of Serpentara, Sardinia and later attacked the Italian submarine Bronzo.
1943	Spearhead (P 263)	Laid Down
1944	Scotsman (P 243)	Launched
1945	Statesman (P 246)	HMS Statesman torpedoes and sinks a derelict wreck drifting in the Straits of Malacca, described as probably a coaster.
1964	Ausonia (F53) 1921 - 1965	Returned to Portsmouth from Malta & sold to Spanish shipbreakers
1966	Onyx (S 21)	Launched
1969	Conqueror (S 48)	Launched

Lastest Comments

06/08/2026 on page Finwhale (S 05)
Jones wrote:
	Just to confirm, the submarine was sunk off the Western Approaches. I was the Nav Officer on board the Admiralty tug RMAS Rollicker, and we towed the submarine from Loch Ewe out into the NW Approaches for a 'sinkex'; however, we hit Storm Force 11, which forced us to cancel the sinkex. A few months ...

23/07/2026 on page Token (P 328)
Legs D. wrote:
	Token was my very first boat from 1963 to 1965. During that period, for about 6 months, we were refitted with a 4inch gun. For some reason I was chosen to be a sight setter (I was a baby AB RP3). This became a 'Boy's Own' adventure for me. The 'sight setter' happened to be fourth in the queue to get ...

13/05/2026 on page H 49
kevin walker wrote:
	believe was also attacked on 1-10-1940 near Texel by Sperrbrecher 3/H3 (ex M/S Belgrad) with pattern of 4 depth charges

16/04/2026 on page Thorough (P 324)
navy42 wrote:
	Lord Kitchener was lost in the sinking of HMS Hampshire, denoted by the black field. As Secretary of State, he initiated the recruiting scheme which raised the new army. The first complete New Army formation (as opposed to divisions) as a result of this scheme was the 4th Army under the command of G ...

12/04/2026 on page Cecil Broad 1905 - 1978
navy42 wrote:
	I believe that he also designed the Badge for HMS Thorough. It's a great pity that his notes do not appear to have survived

RN Subs

Featured Badge

Acheron (P 411)

Class:	1943 - 1977: Amphion Class
Built By:	Chatham Dockyard (Medway)
Build Group:	Amphion
Fate:
Scrapped in 1972 at the yard of J Cashmore of Newport

David Suchet narrates the BBC series featuring the Royal Navy's Hunter-Killer submarine, HMS Splendid, on a top secret three-month mission.

After travelling from its Farlane base to San Diego, the sub is charged with testing the first Tomahawk cruise missile, and the crew is followed every step of the way.

Also included is a feature on the sub's new Lieutenant Commander as he undergoes the 'Perisher' selection course.

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