HMS Oswald was an Odin-class submarine of the Royal Navy, built by Vickers-Armstrongs at Barrow-in-Furness. She was launched on 19 June 1928 and commissioned on 1 May 1929.
Specifications
- Class: Odin-class submarine
- Pennant: N58
- Length: 283 ft 6 in (86.4 m)
- Surface displacement: 1,781 tons
- Crew: 53 to 55 officers and ratings
- Armament:
- 8 × 21-inch torpedo tubes (6 bow, 2 stern)
- 4-inch deck gun
- Lewis machine guns
Service
Oswald spent much of the 1930s on the China Station before returning to European waters. When war began she served with the 1st Submarine Flotilla from Malta.
Final Patrol
On 19 July 1940, under the command of Lieutenant Commander David Alexander Fraser, Oswald sailed from Alexandria for a patrol east of Sicily. On 30 July she attacked an Italian convoy but missed. The attack alerted Italian anti-submarine forces to her presence.
On the night of 1 August 1940, while running on the surface south of Calabria, Oswald was sighted by an Italian destroyer force led by Ugolino Vivaldi. Vivaldi turned and rammed the submarine at high speed, fatally damaging her.
Loss
- Position: approximately 37°46′N, 16°16′E, southeast of Cape Spartivento.
- 3 crewmen were lost.
- 52 crewmen survived and were rescued by Italian warships, becoming prisoners of war.
