HMS Vandal was a Royal Navy U-class submarine built by Vickers-Armstrong at Barrow-in-Furness. She was launched on 23 November 1942 and commissioned on 20 February 1943. Tragically, she had the shortest career of any Royal Navy submarine in WWII.
Loss
Just four days after commissioning, Vandal was lost with all 37 crew members while conducting work-up and training exercises in the Clyde area of western Scotland. She departed Holy Loch on 22 February 1943 for a three-day exercise and was last seen leaving an anchorage at Lochranza, Isle of Arran, on the morning of 24 February 1943.
No distress signal was received, and despite an extensive search by submarines, surface ships, and aircraft, no trace was found at the time.
Discovery of the Wreck
The wreck remained missing for over 50 years until it was discovered in December 1994 in the Firth of Clyde. Following its discovery, the site was designated a war grave in 1995.
Commanding Officer
The submarine was commanded by:
- Lieutenant John Stirling Bridger, RN
Interesting Fact
There was a naval superstition that changing a ship's name brought bad luck. Vandal was originally to be named HMS Unbridled, but her name was changed before completion. Some later writers have noted this coincidence because of her tragic loss soon afterwards.
