HMS Pandora (N42)
HMS Pandora
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History | |
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United Kingdom | |
Name | HMS Pandora |
Namesake | Pandora |
Ordered | 7 February 1928 |
Builder | Barrow in Furness |
Laid down | 9 July 1928 |
Launched | 22 August 1929 |
Commissioned | 30 June 1930 |
Identification | Pennant number: N42 |
Fate | Sunk by aircraft, 1 April 1942 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Parthian-class submarine |
Displacement |
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Length | 260 ft (79 m) |
Beam | 28 ft (8.5 m) |
Draught | 13 ft 8 in (4.17 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
Complement | 59 |
Armament |
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HMS Pandora was a British
Design
The Parthian class was designed as an improvement of the earlier
All submarines of the Parthian class were fitted with eight 21-inch (533 mm)
History
Pandora was ordered on 7 February 1928.[5] She was laid down on 9 July 1928 and built by Vickers-Armstrongs in the port of Barrow-in-Furness.[5][2] She was launched on 22 August 1929[2] before being commissioned on 30 June 1930.[5] Pandora was initially named Python; however, her name was changed in 1928 because of a distaste for serpent-named ships in the Royal Navy.[Note 1] The tenth ship to have this name, Pandora was named after the mythological first woman.[6]
In December 1930, Pandora cruised to China from
Service in the Second World War
Pandora patrolled the Mediterranean from 1940 to 1942. She began her service in the Eastern Mediterranean in June 1940. In July, she was tasked with operations against the French Fleet near Oran off the coast of Algeria. On 4 July 1940, she sank the French aviso Rigault de Genouilly near Algiers. During August, Pandora delivered supplies to the blockaded island of Malta.[6]
The Enrico Cosenz attacked Pandora with a depth charge in September, but Pandora survived the attack. In January 1941, she sank three vessels:[6] SS Palma south of Sardinia, SS Valdivagna, and one other ship near Cape Spartivento in Calabria.[5]
Sinking
Pandora arrived in Malta on 31 March 1942 to unload her stores. A bombing raid took place on 1 April 1942 while she was unloading, but the decision was made to continue the process to save time. Pandora took two direct bomb hits and was sunk. The survivors were on board the submarine Olympus when she was destroyed by a naval mine.[8] Of the 98 crew and passengers in Olympus, there were only 9 survivors.[9] In the 1950s, the wreck of Pandora, along with the wrecks of other Malta bombing casualties - P36 and P39, were raised and stripped of their casings and various parts and then taken to sea off Malta and scuttled.[10]
Notes
References
- ISBN 978-1-59114-953-8. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ ISBN 9780870219139. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ISBN 9781591146025. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ISBN 0-7603-1170-6. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d "HMS Pandora (N42) of the Royal Navy". uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-904381-05-1. Retrieved 24 August 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-84603-007-9. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-8283-2118-1. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ^ "HMS Olympus". uboat.net. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- ^ "Submarine Surfaces After Sixteen Years. 29 July 1958, Lazaretto, Malta. The Salvaging of the U Class Submarine P36 Which Was Sunk During the Air Raids of March and April 1942. The Raising of P36 Under the Supervision of Mr P F Flett, Obe, Senior Salvage Officer in Malta, Was Accomplished with the Aid of a Special Lifting Craft".
External links
- Media related to HMS Pandora (N42) at Wikimedia Commons