O-Class
Patrol submarine ordered on 2nd December 1926 with HM Submarines OSIRIS and
OSWALD from Vickers-Armstrong,
Barrow and laid down on 31st May 1927
This submarine was launched on 30th August 1928 as HMS OTUS and she was the
first RN vessel to carry the name. Build was completed on 5th July 1929 and the she
was then commissioned for service with
the 4th Submarine Flotilla on the China Station. When war against German began
on 3rd September
1939 she was still deployed at Hong Kong Following a successful WARSHIP WEEK
National Savings
campaign in
February 1942 she was adopted by the civil community of Diss,
Norfolk.
B a t t l e H o n o u r s
MALTA CONVOYS 1941
H e r a l d i c D a t a
Badge: On a Field Blue, beneath a bar wavy Silver, on a Field
Green, a Trident Gold
(In a circular frame)
M o t t o
De profundis paratus: 'Out of the
deep I am ready'
(Note: Otus was son of Poseidon).
S um
m a r y o f W a r
S e r v i c e
1 9 3 9
August Deployed on the China
Station with 4th Flotilla.
Nominated for
service on East Indies Station.
September Passage to join 8th
Flotilla at Colombo.
October Deployed for Flotilla
duties in Indian Ocean based at Colombo.
to (Note : Other
submarines transferred to Colombo were:
December HM Submarines ODIN,
ORPHEUS, OSIRIS and OLYMPUS.)
1 9 4 0
January Nominated
for transfer to Mediterranean Fleet.
to Joined
1st Submarine Flotilla based at Alexandria
May Deployed
for interception patrols and took part in Fleet exercises, especially after the
threat of war with Italy.
(Note: HM Submarine OSWALD of this Class was also deployed in this Flotilla.)
Commanding Officer Lieut Cdr Harvey RN.
May Joined 1st
Flotilla, supported by HMS MEDWAY
Transferred to Malta for
interception patrols.
Pennant Number for visual signalling purposes changed to 92P
June Based in
Malta with HM
Submarines ODIN, OLYMPUS, ORPHEUS, GRAMPUS and
RORQUAL
July
Mediterranean patrol deployment with Flotilla in continuation.
to
Nominated for transfer to Atlantic for convoy defence against U-Boats.
December
1 9 4 1
January Carried out
patrols off Azores in defence of HG convoys on passage to and from
Gibraltar.
to
Deployed with OLYMPUS and relieved HM Submarine TRIDENT.
February Withdrawn for
repair.
March On
completion of repair transferred to Bay of Biscay Patrol in defence of HG and OG
convoys.
April
Deployed with HM Submarines OLYMPUS and PANDORA in area west of Bay of
Biscay for convoy defence based at
Gibraltar with 8th Flotilla
On
return to Gibraltar deployed with HM Submarine OLYMPUS for patrol of Oran to
intercept Vichy French battleship DUNKERQUE reported to about to attempt passage
to
France.
(Operation PRINCIPAL)
On
release took passage to Alexandra.
May Resumed
duties at Alexandria with 1st Flotilla.
to
Deployed for anti-submarine training of escorts based at Alexandria.
June
July Deployed
for carriage of fuel and essential stores to Malta.
August Stores
transport in continuation.
14th Came
under unsuccessful torpedo attack by HM Submarine TALISMAN
September
to
November Carried out
interception patrols against traffic between Tripoli and Italy.
1 9 4 2
January Deployed in
eastern Mediterranean including transport of essential stores to Malta
to
May
June
Transferred with Flotilla from
Alexandria to Haifa in
continuation.
Nominated for return to UK for
long over due refit
22nd Embarked
mail for UK from submarines of Flotilla
Passage to Gibraltar.
July Retained
for duty at Gibraltar
August Deployed at
Gibraltar for Malta supply duties with HM Submarines RORQUAL and
CLYDE.
Carried ammunition and aviation fuel to Malta concurrent with
PEDESTAL relief convoy
20th Sustained
serious damage in collision with harbour breakwater at
Gibraltar.
Under
repair at Gibraltar to allow passage to UK.
September Return passage
to UK for
completion of repair
October Under repair
in Tyneside shipyard.
to
December
1 9 4 3
January Under repair
to
Nominated for training duties.
June
June On
completion of post repair trials prepared at Rothesay for anti-submarine
training of
convoy escorts based at Simonstown.
July Passage
to Simonstown.
December Deployed at
Simonstown for training duties.
1 9 4 4
Anti-submarine training based at Simonstown in continuation.
Nominated to be withdrawn from service. Paid-off and transferred to Reserve
status.
1 9 4 5
January Laid-up at
Durban
to
August
P o s t W a r N o t e s
HMS OTUS was placed on the Disposal List and in September 1946 was
sold to R Scott in May 1946 and scuttled off Durban in September that year. In
October 1962 this name was carried forward when it was given to a patrol
submarine built at Greenock by Scotts.
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