HMAS Oxley (I)
| |
 | |
| Type | Odin Class Submarine |
|---|---|
| Laid down | March 1925 |
| Launched | 30 June 1926 |
| Completed | 22 July 1927 |
| Builder | Vickers Ltd, Barrow-in-Furness, England |
| Commissioned | 1 April 1927 |
| Displacement | 1,835 tons (submerged) 1,420 tons (surfaced) |
| Length | 275 feet83.82 m 8,382 cm 0.0838 km 0.0521 mi 3,300 in |
| Beam | 27 feet 7 inches |
| Draught | 14 feet 9 inches |
| Armament |
|
| Speed | 9 knots4.63 m/s 16.668 km/h 0.00463 km/s 911.418 ft/min 15.19 ft/s (submerged) 15.5 knots (surfaced) |
| Complement | 5 officers, 48 ratings |
HMAS OXLEY was commissioned on 1 April 1927 under the command of Commander Hugh R. Marrack DSC RN.
OXLEY departed Portsmouth, in company with her sister ship HMAS OTWAY, on 8 February 1928 and proceeded to Malta where both submarines were based until November 1928.
On 15 November they departed Malta and proceeding via the Suez Canal and Singapore, arrived in Sydney on 14 February 1929. The remainder of OXLEY's service with the Royal Australian Navy was confined to exercises of the New South Wales coast.
On 10 May 1930 both OXLEY and OTWAY paid off into Reserve, alternating with each other once weekly for diving exercises. OXLEY paid off on 9 April 1931 for transfer to the Royal Navy, commissioning as HMS OXLEY on 10 April 1931. She sailed from Sydney on 29 April 1931, in company with OTWAY, for Malta.
With the outbreak of World War II, OXLEY was assigned to patrol duty off the coast of Norway, where, unfortunately, she was torpedoed and sunk on 10 September 1939 by another British submarine, HMS TRITON, who had mistaken her for an enemy vessel. There were only two survivors.
Further Reading
- Australian Submarines: A History by Michael W. D. White - published by AGPS Press, Canberra 1992
