HMS P222
Encyclopedia
HMS P222 was an S class submarine
of the Royal Navy
, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Vickers Armstrong
and launched on September 20, 1941. She was initially assigned to the naval base at Gibraltar
to guard the entrance to the Mediterranean. On 27 July, 1942 P 222 intercepted the Vichy French merchant Mitidja off Cape Palos, Spain. The Mitidja was boarded by the V class destroyer
HMS Wrestler and escorted to Gibraltar
.
P222 left Gibraltar to patrol off Naples
on 30 November 1942. She sent a number of messages on 7 December but after that date no further communication as made. She failed to arrive at Algiers
on her due date and was reported overdue on 21 December 1942. The Italian torpedo boat Fortunale
claimed to have sunk a submarine with depth charges on the 12 December, south-east of Isola di Capri. This remains the most probable cause of the submarine’s loss but there has been no confirmation. Since she was sunk before her name could be formally assigned, she is known by her pennant number, P222.
British S class submarine (1931)
The S-class submarines of the Royal Navy were originally designed and built during the modernisation of the submarine force in the early 1930s to meet the need for smaller boats to patrol the restricted waters of the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea replacing the British H class submarines...
of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Vickers Armstrong
Vickers Armstrong
Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927...
and launched on September 20, 1941. She was initially assigned to the naval base at Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
to guard the entrance to the Mediterranean. On 27 July, 1942 P 222 intercepted the Vichy French merchant Mitidja off Cape Palos, Spain. The Mitidja was boarded by the V class destroyer
V and W class destroyer
The V and W class was an amalgam of six similar classes of destroyer built for the Royal Navy under the War Emergency Programme of the First World War and generally treated as one class...
HMS Wrestler and escorted to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
.
P222 left Gibraltar to patrol off Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
on 30 November 1942. She sent a number of messages on 7 December but after that date no further communication as made. She failed to arrive at Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
on her due date and was reported overdue on 21 December 1942. The Italian torpedo boat Fortunale
Ciclone class torpedo boat
The Ciclone class were a group of torpedo boats or destroyer escorts built for the Italian Navy which fought in the Second World War. They were slightly enlarged versions of the previous Orsa class, they had improved stability and heavier anti-submarine armament. These ships were built as part of...
claimed to have sunk a submarine with depth charges on the 12 December, south-east of Isola di Capri. This remains the most probable cause of the submarine’s loss but there has been no confirmation. Since she was sunk before her name could be formally assigned, she is known by her pennant number, P222.