HMS P222

HMS P222
Career
Class and type:	S class submarine
Name:	HMS P222
Ordered:	7 April 1943
Builder:	Vickers Armstrong Barrow in Furness
Laid down:	10 August 1940
Launched:	September 20, 1941
Commissioned:	4 March 1942
Fate:	Most likely sunk off Capri, 12 December 1942 by Italian torpedo boat
General characteristics
Displacement:	814-872 tons surfaced 990 tons submerged
Length:	217 ft (66 m)
Beam:	23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Draught:	11 ft (3.4 m)
Speed:	14.75 knots surfaced 8 knots submerged
Complement:	48 officers and men
Armament:	6 x forward 21-inch torpedo tubes, one aft 13 torpedoes one three-inch gun (four-inch on later boats) one 20 mm cannon three .303-calibre machine gun

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 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.

References

• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8. OCLC 67375475. 
• HMS P222 at Uboat.net
• SUBMARINE LOSSES 1904 TO PRESENT DAY