| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | U |
| Pennant | P 64 |
| Mod | Third Group |
| Built by | Vickers Armstrong (Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.) |
| Ordered | 12 Jul 1941 |
| Laid down | 17 Mar 1942 |
| Launched | 23 Nov 1942 |
| Commissioned | 20 Feb 1943 |
| Lost | 24 Feb 1943 |
| History | HMS Vandal (Lt. John Stirling Bridger, RN) was sunk in Kilbrennan Sound, Loch Ranza, Clyde on 24 February 1943 while working up. On 22 February 1943 she left the depot ship HMS Forth, in Holy Loch, to carry out a three-day exercise in the Clyde area, which was to include a deep dive on the 24th. During the exercise the submarine was under no obligation to communicate with her base and no alarm was felt when she did not do so. On 24 February 1943 HMS Vandal was observed leaving her anchorage just north of the Isle of Arran abuot 0830 hours. This was the last seen of her. The wreck was found in December 1994 and declared a War Grave in 1995. |
Commands listed for HMS Vandal (P 64)
Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Lt. John Stirling Bridger, RN | 1 Dec 1942 | 24 Feb 1943 (+) |
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Notable events involving Vandal include:
19 Feb 1943
HMS Vandal (Lt. J.S. Bridger, RN) departed her builders yard at Barrow for Holy Loch. (1)
20 Feb 1943
HMS Vandal (Lt. J.S. Bridger, RN) arrived at Holy Loch to begin a period of trials and training. (1)
25 Feb 1943
HMS Usurper (Lt. D.R.O. Mott, DSC, RN) was conducting exercises on Inmarnock Water when she was ordered to search in the Clyde area for her missing sister ship HMS Vandal (Lt. J.S. Bridger, RN).
The following submarines / ships were also ordered to search for HMS Vandal (which was not found until 1994); HMS Graph (Lt. P.B. Marriott, DSO, RN), HMS L 27 (Lt. W.N. Eade, RNR), HMS Severn (Lt.Cdr. A.N.G. Campbell, RN), HMS Stubborn (Lt. A.A. Duff, RN), HMS Whitehall (Cdr. C.L.de H. Bell, RD, RNR), HMS Breda (Capt.(Retd.) A.E. Johnston, RN), HMS Kingfisher (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) G.H. Gandy, RN), HMS La Capricieuse (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Dobson, RNR), HMS Cygnet (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) F.B. Proudfoot, RN), HMS Tedworth (Lt.Cdr.(Retd.) G.H. Warren, RN) and HrMs Jan van Gelder (Lt. P.L.M. van Geen, RNN). (2)
Sources
- ADM 199/627
- ADM 173/18388
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.