16. The first British submarine lost in World War II was sunk by a British submarine
Originally built for the Royal Australian Navy, and thus in a slightly different configuration than its Royal Navy counterparts, HMS Oxley returned to the latter in 1931. By the time World War II began, Oxley had accumulated 13 years of service in two navies. Oxley deployed to the Norwegian coast in September 1939, as most Royal Navy submarines went to sea in anticipation of hostilities with Germany. On the evening of September 10, 1939, another British submarine, HMS Triton, ran on the surface while charging its batteries. A lookout spotted another submarine on the surface, and signaled it with a lamp, with no reply returned. Triton than signaled by launching green recognition flares. The other submarine offered no response. Triton then launched a spread of torpedoes, with at least one hit.
Two survivors were rescued, including Lieutenant Commander H. G. Bowerman, commanding officer of HMS Oxley. Bowerman and the other survivor, a lookout, had been on Oxley’s bridge when the torpedo struck. At least one other survivor was seen in the water but never recovered. The Royal Navy immediately moved to cover up the incident. Authorities blamed Oxley’s loss on an explosion during the war. After the war, it changed its official position, and announced Oxley had been lost following an accidental collision with Triton. Not until the mid-1950s did Oxley’s demise to friendly fire become public knowledge in the United Kingdom. Triton, assigned to the Mediterranean in 1940, sank while on patrol that year, with the loss of all hands.
