HMS Vandal was a British submarine that was launched on the 23rd of November, 1942 and had the shortest career of any Royal Navy submarine on record, being lost with all hands just 4 days after being commissioned.
HMS Vandal was commissioned on Saturday 20th February 1943 and was last seen on Wednesday 24th February 1943 leaving Lochranza bay to undergo several test manoeuvres including a 200-foot dive in the Arran trench off the coast of the small island of Inchmarnock which lies close to the Isle of Bute. She was expected to return to base at Holy Loch that night. It wasn’t until the following morning that it was discovered that HMS Vandal had failed to arrive. An intensive three-day search was immediately instigated to locate the missing submarine.
To read more about the story of this tragic submarine, click HERE.