S class submersibles (group III) 1939-43 Programmes

The S-class are generally associated with the wartime Group III, by far the most numerous (50 boats, 11 cancelled). They followed the interwar Group I (Swordfish) and Group II (Sealion) with a 1939 mass construction war emergency programme repeated in 1940, 1941, 1942 and 1943. Only a fraction of the latter were completed late in the war. They were considered as semi-oceanic rather than purely coastal, but still had been designed for the Mediterranean and North sea. Group III boats differed in side, speed and armament and were among the best wartime British submarines for their hunting board, and “only” nine losses. Given the enormity of the career part of this post, only 1939 and 1940 (Safari class) boats would be covered, with updates for the next 1941, 1942, 1943 programmes in the future.

HMS Safari, often assimilated to the class lead boat and one with the most impressive career.

Development

The S-class submarines were designed at first to modernize the interwar park, with smaller units better feets for shallower waters of the North Sea and Mediterranean, replacing the ageing 1915 built H-class. The first S class, among the most numerous in history (62 subs) started all the way back in 1930 with the program Group I Swordfish clas, followed by the eight Group II, in the 1931, 1932, 193, 1934 and 1935 naval programmes. The start of WW2 accelerated this effort and the new Group III or Safari class (1939 emergency war program) were followed until 1945 by a total of 50 S-class constructed in the next 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943 programmes with little changes. They formed the bulk of WW2 British submarine forces along with the small U, V and large T class. Nine were sank in action in wartime, all in the 1939-41 programme batches.

Design of the class

The third group of S-class submarines comprised at first 5 ships in the 1939 programme, larger than the preceding Sealion or retrospectively Group II. They required a larger crew for a better armament, seven rather than six tubes and more torpedoes, better AA armament, and performances increased across the board, notably range. Construction orders were split between Cammell Laird (18 boats), Scotts (10), Vickers Arsmtrong, Barrow (3), Chatham DyD (3) for a construction spread between late 1940 and mid-1943. They were gradually praised for their superior range, capable of operating from home bases to the Bay of Biscay and Scandinavian coast with some taking part in the Murmansk convoy, but the bulk operated in the Mediterranean from respectively Gibraltar, Malta and Alexandria. Fuel oil was raised from 72 long tons, range to 6,000nm (11,100km) at 10 knots (18.5kph) to 45 (early boats), 67 (1940 boats) and then 98 long tons (1941-43), for an endurance of 6000 nm at 10 knots, making them able to operate in the Pacific for the last built in 1944-45.

Hull and general design

The Group III were the largest and most heavily armed of the S class, with extra crew as well, despite dimensions that were moderately larger. They also changed between sub-groups, which was understandable given the duration of the construction and war lessons incorporated along the way.
They displaced 842 tons surfaced for the first 1939-40 batches, then 814 tonnes surfaced for the 1941 programme, plus those ordered under the 1942 and 1943 Programmes (except Sturdy and Stygian), and around 990 tons submerged. The other main change was the adoption of a seventh torpedo tube aft in the stern outer hull, so not reloadable. They also carried six bow tubes, like the previous boats. This stern tube was a defensive one asked for captains which saw in exercises its advantages.

They measured all 217 ft in lenght (66 m) for a beam of 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m) and draught of 11 ft (3.4 m), but most importantly, they had a thicker welded pressure hull for an operational depth limit pushed to 350 feet (110 m) instead of 300 feet (91 m) for the first subgroup. This too, was a safety measure that was well appreciated and without doubts, saved many of these boats under depht charge attacks during the war. Although statistics are not everything, the whole 50-strong class had “only” none losses, compared to 80% losses for the previous Group I and II boats. Of course themaion factor here to consider was the nature of the Mediterranean war which, when theyr entered service, had radically changed. Italy was off the war in late 1943 and Kriegsmarine assets were far more reduced. The last 1943 programm boats and alarge part of the 1942 programme boats saw the end of the war in Europe and were sent directly for the Pacific, seeing little service at all.

Comparison profiles (by Mike79russia, cc) of the three groups, Shark, Sealion and Safari classes.

Powerplant

If the great lines of the powerplant were kept, there were some changes in output and capabilities. Vickers boats (P222, Seraph and Shakespeare) had Vickers diesels. All the remainder had Admiralty diesels. The nominal output was 1900 hp combined (950 bhp each) for surface actions at max 14.75 knots (27.32 km/h; 16.97 mph). Thes diesels also reloaded the batteries that powered two Vickers Electric Motors, each capable of 650 shp (1300 shp total combined) for an honorable 9 knots submerged. Compared to Group II, this was better in surface, less underwater (10 knots).
These Diesels were from Paxman.
They were built to the standard Admiralty pattern, using a fabricated steel main frame like the Paxman RXS. These were 8-cylinder, with a 14½” bore and 15½” stroke, for a rating of 960 bhp at 460 rpm. Paxman did not made all these given the demand. On the S Class submarines built at Cammell Laird, outside Paxman, some were provided by Peter Brotherhood of Peterborough, and at Cammell Laird. The electric motors were also on an Admiralty design.
The ones equipped with Paxman engines were HMS Satyr, Scorcher, Scythian, Seadog, Sea Rover, Sentinel, Shalimar, Sidon, Sirdar, Solent and Syrtis. Although its possible Scorcher had Cammell Laird diesels, Sidon had Peter Brotherhood diesels. Springer and Sanguine likely obtained the previous assigned Paxman engines.

On speed trials HMS “Sahib” of the early batch eached 14.56 knots while surfaced at 464 rpm, consuming 86 gallons per hour. The 1944 boats were streamlined and modified while being lighter and retaining the same engines and motors but they had the large picth T Class propeller screws enabling them to reach 16.75 knots surfaced at 460 rpm, consuming however of 92 gallons per hour.
The usual arrangement was that the diesels were first forward in the compartment, followed by their drive shafts going through a clutch, than the double armature electric motors, and then the tail clutch. These electric motors were usable as generators when the diesels were clutched in direct drive, to charge the batteries notably, allowing to use the full power of the diesels for fast surface runs. In harbour, the tail clutch was out, both diesels and electric motors were used as stand-alone generating sets to power equipments on land if needed. Endurance varied considerably between boats. Early vboats carried 67t of diesel oil and later 92t, but there were exceptions like HMS Safari Scotsman and Sea Devil which were limited to 45t oil, and 4000 nm at 10 knots instead of 6000 (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) albeit Scotsman and Sea Devil later had their fuel tanks reworked to carry 85 tonnes.
To put things in perspective, the twice larger Gato class were capable of 11,000 nm (20,000 km, 12,400 mi) and the T class 8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi).
Albeit the S-class were very comparable to the Type VII in size and displacement, the latter were capable of 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi), so they were even better than the larger T class.

Armament

The S-class diverged between sub-groups on this chapter:
Sahib, Saracen, Satyr and Sceptre for example had a 3-in/45 20cwt QF Mk II deck gun, three 0.5-in/62 Vickers HMGs, and seven 21-inches Torpedo Tubes with 13 torpedoes in reserve or twelve М2 mines.
HMS Sea Dog, Sea Nymph, Sea Rover, Seraph, Shakespeare, Sibyl, Sickle, Simoom, Sirdar, Spiteful, Splendid, Sportsman, Shalimar, Spark, Spirit, Statesman, Stoic, Stonehenge, Storm, Stratagem, Strongbow, Stubborn, Surf, Syrtis of Group III 1940/41 program replaced the heavy machine guns on completion by a single 20mm/70 Oerlikon Mk II/IV A gun.
HMS Scotsman, Scythian, Sea Devil of the 1941 program replaced their deck gun by a 4-in (102mm)/40 QF Mk XII, on had only their six bow torpedo tubes, with the stern tube removed to compensate for the larger deck gun (12 torpedoes).
HMS Safari and P222 of the first 1939 batch combined the six tubes with the 3-in/45 deck guns and Vickers 0.5 inches AA and also only 12 torpedoes.

Torpedoes

The 1927 Mark VIII was a real game changer, designed circa 1925, first British burner cycle design torpedo, used from 1927 on all submarines and given to the L class and Odin class, as well as MTBs. In WW2 the Mark VIII** became standard, 3,732 spent by September 1944 (56.4%). It was phased out in the 1990s in Sweden.

3-in/45 20cwt QF Mk II deck gun

The QF 3-inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard of the Royal Navy in 1914, initially to deal with German Zeppelins airships and bombers, it became ubiquitous on British warships in WWI and submarines in World War II. 20 cwt was for twenty hundredweight (112 lb or 51 kg) with barrel and breech weighting 2,240 lb, 1,020 kg, bore 3 inches (76 mm) and QF for quick firing. Unlike earlier Swordfish class the gun was not placed on a raised platform but directly on deck at the foot of the conning tower. The crew was reduced on the Mark II from 11 to 6.

Deck gun in action on HMS Swordfish

4-in(102mm)/40 QF Mk XII deck gun

If All T-class submarines had a single 4-inch (102 mm) deck gun, early batches had the QF Mark XII and later batches the XXII on the same universal S1 mounting forward of the conning towern placed on an elevated position in front of the conning tower and with a breastwork to provide stepping room for the crew.
Only three of the S-class were given them, HMS Scotsman, Scythian, and Sea Devil. They were probably allocated less than 70 rounds of ammunition (100 for the T class) due to the lack of space, as they were brought back from below in a chain. The Mk XII variant was developed for submarines from 1918, and they were surplus from earlier decommissioned boats in 1940, with many rounds still in store for them.

AA: .303/62 Vickers AA

Introduced in 1933, this was essentially a scaled up WWI vickers LMG. Allowing to keep the same rate of fire it quickly became popular as AA gun, at least against low flying 1930s generation aircraft. It was also used on light armoured vehicles and became a widespread AA gun on Royal Navy ships and submarines as well.
Specs:
63 pounds (29 kg) +10 pounds (4.5 kg) cooling water
Length 52.4 in (1.33 m), barrel alone 31 in (0.79 m)
Cartridge 12.7 × 81mm x 0.5 inches (12.7 mm)
Rate of fire: 500–600 rounds per minute, belt fed, 2-3 operators
Muzzle velocity 2,540 feet per second (770 m/s)
Maximum range 4,265 yards (3,900 m), ceiling 9,500 feet (2,900 m)

AA: 20mm Oerlikon AA

Standard allied AA gun, fitted on the small rear platform at the end of the CT.
See full specs

Sensors:

The Type 120 was fitted on Group I and II of the S Class only. The Group III was likely fitted with the Type 129 instead;
The Type 128 sonar was not mounted either. This keel-fitted model, 10 kHz as standard frequency. It was first trialled behind a dome at the forward end of the keel of HMS Seawolf in 1937 (S class) but in 1938 adopted as standard, installed only on the T Class, U Class, and V Class. The S class also sported the type 291 early-warning radar.

HMS Spiteful, CT seen from above

Type 129 Sonar

The Type 129 was gyro stabilised, for attack and not only detection. It had SST capabilities in early versions with morse transmission by chronoscope. Later it obtained the range recorder A/S3 with automatic transmission. This mode was rarely used buut some occasions in the Mediterranean. But it could be used as a slow-rotating, all-round directional hydrophone and worked well in passive mode at 10 kHz. Most boats completed in late 1942 had the Type 129AR or 138 ASDIC.

A method develop then was to count propeller revolutions, but captains soon realized for this they needed to curtail self-noise. One S-class boat was given the Gill “hydraulic propulsion mechanism”, the world’s first shrouded and helicoidal propellers, effective at lower speeds but very noisy on the other end. The asdic motor’s alternator was also found noisy and could be detected by the Germans by their own hydrophone, thus it was changed for the Type 129K, trialled on the captured U570 (HMS Graph). It was also trie to use a second listening position at the fore ends, far from the diesel while surface.

The Type 129 was capable of detection up to 10 miles (16 km) if tuned to the frequency of the asdic. The SST however was successful under 50,000 yards, on average, success was obtained at 14k yards. Communications could be maintained over three miles and under 3 kts the asdic ib transmitting mode could detect a merchant at 3400 yards, a submarine at 2900 yards if below 16 knots. However the Type 129 had a blind stern arc.

Type 138 Sonar

From 1943 was adopted the Type 138, a new passive, manually-trained and listening-only hydrophone to cover it and complement the Type 129 but on the T Class, not ported on the S-class. Also the Type 129 in 1943 was added a Mine Detection Unit after the loss of HMS Hunter off the coast of Spain (Civil War). This was the Type 148 working at 40 kHz and later the Type 152X tested on HMS Alcide, remaining a prototype.

HMS Shakespeare’s conning tower, showing her Type 291 radar antenna aft and her 20 mm Oerlikon gun on the aft platform.

Type 291 early-warning radar

The Type 291 radar was designed as a search radar for small ships and submarines from 1942. In 1944 it was common on almost every British and Commonwealth destroyer and escort ship and most submarines. The early model had separate transmitting and receiving antennae, hand-steered. Later they were combined an from the Types 291M, P, and Q antennae had power training and plan position indicator. U and W had different antennas for coastal craft and submarines respectively.

Supplying the S-class

HMS Maidstone in 1944 in Algiers with HMS Sahib alongside.
Deploying more than a hundred and fifty submarines in various theaters, especially in the Mediterranean, imposed the need for “mobile bases”. Submarine tenders were not new and the first were already in service by WWI. Their role was to held supply for these operating submarines, provide basic maintenance and repairs, and more importantly, house the crews, since life aboard submarine was awful, in their R&R time between patrols.

Reload of a torpedo at sea alongside a depot ship in Scapa Flow, HMS Spiteful.

Both the Royal Navy and Kriegsmarine developed several sub-tenders, and for the RN, apart numerous converted merchant vessels, the most capable were of course, purpose-built. The most ancient was the 15,000 tonnes standard HMS Medway, in service from 1930. She was powered by diesels as 15 kts was well enough, and carried 1880t onf diesel oil for submarines, plus a floating berth, cranes, large holds for every conceivable spare parts, diesels and electric engines, torpedoes, ammunitions and food. But she was sunk in June 1942 by U372.

Submarine dept ships (not tenders) in the RN nomenclature were especially important to better cover the Mediterranean, since there were only three bases available (Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria). There was also HMS Resource, a dedicated repair ship, but the most important were the two 9000t Maidstone class (launched 1938 and 1937) and the 13,000t HMS Adamant completed in 1941. But she served with the eastern fleet, up to nine T-class submarines while accommodating their crews. She was the last and best, featuring a foundry, light and heavy machine shops, electrical and torpedo repair shops, equipment to support fitters, patternmakers, coppersmiths and shipwrights. She served until 1966. But in the Med, HMS Forth and Maidstone were the main suppliers for the S-class and U-class.

Appearance

(More profiles to come)
The S-class were generally kept in their initial livery, in medium gray overall above the waterline and matt black for the hunderside, up to the blisters’s top. Pennants were initially painted in the conning towers in big white letters, in some cases the upper hull was painted dark gray, and the hull underside in red. Mediterranean boats mostly had a black hull, not green to be more discreet, and the upperworks were camouflaged in a simple way, Especially compared to WWI E-boats and assimilated. Straight line bands was a popular motive, in green, light or medium blue, and dark gray to break their line while surfaced. It was left to the interpretation of the crews and there were not precise directives.

Author’s rendition of HMS Splendid, at the end of her December 1942 patrol.

HMS Sturdy, WoW.

General Evaluation

HMS Saracen in Algiers, February 1943

The Group III were of course the best of the whole S class lineage. But the 1939, 1940 and 1941 were completed early enough to see a lot of action. These boats, HMS P222 (class “name” as the firsrt launched, lost before receiving one), HMS Saracen, Sahib, Sickle, Simoom, Splendid, Stonehenge, Stratagem and Syrtis were all lost in action, Shakespeare and Strongbow were so badly damaged they were written off and scrapped. Some of these were quite successful and generated books, which became best sellers postwar, showing their colorful deeds, special operations and sometimes important roles played during the war, notably Safari, Seraph and Sybil.

Type XXI training subs

A streamlined Seraph in Torquay.
HMS Seraph like several other S-class boats also played an important role a the end of the war: As target submarines for ASW groups to prepare the fleet for the upcoming Type XXI fast U-Boats that were known via intel. The chosen submarines were streamlined, by careful attention to the attachments on the outside of the hull, the size of the bridge was reduced and the conning tower modified to blend better with the deck, the gun was removed as well as periscopes and radar mast no longer needed, plus the torpedo tubes blanked over. The motors were upgraded, higher-capacity batteries were fitted taking extra space, the propellers were changed for models with a the coarser pitched type, same as the T class submarines. The “streamlined S class” found some use postwar and remained in service in the same roles for many more years. Many of these were scrapped in 1962-67, so above 20 years of service.

Cold War service and Exports

INS Tanin in IDF service.
Unlike the earlier boats, their stronger hull, extra tube, and modernity in general (Group I boats had been designed all the way back to 1927, Group II in 1929) made them more attractive for more years of service in the cold war. This diverged a lot. Some were discarded as early as 1946, while others soldiered on until 1966 in extreme cases. They were sold whenever possible: In 1948 three were transferred to Portugal (HMS Spearhead> Neptuno, Saga> Nautilo, Spur> Narval), in 1952 four to France (Saphir class, Satyr as Saphir, Spiteful as Sirene, Sportsman as Sibylle-lost in a diving accident September 1952- and Statesman as Sultane). In 1959 two were sold to Israel, HMS Springer as INS Tanin (Six Day War) and Sanguine as INS Rahav. With the T class INS Dakar (lost in transfer) they were the first submarines of the IDF.

Career of the Safari (Group III) class

1939 Programme

HMS Safari was laid down on 5 June 1940, launched on 18 November 1941, and Commissioned of 14 March 1942. One of the most successful Beritish submarines of the war, she sank twenty-five ships, most Italian.
From May to August 1942 and patrolled in the west Mediterranean via Gibraltar. She missed two attacks in her first patrol in the Alboran Sea. In her second patrol, she sank the Italian merchant Adda.

In her 3rd patrol she escorted Allied convoy in Operation Pedestal, and sank two additional ships, damaged another. On 12 September she was reassigned to the 10th Submarine Flotilla, Malta. From there she made two patrols in the Adriatic, sinking one, damaging several. While off Sicily she evaded an aircraft attack she sank two ships. On 18 November, she targeted a ship at Ras Ali in Libya, missed (too low) and instead struck the port’s mole, blasting 25 m, killing 5. She later sank five ships, was assigned to the 8th Submarine Flotilla, in Algiers. While off Naples, she was mistook by British aircraft. She sank four more boats, and was sent for special operations in Sicily, and Sardinia. She escaped an attack by an Italian destroyer. In Operaton Torch she made two patrols to protect the Allied landings, sinking four ships. She was back home on 8 September 1943 for a refit wans kept in training for the 7th Submarine Flotilla, apart a foray in Norway as Tirpitz was signalled to sortie. In 1945 she in reserve, sold for BU 7 January 1946 but sank off Portland while towed to the scrapper.

HMS Sahib was laid down on 5 July 1940, launched on 19 January 1942 and commissioned on 13 May 1942. Her identification Pennant number was P212. After a first patrol in the Arctic, off Norway, she sailed to Gibraltar, patrolled the Alboran Sea, spotting and sinking a ship and damaging another. She then transited to Malta and from there, conducted three war patrols. The first was not fruitful, but the second one saw the sinking of the Italian transport SS Scillin, carrying Allied POWs (787 men lost). Next she sank a large Italian merchant ship and damaged a coastal trading vessel. She was then assigned to join a flotilla operating from Algiers, French North Africa. In her next patrols, Sahib sank the German submarine U-301 on 21 January 1943, two Italian merchant ships, and two small sailing vessels. On 24 April 1943 she sank a heavily protected Italian AMC. However, she was then attacked with depth charges and forced to surface. The crew of Sahib were evacuated and rescued with just one casualty while she was scuttled.

HMS Saracen was laid down at Cammell Laird on 16 July 1940, launched on 16 February 1942 and commissioned on 27 June 1942 under the pennant P247. She conducted a patrol in the North Sea, spotted and sank the German U-boat U-335 on 3 August. She also hunting for German blockade runners. Assigned to the 10th Submarine Flotilla, Malta, she made three patrols from there. On the 1st sortie she spotted the surfaced U-605, fired six torpedoes but misses and engaged in abrief gun battle. On her second, she was attacked by M109s. She sank on 9 November the Italian Acciaio-class submarine Granito. In December she spotted the Argento but was not in favourable position. She was was then reassigned to the 8th Submarine Flotilla, based in Algiers.
She conducted six patrols frop there. She sank seven ships and took part in specl ops operations, landing agents in Corsica and Sardinia. For her 12th patrol, she was heavily damaged by depth charge attacks from Italian destroyers. On 13 August 1943 she was detected by two Gabbiano class Italian corvettes led by Minerva, and attacked with depth charges. She had leaks in her pressure hull, surfaced, and her crewmen abandoned ship. She was scuttled and her 46 men rescued by the Corvettes. The wreck was discovered in 2015, off Corsica. Sinking two axis submarines was quite a good result.

HMS Satyr was laid down at Scotts in Greenock on 8 June 1940, launched on 28 September 1942, and commissioned on 8 February 1943 under the pennant P214. Unlike her sisters she spent much of her wartime career in home waters. She sank the Norwegian merchant Nordnorge, and German submarine U-987. She torpedoed the wreck of the German merchant Emsland after running aground off Stadlandet in Norway, already badly damaged abnd forced beached by British torpedo bombers on 20 January 1944. On 11 February the wreck was finished off. She spotted and attacked, but missed the German merchants Bochum and Emma Sauber, while prusuing a German convoy off Egersund in Norway. In 1944–1945 Satyr was disarmed. He hull was streamlined, she was given more powerful batteries to act as a high speed target submarine, preparing for the venue of later German U-Boats such as the Type XXI. She was mothballed postwar, until leased to the French navy between February 1952 and August 1961 as “Saphir” lead boat of her class of four for the Marine Nationale. After 20 years of service she was BU in April 1962 at Charlestown in Fife, Scotland.

HMS Sceptre was laid down at Scotts on 25 July 1940, launched on 6 January 1943 and commissioned on 15 April 1943. She spent most of her career in the North Sea and off Norway. After a first target-less patrol she took part in Operation Source, an attack on Scharnhost in Norway with C-Craft (midget submarines) to penetrate the anchorage, place explosive charges. But they accumilated issues and failed, the mission was aborted. In her next four patrols, Sceptre missed all but one transport, damaged, Lippe. She towed the submarine X24, about to attack a floating dry dock in Bergen, as Operation Guidance. But thus time there were incorrect charts and and the explosives were eventually laid on a merchant ship close to the dock instead of the drydock instead, which was just damaged. X24 was towed back home and Sceptre was sent in the the Bay of Biscay, hoping to meet axis blockade runners. She met and sank two German merchant ships, Hochheimer off Bilbao and Baldur off Punta Lamie. Back home she was ordered to tow X24 to Bergen and this time it was a success, the dry dock was sunk. Her last patrol saw her sinking a single ship on 28 October 1944, the submarine chaser UJ 1111. She then had a long refit as her sister Satyr, streamlined and shoehorn with additional batteries to act as high-speed target for training on the last generation of U-Boats. But the war ended. She went on in training until sold for scrap in September 1949, after a rather short career.

1940 Programme

HMS Seadog was laid down at Cammell Laird on 31 December 1940, launched on 11 June 1942, completed on 22 September 1942 and commissioned two days later. She spent most of her career in Arctic waters, protecting Arctic convoys to and from Northern Russia, and off Norway. In June 1943 she spotted the Type IX U-536 but could not attack. She took part in Operation Corncrake in Spitzbergen and made a Bay of Biscaye patrol in August 1943.
On 13 patrols, she sank only a single German ship, German transport Oldenburg, on 24 December 1944 with a full salvo of six torpedoes.
In January 1945, she was redeployed to the Far East via Gibraltar, Malta, and Suez to Trincomalee, meeting more success. On her first patrol she rescued four American airmen after after two patrols with her sister HMS Shalimar she sank five sampans, two coasters, a barge, a tugboat and a Japanese tank landing ship. She took the same Mediterranean route on her way home after 19 August 1945 and was placed in reserve, sold for scrap in December 1947, starting in August 1948.

Sybil was ordered on 4 April 1940, laid down at Cammell Laird in Birkenhead on 31 December 1940, launched on 29 April 1942 and commissioned on 16 August 1942. She had an interesting, if not overly successful career. In her first Mediterranean patrol she the Italian merchant Pegli, and French (German service) merchant “St. Nazaire”, German auxiliary minesweeper M 7022/Hummer, five Greek sailing vessels. She missed the merchant Fabriano, German tanker Centaur and an unidentified 1500 tons merchant in a German convoy. Her commanding officer was Lt. Ernest John Donaldson Turner, DSO, until late 1944 then Lt. Huston (Tex) Roe Murray until V-Day, his XO, Stephen Jenner, later became the Canadian Submarine fleet commander.
She was transferred late in the Pacific, in early 1945 and for her first Far East patrol off the Andaman Islands, south of Singapore, Malacca Strait she sank a few Japanese vessels with gunfire and scuttling charge. She was strafed and depth charged thrice but always escaped.
She becale the first British submarine to surface in Singapore harbour after V-Day. She remained based i Trincomalee, supplied by the depot ship HMS Forth.
Louis Mountbatten wanted the surrender signed in Singapore and it was Sibyl that greeted the rest of the fleet. Many ships there had their galleys working day and night to bake bread for the numerous POWs gathered there in terrible conditions, including Sibyl. Back home in 1946 she was placed in reserve, then sold off and BU at Troon from March 1948.

HMS Sea Rover was ordered on 4 April 1940 to Scotts, Greenock, laid down on 14 April 1941, launched on 25 February 1943, commissioned 7 July. She had a single war patrol off Norway, no kills, before being re-assigned to the Pacific, from February 1944. Her patrols from Ceylon were in the Strait of Malacca. On 3 March, she sighted and attacked a Japanese submarine, possibly RO-111, but she evaded them. Later the same day she gunned down Matsu Maru No.1. On the 8th Shobu Maru. On 20 April she resumed an old British tradition inaugurated in the black sea back in WWI: On 20 April, she surfaced and with her deck gun destroyed goods train at Lhokseumawe, Sumatra. It took 59 hits to have it ablaze, after stopping dead the locomotive with a first hit. In June she spotted by missed the I-8. In all, she sank a transport, a gunboat, a merchant, three sailing vessels as well as two coasters, and one lighter and each time escape DC attacks and aircraft strafing and bombing. However in one severe attac south of Pennag on 26 June she was flooded with two tons of water from leaks, but later survived and was repaired. She collided with an Australian corvette in December 1944 and needed more repairs back home, prlongated by a Philadelphia Navy Yard refit until September 1945 when the war ended. Back home in 1946, she was placed in reserve, sold for scrap in October 1949.

One of the most successful S-class, mostly because of her numerous spc ops missions, included game changing ones. She also had a very long career. Books were written on her postwar. Seraph was ordered on 23 June 1940 at Vickers Armstrong, Barrow-in-Furness, laid down on 16 August 1940, launched on 25 October 1941 and commissioned on 27 June 1942. First she took part in Operation Torch under Lt. Norman “Bill” Jewell in recce off the Algerian coast, last two weeks of September 1942. Next, she sailed from Gibraltar for Operation Flagpole, carrying Eisenhower’s deputy Lt.Gl. Mark W. Clark to North Africa for secret negotiations with Vichy French officers. He was accompanied by General Jerauld Wright and several other officers with members of the British Special Boat Section. This was done in the night of 20 October, and helped reduce French opposition to the Torch landings.
Clark and his party were picked up on 25 October.
On 27 October she took part in Operation Kingpin off southern France to pick up on 5 November 20 miles (32 km) east of Toulon escorting French General Henri Giraud, his son, and three staff officers for a meeting with Eisenhower in Gibraltar. Given his distaste for everything British like most Vicky French officers, the submarine was briefly “USS Seraph” and flying a US Navy ensign with a special captaon for the occasion and British crew affected American accents but Giraud was not fooled and informed by Wright. On 24 November at last she started her first war patrol in the Mediterranean bu was then called to bring U.S. and British Commandos for reconnaissance. On 2 December 1942 she torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Puccini. On 23 December she rammed and damaged a U-boat and sas refitted in Britain.
Then she took in Operation Mincemeat, prepared from 28 January 1943. It was part of Operation Barclay, a deception for a landing Greece and Sardinia, instead of Sicily. She set sail with a well prepared cadaver on 19 April in a metal canister packed in dry ice, dispatched later to be floated away on 30 April and headed to Gibraltar. The body was picked up and info passed to the Germans, the mission was a success.
By late April 1943 HMS Seraph was east of Sardinia, damaging a merchant off the Strait of Bonifacio and another 3 days later. During Operation Husky she became guide ship for the invasion force. For the remainder of 1943 and 1944 she attacked several convoys, and sank only a few small ships.
Se had a refit from December 1943 in Chatham and made her final patrol in the Channel under Lt.Cdr. Trevor Russell-Walling but suffered accidental damage, drydock repaired and then converted as training boat for fast ASW warfare (XXI-class decoy), streamlined at Devonport and fitted with new batteries.
She remained active postwar and in 1955 she received armour plating as a torpedo target boat. She was in the British film The Man Who Never Was (1956) relating Operation Mincemeat. She was decommissioned on 25 October 1962, scrapped but her conning tower torpedo loading hatch were preserved as memorial at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina to symbolize the wartime US-UK cooperation.

HMS Shakespeare, sporting the name of a recently sunken destroyer leader, was built at Vickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness, Laid down on 13 November 1940, Launched on 8 December 1941 and Commissioned on 10 July 1942. She served in the Mediterranean and with the Eastern Fleet from December 1944. She sank the Italian sailing vessels Sant’ Anna M. and Adelina, Greek sailing vessel Aghios Konstantinos, plus two unidentified sailing vessels. Her best coup was to sink the surfaced Italian submarine Velella, lost with all hands. She allso attacked but missed an Italian light cruiser. In the far east she sank the Japanese merchant cargo ship Unryu Maru. However she was badly damaged by gunfire and air attack in the Nankauri Strait (Andaman) on 3 January 1945. Later she had a duel with the minesweeper Wa 1, and she returned to port so badly damaged she was written off as constructive total loss. Sold on 14 July 1946 she was BU up by Thos. W. Ward (Briton Ferry).

P222 was Ordered on 4 April 1940 to Vickers Armstrong, Barrow in Furness, laid down on 10 August 1940, launched on 20 September 1941 and commissioned on 4 May 1942. She was lost before a name could be allotted to her, a rare case. She had an uneventful first war patrol in the Alboran Sea, intercepted the Vichy French merchant SS Mitidja in July, provided protection for an Allied convoy to Malta (Operation Pedestal) in August. She did some recce off the coast of Algeria in advance of Operation Torch was attacked by a French patrol ship (no damage). But on 30 November for her second patrol, still unnamed, P222 departed Gibraltar for Naples, failed to return at Algiers and was never heard of again. The torpedo boat Fortunale claimed her on 12 December SE of Capri, never confirmed.

Ordered on 2 September 1940 to Cammell Laird, Birkenhead she was laid down on 6 May 1941, launched on 29 July 1942 and commissioned on 3 November 1942. She spent most of her career off Norway and in the North Sea, but her transfer to the Pacific wasn cancelled due to technical problems. After three patrols in the North Sea, she sailed to the Bay of Biscay, attacking two surfaced German U-boats but missed. She took part in Operation Source, against Battleships in Norway, towing the midget sub X8 to off the fjord where Tirpitz was anchored. But X8 was scuttled, mission was cancelled. She then carried British agents to a fishing vessel off Norway. In newt patrotls she fired but missed three German merchant ships. In March 1944, she was sent to the US for a refit, back in October for another patrol, and her battery were changed shortly before she was ordered to the Pacific. But she aborted the crossing and went back for a change of battery. Still she managed to reach the Philippines but on 13 July her batteries caught fire. She was evacuated, towed to port, eaxmined and declared damaged beyond the repair for local shipyards. Sent back to Britain she was never repaired, placed in reserve, then sold, scrapped in Troon by June 1948.

HMS Sickle was ordered on 2 September 1940 to Cammell Laird, Birkenhead, laid down on 8 May 1941, launched on 27 August 1942 and commissioned on 1 December 1942. She had an initial patrol off the Norwegian coast. Transferred to Gibraltar, she had a patrol to Algiers. From 10 May to 10 October she patrolled the Gulf of Genoa five times. She sank U-755 on 20 May 1943, then three minesweepers and a sub-chaser. She was later based to Beirut, French Lebanon to conduct two patrols in the Aegean Sea. She only sank three caïques and a merchant ship. In between the landed operatives and supplies for the local resistance in Greece.
On her second patrol from Beirut she was damaged by escorting destroyers, her electric motors broke down. She survived the attack and was repaired in Gibraltar. Months later in service she made two patrols in the Aegean, sank three caïques, a sailing vessel and a merchant ship. On 31 May 1944, departed Malta for another patrol in the Aegean but was never heard of again. Now it is most probable she was lost on mines on her way back to Malta c16–18 June 1944.

HMS Simoom was ordered on 2 September 1940 to Cammell Laird, laid down on 14 July 1941, launched on 12 October 1942 and commissioned on 30 December 1942. She had an initial patrol off Norway, and was transferred to Gibraltar, then Algiers after January 1943. She made four patrols, attacked several ships, only sank the Italian destroyer Vincenzo Gioberti (Oriani class) on 8 August, narrowly missed the cruiser Giuseppe Garibaldi in the same attack. She took part in Operation Avalanche. She visited several ports in the eastern Mediterranean and departed Port Said for a patrol off Turkey, never returned. Most probably she hit a mine and sank. Her wreck was rediscovered in 2016 off Tenedos, Turkey, and the damage is coherent with this hypothesis. Turkey never reported ASW patrols as per her neutrality policy, even in its own waters, but placed minefields.

Sirdar was laid down at Scotts, Greenock on 24 April 1941, launched on 26 March 1943 and commissioned on 20 September 1943. In 1943 while testing, she made an involuntary deep (potentially fatal) dive to 380 feet, out of control under Lt.Cdr. Tony Spender, but fortunately she hit the muddy bottom. She was unstuck after mulstiple attempts almost out of air. She was transferred to the Pacific Far East early on and sank two Japanese coasters, two sailing vessels, two unidentified vessels, and the Japanese guard boat Kaiyo Maru No.5., also damaged another coaster on the surface with her deck gun.
Postwar she soldiered on with HMS Scorcher and Scythian, searching for the missing HMS Affray in 1951. She trained escorts, sitting on the bottom for six hours for ASDIC searches of an immobile sub. On the night of 31 January to 1 February 1953 she was damaged by a north sea fllod while in dry dock. She capsized, but was refloated and returned to service until sold for BU at McLellen on 31 May 1965.

Spiteful was laid dwon at Scotts, Greenock on 19 September 1941, launched on 5 June 1943 and commissioned on 6 October 1943. She sailed for Ceylon and arrived on April 1944, assigned to the 8th Flotilla, tender HMS Maidstone. She made two patrols and was later based from Fremantle, sinking a number of Japanese vessels with gunfire on 30 June, 2 July, and 14 December but no successful torpedoing. After the war ended she was used for training and was leased to the French Navy from 1952 as the Sirène, until decommission on 15 July 1963.

HMS Splendid was laid down at Chatham on 7 March 1941, launched on 19 January 1942 and commissioned on 8 August 1942. She had a first patrol through the Bay of Biscay to Gibraltar followed by two patrols in the Mediterranean, one abandoned after technical issues. In the second she spotted and missed an U-Boat, spotted and sank the ASW schooner San Paolo northwest of Gorgona. She spotted and missed the Italian submarine Aradam on 20 November. She attacked a convoy, starting with the escort, Soldati-class destroyer Velite that she damaged, but she was repelled by other escorts. In December she attacked and missed the German transport Ankara but sank the Italian destroyer Aviere, confirmed by Saracen. She missed the sub. Galatea also. Based in Algiers she was sent north of Sicily to intercept reinforcements convoys, inking six Italian ships, two tankers and two heavy merchant ships. She was chased by a German destroyer on 21 April 1943 (this was KMS Hermese, former Greek Vasilefs Giorgios) while off Naples. She received depth charges until forced to surface, in very bad shape. She was scuttled and surviving crew became POWs. By tonnage sunk from December 1942 and May 1943 she was the best of all S-class.

HMS Sportsman was ordered on 14 October 1940 to Chatham Dockyard, laid down on 1 July 1941, launched on 17 April 1942 and commissioned on 21 December 1942. She was chiefly deployed in the Mediterranean Sea after a first patrol off Norway. Her first kill was the Vichy French heavy transport Général Bonaparte, and missed a French oil tanker. She was heavily damaged by an allied bomber (mistook) and needed repairs before beign sent to the Black Sea, but this operation was cancelled. Instead she patrolled and Aegean Sea and sank several Greek and German vessels. On 8 February 1944 she sank the German transport SS Petrella marked however as carrying POWs according to the Geneva Convention. Thus she killed 2,670 out of 3,173 Italians aboard. She sank several more ships but was detected and took DCs while approaching a convoy. She was refitted in the United States, and was transferred to the UK for training crews for the Far East. The war ended in 1945 before she could be deployed and she ended in reserve at Harwich. She was transferred in July 1952 to the French Navy as “Sibylle”. But she was lost with all hands in a diving accident off Toulon, 24 September. She was one of the most successful S-class boats with 12 kills, 20,242 GRT. Best kill was the 5,809t transport Lüneburg on 28 April 1944, also her last.

1941 Programme

1942 Programme

1943 Programme

Read More/Src

Books

Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record. Chatham Publishing.
Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press.
Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen (1995). Conway’s All The World’s Fighting Ships 1947–1995. NIP.
van den Pol, E. (1989). “Aspects of submarines – Part I: Some notes on development”. Schip en Werf. Vol. 56.

Links

https://uboat.net/allies/warships/class/52.html
submarines.dotan.net/
ww2-weapons.com/sub-s-class/
rnsubs.co.uk/ sonar.html
en.wikipedia.org/ 21-inch torpedo
navypedia.org/
https://www.paxmanhistory.org.uk/paxsubs.htm
http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WNBR_4-40_mk4.php
https://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/3438.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20150629033814/http://www.citadel.edu/root/monuments#seraph
https://web.archive.org/web/20170410173423/http://historisches-marinearchiv.de/projekte/asa/uebersicht.php
British subs on naval-encyclopedia.com
en.wikipedia.org/ British S-class submarine 1931
picryl.com/ british s class submarine

Videos

Model Kits

Only found, HMS Rover, Group III