British S class submarine (1931)
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The S-class submarines of the Royal Navy were designed and built during the modernisation of the submarine force in the early 1930s to meet the need for smaller boats to patrol the restricted waters of the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea replacing the H class submarines.
The S class was the largest single group of submarines ever built for the Royal Navy. A total of 62 were constructed over a period of 15 years; fifty of the "improved" S-class were launched between 1940 and 1945.
Service
Besides action in Home waters and "the Med", S class submarines served in the Far East when fitted with extra tankage.Post war the S class boats were serving with the RN into the 1960s. The last boat in full commission was HMS Sea Devil in 1965.
Several S-class submarines were sold on to other navies:
- Netherlands 1
- Portugal 3
- France 4
- Israel 2.
Service losses
Of the twelve S-boats that were in service in 1939, only three survived to see the end of World War II, a loss rate that inspired the song "Twelve Little S-Boats", based on a nursery rhyme originally written by Septimus Winner in 1868. The survivors were Sealion, Seawolf and Sturgeon.
- Twelve little S-boats "go to it" like Bevin,
- :Starfish goes a bit too far — then there were eleven.
- Eleven watchful S-boats doing fine and then
- :Seahorse fails to answer — so there are ten.
- Ten stocky S-boats in a ragged line,
- :Sterlet stops and drops out — leaving us nine.
- Nine plucky S-boats, all pursuing fate,
- :Shark is overtaken — now we are eight.
- Eight sturdy S-boats, men from Hants and Devon,
- :Salmon now is overdue — so the number's seven.
- Seven gallant S-boats, trying all their tricks,
- :Spearfish tries a newer one — down we come to six.
- Six tireless S-boats fighting to survive,
- :No reply from Swordfish — so we tally five.
- Five scrubby S-boats, patrolling close inshore,
- :Snapper takes a short cut — now we are four.
- Four fearless S-boats, too far out to sea,
- :Sunfish bombed and scrap-heaped — we are only three.
General characteristics
First Group
- Displacement: 640 tons surfaced, 935 tons submerged
- Length: 202 feet 6 inches
- Beam: 24 feet
- Draught: 10 feet 6 inches
- Speed: 13.75 knots surfaced, 10 knots submerged
- Armament: six forward 21-inch torpedo tubes, twelve torpedoes, one three-inch gun; one .303-calibre machine gun
- Complement: 36 officers and men
Second Group
- Displacement: 670 tons surfaced, 960 tons submerged
- Length: 208 feet 9 inches
- Beam: 24 feet
- Draught: 10 feet 6 inches
- Speed: 13.75 knots surfaced, 10 knots submerged
- Armament: six forward 21-inch torpedo tubes, twelve torpedoes, one three-inch gun; one .303-calibre machine gun
- Complement: 39 officers and men
Third Group
- Displacement: 814-872 tons surfaced, 990 tons submerged
- Length: 217 feet
- Beam: 23 feet 6 inches
- Draught: 11 feet
- Speed: 14.75 knots surfaced, 8 knots submerged
- Armament: six 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
- Complement: 48 officers and men
| S-class submarine |
| First Group |
|---|
| Swordfish | Sturgeon | Seahorse | Starfish |
| Second Group |
| Sealion | Salmon | Shark | Snapper | Spearfish | Sterlet | Sea Devil | Sunfish | Seawolf |
| Third Group |
| Seraph | Shakespeare | Splendid | Saracen | Sibyl | Sportsman | Sea Dog | Sea Nymph | Sickle | Satyr | Simoom | Surf | Sceptre | Sea Rover | Stubborn | Sirdar | Stoic | Shalimar | Syrtis | Stonehenge | Spirit | Strongbow | Statesman | Sturdy | Spiteful | Stratagem | Stygian | Spark | Subtle | Supreme | Sea Scout | Scythian | Selene | Solent | Sleuth | Scotsman | Spearhead | Spur | Scorcher | Sanguine | Seneschal | Sentinel | Springer | Storm | Safari | Sidon | Saga | Sahib |
| List of submarines of the Royal Navy List of submarine classes of the Royal Navy |
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