Shark Class
Medium Patrol Submarine
- Shark Class
- Salmon
- Sealion
- Seawolf
- Shark
- Snapper
- Spearfish
- Sterlet
- Sunfish
In the late 1920's and early 1930's it was decided that two main type of patrol submarine would meet the future requirements of the Long Range Overseas Patrol Submarine, a medium sized type for confined waters and a slightly larger one for overseas.
Having learned from past experience that external fuel tanks were not ideally suited the decision was taken that all future construction of submarines should have their fuel tanks internally built. It was intended to maintain the quick diving and the manageable handling of the 'H' class whilst submerged, combined with the long range qualities of the 'O','P' and 'R' classes.
The result was the 'S' class. This class was in production for over 15 years and was the largest single group of submarines built for the Royal Navy.
There were three distinct groups in this class with varying differences as will be seen within the class notes and individual boat profiles.
8 Built
| Submarine | Builder | Built |
| Salmon Sealion Spearfish |
Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. | 1933 - 1936 |
| Shark Snapper Sunfish Sterlet |
H.M. Dockyard, Chatham. | 1933 - 1938 |
| Seawolf | Scotts, Greenock. | 1934 - 1936 |
Technical Information
| Displacement (tons): | 670 sf 960 sm |
| Length (ft): | 208.75 oa |
| Breadth (ft) | 24 |
| Draught/Height (ft): | 11.8 |
| Machinery: | 8 cylinder
Admiralty diesel engines 1,550 bhp Admiralty electric motors 1,440 bhp except Sunfish 1,990 bhp,/1,300 bhp |
| Speed (kts): | 13.75 sf
(Sunfish 15 sf) 10 sm |
| Oil Supply (tons): | 40 |
| Armament: | 1 x 3 inch/45QF
Mk1. 1 x 0.303 inch Lewis mg. 6 x 21 inch bow tubes. 12 reloads. |
| Range: | 3,800 miles at 10 kts sf |
| Complement: | 40 |
| sm = submerged, sf = surfaced, oa = overall, hp = horsepower, na = not available. | |
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H.M. Submarine Salmon
| Type: | Shark Class | Group Two |
| Pennant No.: | 65S N65 |
|
| Laid Down: | 15th June 1933. | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. |
| Commissioned: | 8th March 1935. | Not known at present. |
| Commander: | 1939 1940. |
Lt. Cdr.
E.O. Bickford. Cdr. E.O. Bickford. |
| Complement: | 40 | 5 Officers and 35 Ratings. |
| Service Career: | 1935. 1936-1939. 1939. 1939 - 2nd Flotilla. 1939 - 2nd Flotilla 1939 - 2nd Flotilla. 1940 - 2nd Flotilla. |
Portsmouth. Mediterranean. Malta. HMS Forth, Sheerness. HMS Forth, Harwich. HMS Forth, Dundee. HMS Forth, Rosyth. |
| 1939 -
Returned to Home Waters. 1939 - 1940 - Carried out patrols in the North Sea and Skagerrak, sank the U.36 (Fröhlich) 4th December 1939, the first U-boat to be sunk by a British submrine. 12th December 1939 - Intercepted the German liner Bremen, no action taken as she was forced to submerge when a flying boat appeared. 13th December 1939 - Damaged the German cruisers Leipzig and Nürnberg. |
||
| Fate: | Lost. Mined off the Southwest coast of Norway 9th July 1940. | |
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H.M. Submarine Sealion
| Type: | Shark Class | Group Two |
| Pennant No.: | 72.S | |
| Laid Down: | 16th May 1933. | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. |
| Commissioned: | 21st December 1934. | Not known at present. |
| Commander: | 1940 1941. |
Lt. Cdr.
B. Bryant. Lt. G. R. Colvin. |
| Complement: | 40 | 5 Officers and 35 Ratings. |
| Service Career: | 1934-1939. 1939. 1940 - 3rd Flotilla. 1941 - 6th Flotilla. 1941 - Detached. |
Mediterranean. Home Station. HMS Cyclops, Harwich. HMS Titania, Blyth. Polyarnoe, Nr. Murmansk. |
| Was part
of the submarine force which was in the Kattegat and off the coast
of Norway during the German invasion of Norway. Sank the August: Leonhardt of 2,500 ton south of Anholt Island in the Kattegat, 11th April 1940. Having sunk the leading ship in a convoy in August 1940 in the Skaggerak she was lucky to escape when the second ship passed right over her breaking her periscopes. Stopped the Norwegian SS Fylke and after allowing the evacuation of passengers sank with high explosive shells, February 1941. Served as a marker submarine in December 1941 in Operation Anklet, the raid on the Lofotens. |
||
| Fate: | Used as Anti-submarine target off Isle of Arran, 3rd March 1945. | |
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H.M. Submarine Seawolf
| Type: | Shark Class | Group Two |
| Pennant No.: | 47.S | |
| Laid Down: | 25th May 1934. | Scotts, Greenock. |
| Commissioned: | 12th March 1936. | Not known at present. |
| Commander: | 1940. 1941. |
Lt. Cdr.
J. W. Studholme. Lt. R. P. Raikes. |
| Complement: | 40 | 5 Officers and 35 Ratings. |
| Service Career: | 1936-1939. 1940 - 3rd Flotilla. 1941 - Detached. 1943 |
Portsmouth. HMS Cyclops, Harwich. Polyarnoe, Nr. Murmansk. |
| Was part
of the submarine force which was in the Kattegat and off the coast
of Norway during the German invasion of Norway. Sank the German ship Hamm off the Skaw, 18th April 1940, 5,874 tons. Landed agents on Ullers Island on the 4th July 1940. Sank one ship of 4,200 tons whilst deployed at Polyarnoe. Carried out convoy duties with Russian convoy May/June 1942. In 1937 she was fitted experimentally with the type 129 asdic. |
||
| Fate: | Sold and scrapped, Montreal, Canada, November 1945. | |
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H.M. Submarine Shark
| Type: | Shark Class | Group Two |
| Pennant No.: | 54.S | |
| Laid Down: | 12th June 1933. | H.M. Dockyard, Chatham. |
| Commissioned: | 31st December 1934. | Not known at present. |
| Commander: | 1940. | Lt. Cdr. P. N. Buckley. |
| Complement: | 40 | 5 Officers and 35 Ratings. |
| Service Career: | 1935 -
1939 - 1st Flotilla. 1939 - 5th Flotilla. 1939 - 3rd Flotilla. 1940 - 2nd Flotilla. |
Mediterranean. Fort Blockhouse, Gosport. HMS Cyclops, Harwich. HMS Forth, Rosyth. |
| Attacked
by a German seaplane 5th July 1940 there was much damage to the
boat. She was able to surface later but was unable to steer correctly
as the rudder was jammed and one of the main engines was out of
action. During the course of the next twenty-four hours she was attacked by numerous aircraft from Stavanger and many of her crew were killed or wounded. The Commanding officer eventually took the decision to surrender after destroying anything which may be of use to the enemy and placing demolition charges. Four trawlers were sent from Stavanger to take off the crew and to take the Shark in tow. As the trawlers attempted to tow Shark she began to sink by the stern and the tow was released. Shark sank in approximately 700 feet of water 30 miles Southwest of Stavanger. |
||
| Fate: | Sank, possibly due to damage caused by aircraft attack or by demolition/scuttling charges set by crew, 5th July 1940. | |
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H.M. Submarine Snapper
| Type: | Shark Class | Group Two |
| Pennant No.: | 39.S | |
| Laid Down: | 18th September 1933. | H.M. Dockyard, Chatham. |
| Commissioned: | 14th June 1935. | Not known at present. |
| Commander: | 1939-1941 1941 |
Lt. W.D.A.
King. Lt. G. V. Prowse. |
| Complement: | 40 | 5 Officers and 35 Ratings. |
| Service Career: | 1935. 1936-1939. 1939. |
Portsmouth. Mediterranean. Home Waters. |
| Carried out patrols in North Sea, Skagerrak and Biscay in 1939. She was involved in the Norwegian campaign sinking one ship of 6,200 tons in addition to two small ships and two minesweepers of an aggregate 2,500 tons. Attacked the auxiliary cruiser Widder (Schiff 21) on 6th May 1940, fired two torpedoes which unfortunately missed. | ||
| Fate: | Lost on
the 11th February 1941. Sunk by German minesweepers. |
|
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H.M. Submarine Spearfish
| Type: | Shark Class | Group Two |
| Pennant No.: | 69S 69N N69 |
|
| Laid Down: | 23rd May 1935. | Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. |
| Commissioned: | 11th December 1936. | Not known at present. |
| Commander: | 1939 1940 |
Lt. Cdr.
J. H. Eaden. Lt. Cdr. J. H. Forbes. |
| Complement: | 40 | 5 Officers and 35 Ratings. |
| Service Career: | 1936-1939 1939 - 6th Flotilla. 1940 - 6th Flotilla. |
Portland. HMS Titania, Blyth. HMS Titania, Blyth. |
| Possibly
the first British warship to be attacked by the enemy. Hostilities against the Germans were commenced at 1100 hours on 3rd September 1939, Spearfish was attacked by a German submarine at 1104. Depth charged on 26th September 1939 and damaged. She was escorted home by the cruisers Aurora and Sheffield, the battleships Nelson and Rodney, the battlecruisers Hood and Repulse and air cover provided by the Ark Royal. Was part of the submarine force which was in the Kattegat and off the coast of Norway during the German invasion of Norway. Attacked and damaged the German pocket battleship Lutzow, 10th April 1940, effectively putting her out of action for one year. |
||
| Fate: | Sailed
from Rosyth on 31st July 1940 and was sunk by U34 using her last
torpedo whilst returning from patrol on 1st August 1940 approximately
180 miles West southwest of Stavanger. There was only one survivor. |
|
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H.M. Submarine Sterlet
| Type: | Shark Class | Group Two |
| Pennant No.: | 19.S | |
| Laid Down: | 26th September 1931 | H.M. Dockyard, Chatham. |
| Commissioned: | 27th October 1933 | Not known at present. |
| Commander: | Not known at present. | Not known at present. |
| Complement: | 38 | 4 Officers and 34 Ratings. |
| Service Career: | 1933-1934 1934-1936 1936-1939 1939-1940 |
Portsmouth Portland Home Fleet Dundee, Rosyth, Blyth |
| Not known at present | ||
| Fate: | Lost 9th January 1940. | |
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H.M. Submarine Sunfish
| Type: | Shark Class | Group Two |
| Pennant No.: | 81.S | |
| Laid Down: | 22nd July 1935 | H.M. Dockyard, Chatham. |
| Commissioned: | 2nd July 1937 | Not known at present. |
| Commander: | Not known at present. | Not known at present. |
| Complement: | 40 | 5 Officers and 35 Ratings. |
| Service Career: | 1937-1939 1939-1941 1942-1943 1943-1944 |
Portsmouth Portsmouth Portsmouth Rothesay |
| Attacked U14 with 4 torpedoes on 19th February 1940 - missed. During the Norwegian campain carried out seven attacks and sinks four ships a total of 18,870 tons. Attacked and sinks one ship of a convoy off Norway 5th December 1940. Damaged by a near miss from 500lb bomb in the River Tyne on 2nd October 1941. Repaired at Portsmouth during 1942-1943. Carried out training duties at Rothesay during 1943-1944. Transferred to Soviet Navy in July 1944 and renamed V.1. Sunk in error by Coasta Command aircraft . |
||
| Fate: | Lost 27th July 1944. | |
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