View source for British S-class submarine (1931)

{{short description|Type of British submarines in service before and during WWII}}
{{About|the World War II submarine class|the World War I submarine class|British S-class submarine (1914)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2017}}
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|Ship caption={{HMS|Stonehenge|P232|6}}
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{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name=S class
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|Class after={{sclass2|River|submarine|4}}
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The '''S-class submarines''' of the [[Royal Navy]] were originally 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 [[British H-class submarine]]s. As part of the major naval construction for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, the S class became the single largest group of submarines ever built for the Royal Navy. A total of 62 were constructed over a period of 15 years, with fifty of the "improved" S class being launched between 1940 and 1945.

At the start of the Second World War the ''S'' class was together with the British [[British U-class submarine|''U'']] and [[British T-class submarine|''T'' class]], Dutch [[O 21-class submarine|''O 21'' class]] and German [[Type VII submarine|''Type VII'' class]] one of the most advanced submarine classes in service at the time.<ref>van den Pol (1989), p. 352.</ref>

==Service==
The submarines operated in the waters around the [[United Kingdom]] and in the [[Mediterranean]], and later in the Far East after being fitted with extra tankage.
[[File:British S-class submarines in Service.png|thumb|right|300px|Number of S-class submarines in service by year.]]
After the war S-class boats continued to serve in the Royal Navy until the 1960s. The last operational boat in the Royal Navy was {{HMS|Sea Devil|P244|2}}, launched in 1945 and scrapped in February 1966. {{HMS|Springer||2}} was in Israeli service as INS ''Tanin'' and was decommissioned in 1972.

Several S-class submarines were sold on or lent to other navies:
*Netherlands 1
*Portugal    3
*France      4
*Israel      2. (HMS ''Springer'' as [[HMS Springer|INS ''Tanin'']] (S71), landed commandos and fought with an Egyptian ship in the [[Six-Day War]])<ref name="dotan">{{Cite web|url=http://submarines.dotan.net/sclasse/|title=Israeli S Class Submarines|website=submarines.dotan.net|access-date=2016-07-16}}</ref><ref name="nrg" />

A modified version was ordered by the Turkish navy in 1939 as the {{sclass|Oruç Reis|submarine|4}}.

==Service losses==<!-- This section is linked from [[HMS Salmon (N65)]]. See [[WP:MOS#Section management]] -->

Of the twelve S-class 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 [[Ten Little Indians|nursery rhyme]] originally written by [[Septimus Winner]] in 1868:<ref>Printed in Young (1952), who gives his source as Chief ERA "Skips" Marriott. {{cite book
| first= Edward
| last= Young
| year= 1952
| title=One Of Our Submarines 
| publisher=Rupert Hart-Davis 
| location= London
|pages=60–61
}}</ref>

:Twelve little ''S''-boats "go to it" like [[Ernest Bevin|Bevin]],
::[[HMS Starfish (19S)|''Starfish'']] goes a bit too far &mdash; then there were eleven.
:Eleven watchful ''S''-boats doing fine and then
::[[HMS Seahorse (98S)|''Seahorse'']] fails to answer &mdash; so there are ten.
:Ten stocky ''S''-boats in a ragged line,
::[[HMS Sterlet (2S)|''Sterlet'']] drops and stops out &mdash; leaving us nine.
:Nine plucky ''S''-boats, all pursuing Fate,
::[[HMS Shark (54S)|''Shark'']] is overtaken &mdash; now we are eight.
:Eight sturdy ''S''-boats, men from [[Hampshire|Hants]] and [[Devon]],
::[[HMS Salmon (N65)|''Salmon'']] now is overdue &mdash; and so the number's seven.
:Seven gallant ''S''-boats, trying all their tricks,
::[[HMS Spearfish (69S)|''Spearfish'']] tries a newer one &mdash; down we come to six.
:Six tireless ''S''-boats fighting to survive,
::No reply from [[HMS Swordfish (61S)|''Swordfish'']] &mdash; so we tally five.
:Five scrubby ''S''-boats, patrolling close inshore,
::[[HMS Snapper (39S)|''Snapper'']] takes a short cut &mdash; now we are four.
:Four fearless ''S''-boats, too far out to sea,
::[[HMS Sunfish (81S)|''Sunfish'']] bombed and scrap-heaped &mdash; we are only three.
:Three threadbare ''S''-boats patrolling o'er the blue,
::...
:Two ice-bound ''S''-boats...
::...
:One lonely ''S''-boat...
::...

The survivors, left blank in the fatalistic rhyme, were [[HMS Sealion (72S)|HMS ''Sealion'']] (scuttled), [[HMS Seawolf (47S)|HMS ''Seawolf'']] (broken up), and [[HMS Sturgeon (73S)|HMS ''Sturgeon'']] (sold).

== General characteristics ==

=== First group ===

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{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name='''First group'''
|Builders=
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|Class before=
|Class after=
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|Cost=
|Built range= 
|In service range= 
|In commission range=  
|Total ships building= 
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=4
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= 
|Ship type=Submarine
|Ship displacement={{Unbulleted list| 640 tons surfaced
| 935 tons submerged
}}
|Ship length={{convert|202|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship beam={{convert|24|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship draught={{convert|10|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=
|Ship speed={{Unbulleted list| {{convert|13.75|kn}} surfaced
| {{convert|10|kn|km/h|0}} submerged
}}
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth=
|Ship complement=36 officers and enlisted
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Unbulleted list| 6× [[British 21 inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (bow, 12 [[British 21-inch torpedo#Mark VIII|Mark VIII]] [[torpedo]]es)
|1× [[QF 3 inch 20 cwt|3-inch (76 mm) gun]]
| 1× .303-calibre machine gun
}}
|Ship armour=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
[[File:Shadowgraph S british class groupe I submarine.svg|thumb|left|Silhouette of S-class submarine, group I]]
The first group of S-class submarines consisted of four boats. They were smaller and slower than later classes, and carried less armament, but could be crewed by fewer men.  All four were built at Chatham Dockyard, between 1930 and 1932.  During the war, they operated in home waters, particularly the [[English Channel]], and off the Scandinavian coast.  The later second and third groups of S-class submarines would have their fuel capacity expanded to allow them to operate further and overcome this limitation.

The mortality rate of these early boats was particularly high. Only one, HMS ''Sturgeon'', survived to the end of the war.

'''Ships:'''

Two ordered under the 1929 Construction Programme:
* [[HMS Swordfish (61S)|HMS ''Swordfish'']]
* [[HMS Sturgeon (73S)|HMS ''Sturgeon'']]
Two ordered under the 1930 Construction Programme:
* [[HMS Seahorse (98S)|HMS ''Seahorse'']]
* [[HMS Starfish (19S)|HMS ''Starfish'']]

{|{{Infobox ship begin|sclass=2}}
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{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name='''Second group'''
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|Class before=
|Class after=
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|Cost=
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|In service range=   
|In commission range=  
|Total ships building= 
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|Total ships completed=8
|Total ships cancelled=
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|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= 
|Ship type=Submarine
|Ship displacement={{Unbulleted list| 670 tons surfaced
| 960 tons submerged
}}
|Ship length={{convert|208|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship beam={{convert|24|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship height=
|Ship draught={{convert|10|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=
|Ship speed={{Unbulleted list| {{convert|13.75|kn}} surfaced
| {{convert|10|kn|km/h|0}} submerged
}}
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth=
|Ship complement=39 officers and enlisted
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Unbulleted list|6× [[British 21 inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (bow, 12 [[British 21-inch torpedo#Mark VIII|Mark VIII]] [[torpedo]]es)
|1× [[QF 3 inch 20 cwt|3-inch (76 mm) gun]]
| 1× .303-calibre machine gun
}}
|Ship armour=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

=== Second group ===
[[File:Shadowgraph S british class groupe II submarine.svg|thumb|left|300px|Silhouette of S-class submarine, group II]]

The second group of S-class submarines consisted of eight boats.  They were larger than the preceding first group and required more men to crew but carried a similar armament.  Construction was divided between Chatham Dockyard, and the yards of [[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Scotts]], of [[Greenock]] and [[Cammell Laird]] & Co Limited, of [[Birkenhead]].  All the ships were built between 1934 and 1937.  During the war, they, like the submarines of the first group, mostly operated in home waters, ranging as far afield as the Bay of Biscay and the Scandinavian coast. One, HMS ''Sunfish'', was assigned to the Soviet Navy (named ''V-1'') and was sunk by friendly aircraft on the transfer route from Dundee to [[Murmansk]]. Group Two boats had their fuel capacity increased to a maximum of 72 long tons which increased range to 6000nm (11100km) at 10 knots (18.5kph).<ref>Bagnasco, P.110</ref>

A large percentage of these submarines were also lost during the war.  Only two, HMS ''Sealion'' and HMS ''Seawolf'', survived to the end of the war.

'''Ships:'''

Two ordered under the 1931 Construction Programme:
* [[HMS Sealion (72S)|HMS ''Sealion'']]
* [[HMS Shark (54S)|HMS ''Shark'']]
Two ordered under the 1932 Construction Programme:
* [[HMS Snapper (39S)|HMS ''Snapper'']]
* [[HMS Salmon (N65)|HMS ''Salmon'']]
One ordered under the 1933 Construction Programme:
* [[HMS Seawolf (47S)|HMS ''Seawolf'']]
Two ordered under the 1934 Construction Programme:
* [[HMS Spearfish (69S)|HMS ''Spearfish'']]
* [[HMS Sunfish (81S)|HMS ''Sunfish'']]
One ordered under the 1935 Construction Programme:
* [[HMS Sterlet (2S)|HMS ''Sterlet'']]

=== Third group ===

{|{{Infobox ship begin|sclass=2}}
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{{Infobox ship class overview
|Name='''Third group'''
|Builders=
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|Class before=
|Class after=
|Subclasses=
|Cost=
|Built range=
|In service range=
|In commission range=
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=
|Total ships completed=50 (excluding cancelled boats)
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=
|Total ships laid up=
|Total ships lost=
|Total ships retired=
|Total ships preserved=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= 
|Ship type=Submarine
|Ship displacement={{Unbulleted list| 814–842 tons surfaced
| 990 tons submerged
}}
|Ship length={{convert|217|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship beam={{convert|23|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship draught={{convert|11|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=
|Ship speed={{Unbulleted list| {{convert|14.75|kn}} surfaced
| {{convert|8|kn|km/h|0}} submerged
}}
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship test depth=
|Ship complement=49 officers and enlisted
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Unbulleted list|7× [[British 21 inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s (6 forward, 1 aft; 13 [[British 21-inch torpedo#Mark VIII|Mark VIII]] [[torpedo]]es)
| 1 × [[QF 3 inch 20 cwt|3-inch (76 mm) gun]] ([[QF 4 inch naval gun Mk IV, XII, XXII|QF 4-inch gun]] on later boats)
| 1 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm]] cannon
| 3 × .303-calibre machine gun
}}
|Ship armour=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
[[File:Shadowgraph S british class groupe III submarine.svg|thumb|left|300px|Silhouette of S-class submarine, group III]]

The third and by far the most numerous group of S-class submarines consisted of 50 boats. They were the largest and most heavily armed of the S class and required more men to crew.  They were one knot faster on the surface, but two knots slower when submerged. Most of the group were built at the yards of either [[Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company|Scotts]], of [[Greenock]] or [[Cammell Laird]] & Co Limited, of [[Birkenhead]], with a handful being built at Chatham, or by [[Vickers Armstrongs|Vickers Armstrongs Ltd]], of [[Barrow-in-Furness]]. Construction was carried out throughout the war, particularly between 1941 and 1945.  Equipped with a greater fuel capacity, of up to 98 long tons, than their predecessors, they operated much further afield, in the [[Mediterranean]] and in the [[Pacific]].<ref>Bagnasco, P.110</ref>

There were two distinct subgroups. The first were boats of 842 tons, comprising those ordered under the 1939 War Emergency, 1940 and 1941 Programmes (except ''Sea Devil'' and ''Scotsman''), plus ''Sturdy'' and ''Stygian'' of the 1942 Programme; these carried an external stern [[torpedo tube]] in addition to the six bow tubes. The second subgroup were boats of 814 tons, comprising ''Sea Devil'' and ''Scotsman'' of the 1941 Programme, plus those ordered under the 1942 and 1943 Programmes (except ''Sturdy'' and ''Stygian''); these carried no external torpedo tube, but had a thicker welded pressure hull providing for an operational depth limit of {{convert|350|ft|m}} - compared with the {{convert|300|ft|m}} limit in the first subgroup.

Losses continued to be high. Nine ships; ''P222'', ''Saracen'', ''Sahib'', ''Sickle'', ''Simoom'', ''Splendid'', ''Stonehenge'', ''Stratagem'' and ''Syrtis'' were lost during the war, and ''Shakespeare'' and ''Strongbow'' were so badly damaged that they were written off and scrapped. Many surviving ships remained in service after the war.  ''Sportsman'', by now transferred to the French Navy, was lost off Toulon in 1952 and ''Sidon'' was sunk after a torpedo malfunction in 1955.

'''Ships:'''

Five ships were ordered under the 1939 War Emergency Programme.
* [[HMS Safari (P211)|HMS ''Safari'']]
* [[HMS Sahib (P212)|HMS ''Sahib'']]
* [[HMS Saracen (P247)|HMS ''Saracen'']]
* [[HMS Satyr (P214)|HMS ''Satyr'']]
* [[HMS Sceptre (P215)|HMS ''Sceptre'']]
Twenty ships were ordered under the 1940 Programme. These differed from the initial five by having an external ''stern'' torpedo tube fitted, also a [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm Oerlikon]] AA gun and [[Radar|air warning RDF]] installed.
* [[HMS Seadog (P216)|HMS ''Seadog'']]
* [[HMS Sibyl (P217)|HMS ''Sibyl'']]
* [[HMS Sea Rover (P218)|HMS ''Sea Rover'']]
* [[HMS Seraph (P219)|HMS ''Seraph'']]
* [[HMS Shakespeare (P221)|HMS ''Shakespeare'']]
* [[HMS P222|HMS ''P222'']] which was lost before a name could be allotted to her.
* [[HMS Sea Nymph (P223)|HMS ''Sea Nymph'']]
* [[HMS Sickle (P224)|HMS ''Sickle'']]
* [[HMS Simoom (P225)|HMS ''Simoom'']]
* [[HMS Sirdar (P226)|HMS ''Sirdar'']]
* [[HMS Spiteful (P227)|HMS ''Spiteful'']]
* [[HMS Splendid (P228)|HMS ''Splendid'']]
* [[HMS Sportsman (P229)|HMS ''Sportsman'']]
* The final seven further ships (''P81'' to ''P87'') ordered under the 1940 Programme, all from Vickers-Armstrongs, were cancelled during 1943 (and were never laid down or named).
Fifteen ships were ordered under the 1941 Programme.
* [[HMS Stoic (P231)|HMS ''Stoic'']]
* [[HMS Stonehenge (P232)|HMS ''Stonehenge'']]
* [[HMS Storm (P233)|HMS ''Storm'']]
* [[HMS Stratagem (P234)|HMS ''Stratagem'']]
* [[HMS Strongbow (P235)|HMS ''Strongbow'']]
* [[HMS Spark (P236)|HMS ''Spark'']]
* {{HMS|Scythian|P237|6}}
* [[HMS Stubborn (P238)|HMS ''Stubborn'']]
* [[HMS Surf (P239)|HMS ''Surf'']]
* [[HMS Syrtis (P241)|HMS ''Syrtis'']]
* [[HMS Shalimar (P242)|HMS ''Shalimar'']]
* [[HMS Scotsman (P243)|HMS ''Scotsman'']]
* [[HMS Sea Devil (P244)|HMS ''Sea Devil'']]
* [[HMS Spirit (P245)|HMS ''Spirit'']]
* [[HMS Statesman (P246)|HMS ''Statesman'']]
Thirteen ships were ordered under the 1942 Programme.
* [[HMS Sturdy (P248)|HMS ''Sturdy'']]
* {{HMS|Stygian|P249|6}}
* [[HMS Subtle (P251)|HMS ''Subtle'']]
* [[HMS Supreme (P252)|HMS ''Supreme'']]
* [[HMS Sea Scout (P253)|HMS ''Sea Scout'']]
* [[HMS Selene (P254)|HMS ''Selene'']]
* [[HMS Seneschal (P255)|HMS ''Seneschal'']]
* [[HMS Sentinel (P256)|HMS ''Sentinel'']]
* [[HMS Sidon (P259)|HMS ''Sidon'']]
* [[HMS Sleuth (P261)|HMS ''Sleuth'']]
* [[HMS Solent (P262)|HMS ''Solent'']]
* [[HMS Spearhead (P263)|HMS ''Spearhead'']]
* [[HMS Springer (P264)|HMS ''Springer'']] – sold to Israel, recommissioned August 1959 as {{INS|Tanin|1958|6}}, participated in the [[Six-Day War]]<ref name="dotan" /><ref name="nrg">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/317/269.html?hp=1&cat=875|title=בחיל הים שקלו לקרוא לצוללת החדשה "דקר"|website=www.nrg.co.il/|access-date=2016-07-16}}</ref>
Eight ships were ordered under the 1943 Programme, but only four were completed. The other four submarines was cancelled after the war ended in 1945, and they became surplus to peacetime requirements.
* [[HMS Saga (P257)|HMS ''Saga'']]
* [[HMS Scorcher (P258)|HMS ''Scorcher'']]
* [[HMS Spur|HMS ''Spur'']]
* [[HMS Sanguine (P266)|HMS ''Sanguine'']] – sold to Israel, recommissioned August 1959 as INS ''Rahav''<ref name="dotan" />
* HMS ''Sea Robin'' (P267) – cancelled
* HMS ''Sprightly'' (P268) – cancelled
* HMS ''Surface'' (P269) – cancelled
* HMS ''Surge'' (P271) – cancelled

==Ships in foreign service==
Several S-class submarines were sold on or lent to other navies.<ref>Conway p51-52</ref><br>
'''From the First group''':
*In 1943 HMS ''Sturgeon'' was transferred to the Royal Netherlands Navy as ''Zeehond''. She was returned in 1945

'''From the Second group'''
*In 1944 HMS ''Sunfish'' was transferred to the Soviet Navy (and renamed ''V-1''); she was sunk in a friendly fire incident while on transfer to Murmansk.

'''From the Third group'''
*In 1948 three submarines were transferred to Portugal
** HMS ''Spearhead'' became ''Neptuno''
** HMS ''Saga'' became ''Nautilo''
** HMS ''Spur'' became ''Narval''
*In 1952 four submarines were transferred to France and were known as the ''Saphir'' class
** HMS ''Satyr'' became ''Saphir''
** HMS ''Spiteful'' became ''Sirene''
** HMS ''Sportsman'' became ''Sibylle'' but was lost in a diving accident in September 1952
** HMS ''Statesman'' became ''Sultane''
*In 1959 two submarines were sold to Israel
** HMS ''Springer'' became INS ''Tanin'' and saw action during the [[Six Day War]]
** HMS ''Sanguine'' became INS ''Rahav''

== In popular media ==

A fictional third generation S-class submarine, HMS ''Saraband'' is the main setting of the sixth "Harry Gilmour" novel, ''Never Too Old For A Pierhead Jump'' by author David Black.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}

== See also ==

*[[List of submarines of France]]

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}

==Sources==
{{Commons category|British S class submarine (1931)}}
*{{Cite Colledge2006}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bagnasco|first1=Erminio |title=Submarines of World War Two |year=1977 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis |isbn=0870219626}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gardiner |first1=Robert |last2=Chumbley |first2=Stephen |title=Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995 |year=1995 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis |isbn=1-55750-132-7}}
* {{cite magazine |last=van den Pol |first=E. |date=1989 |title=Aspects of submarines - Part I: Some notes on development|magazine=Schip en Werf|location=Rotterdam |publisher=Wyt & Zonen |volume=56|issue=10|issn= 0036-6099|pages=352-358}}

{{British S class submarine|others}}
{{WWII British ships}}

[[Category:Submarine classes|S class submarine, British, 1931]]
[[Category:British S-class submarines (1931)| ]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of the United Kingdom|S class submarine]]