HMS Stygian

History
United Kingdom
Name	HMS Stygian
Builder	Cammell Laird Shipyard, Birkenhead
Laid down	6 January 1943
Launched	30 November 1943
Commissioned	29 February 1944
Decommissioned	29 October 1949
Fate	Sold for scrapping 28 October 1949
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	S-class submarine
Displacement	814-872 tons surfaced 990 tons submerged
Length	217 ft (66 m)
Beam	23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Draught	11 ft (3.4 m)
Speed	14.75 kn (27.32 km/h; 16.97 mph) surfaced 8 kn (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged
Complement	48 officers and men
Armament	6 × forward 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, one aft 13 torpedoes 1 × 3 in (76 mm) gun 1 × 20 mm cannon 3 × .303-calibre machine guns

HMS Stygian (pennant number P249) was a S-class submarine of the British Royal Navy, and the only ship so far to bear the name. The boat is listed as being a member of the fourth group, although she had the external stern torpedo tube fitted as in the third group.

After an eventful career in the Pacific during the Second World War, she was sold to be broken up for scrap on 28 October 1949, and finally scrapped by Metal Industries of Ardgour in August 1950.

Career

On being commissioned, HMS Stygian was under the command of Lt. G.S.C. Clarabut, RN. She was assigned to operate with the Eastern Fleet in the Pacific Ocean. She had a short, but eventful wartime career, sinking eight Japanese sailing vessels, five Japanese coasters, six unidentified Japanese vessels and the ship Nichinan Maru. She also sank the Japanese auxiliary minesweeper Wa 104 (the former Dutch Djember) and damaged the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser Cha 104 off Bali. Stygian acted as tow for the midget submarine XE-3, when XE-3 attacked the Japanese cruiser Takao in Singapore Harbour in Operation Struggle.

References

• Akermann, Paul (2002). Encyclopaedia of British Submarines 1901–1955 (reprint of the 1989 ed.). Penzance, Cornwall: Periscope Publishing. ISBN 1-904381-05-7.
• Bagnasco, Erminio (1977). Submarines of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-962-6.
• Chesneau, Roger, ed. (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. Greenwich, UK: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
• Colledge, J. J.; Warlow, Ben (2006) [1969]. Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy (Rev. ed.). London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 978-1-86176-281-8.
• McCartney, Innes (2006). British Submarines 1939–1945. New Vanguard. Vol. 129. Oxford, UK: Osprey. ISBN 1-84603-007-2.