Yolurne 9 Issue 102

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@ Aerospace Publishing Ltd 1985
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Tony Gibbons der of British Land Forces during the
Dave Etchell
Falklands campaign.

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Allied
Submcrines
oIWb dWbrll
While not achieuing the notoiety of the German fuolf packs',
Allied submarine forces nonetheless mad,e significant
contributions to the war effort. In Euzope they were active
from Nonyay to the Mediterranean, and in the Far East the
collapse of the lapanese economyinthelastyears of thewar
was largely due to the US submarine blockade.
Submarines sighted in the Atlantic durrng World War II were, very
}ikely, those of the Germans, for the area was largely devoid of targets for
Allied boats, The British, reinforced by such submarines as were able to
escape their various countries' rapid collapse, concentrated therr efforts
in European waters, where the Axis had to risk surface movement, Thus,
submarlne attack was used effectively in the Norwegian campaign,
agarnst transltting U-boats and in the long struggle in the Mediterranean,
Shortage of boats, as rn everything else, obliged the Brltish initially to a
virtual denuding of the Far East of larger submarines for use ln con-
stricted waters where they were both unsatisfactory and vulnerable.
When, eventually, the Far East itself was engmlfed in war, the British
submarlne presence was minimal, many of the diverted boats having
been lost. Only with the Mediterranean sea war effectively coming to an
end with the surrender of enemy forces in North A-frica could the Royal
Navy redeploy rts improved 'T' class boats to the eastern theatre, where
the submarine war against Japan was already dominated by the Amer-
lcans.
A British submarine flotilla
nestles aJongrside its depot ship.
HMS Upriqht s econd from the
right, had the unusual dktinction
of including a floating dock and
an aircraft amongst her victims.
The position of the American submarine arm vis-d-vis the Japanese
mercantile marine was analoqous to that between the Germans and the
British, Both maritime-based emplres depended upon their seaborne
trade; if this could be throttled the empire would lnevitably coliapse,
Because the experienced British were prepared, they survived the
onslaught (allreit narrowly) but the Japanese were wide open and
blinkered to the truth of their shortcomlngs, The American skipper
proved to be determined, adaptable and highly rnnovative, devising
original and botd attack technrques, Hts fleet organization gave hrm fuli
backing with temporary advanced bases and tenders used to the full to
follow the war's advance, shortening transit times and maximizinq time
on patrol,
HMSTakumakes herway atclosetoher maximum surface speed of lS kts.
T he B ritish' T' class was larger than most Roy al N avy bo a ts, a n d hence more
suited to the Far East campaign. Such was the need for boats closer to home
that even these large craftwere used in Europeanwaters.
 'Saphir' class
- the end of 1944 she carried out no less
-<: ihe Royal Navy, the French had a
:-i-sirong class of minelayingt sub-
::-:lues, the 'Saphir' class of 1925-9,
l:ese were much smaller than the
::-::sh boats, being qeared to
l.lectterranean operations. Aqain, as a
:,-re capable of being launched
:::ugh a standard torpedo tube had
:-:, been developed, the hull design
,','- domrnated by the mine stowage
-:-e design for thrs had been produced
: -,- :he well-known submarine builder,
1.,:mand, but was based on that of the
l::sh 'E class mrnelayers of 1914-B: 16
-,-:llrcal chutes were butlt into the
:pace between the widely-separated
i:rble hulls, in four groups of four, and
:aoh chute could accommodate two
:--res. though a weakness of the
:rangement was that these were of
:cecial manufacture, The British had
-:andoned the system ln favour of
:a'],rng over the stem with the mines
s.:-.'.'ed wrthrn the upper casing.
Four stretched versrons, continuing
the lewei' names as the'Emeraude'
class, were scheduled to follow in
1937-8 Lenqthened by nearly 7 m
(22.97 ft), they would have carried 25
per cent more mines, but only the
nameship was ever Iaid down and she
was destroyed on the slip at the
occupation.
Of the 'Saphirs', three (Nautilus,
Saplur and Turguoise) were taken by
the enemy at Brzerta and one (tre Dj'
amanf) was scuttled at Toulon The
Rubrs andPer/e operated for the dura-
tion of the war (the latter was sunk in
error by British aircraft rn July 1944)
under the Free French flag, The /?ubls
began operating with the British Home
Fleet in April 1940, Iaying mines in
Norwegdan waters, Between then and
than 22 successful minelayrng opera-
tions, most to lntenupt the enemy's
coast-hugrginq mercantile routes, The
total of 15 ships known to have been
destroyed on her mines included
several Scandinavians carrying Ger-
man ore cargoes, a minesweeper and
four small anti-submarine vessels, She
also torpedoed and sank one more, a
Finn.
Specification
'Saphir'class
Displacement: 76I tons swfaced and
925 tons submerged
Dimensions: lenqth 65,90 m (2 16.2 I ft );
beam 7, 12 m (23,36 ft); draught 4.30 m
(14, r I ft)
Propulsion: hvo dresels delivering
969.4 kW (1,300 bhp) and two electric
motors delivering 820,3 kW (1,100 hp)
to two sha-fts
Speed: 12 kts surfaced and 9 kts
submerged
Endurance: 12970 km (8,059 miles) at
7 5 kts surfaced and l4B km (92 miles)
at 4 kts submerged
Armament: one 75-mm (2,95-in) gun,
three 550-mm (2l.65-in) torpedo tubes
(two bow and one stem), two 400-mm
(15.75-in) torpedo tubes in a trainable
mounting, and 32 mines
Complement:42
The mostsuccessfu I minelaying
submarine of the u/ar, Rubis was
r e s ponsible in her 2 2 minelaying
patrols for the sinking of at least I 5
vesse/s. These included five
warships aswell as yesseJsrunning
iron ore in coastal convoys to
Germany.

I3[t"o"r class
LI:si of the major maritime nations at torpedo tube fit. This comprised four rols. In December 1941 she partici- 5667.3 kW (7,600 bhp) and two electric
550-mm (21,6S-in) tubes set in an ortho- pated with three French coruefles r,r notors delivering 2535.4 kW
-a:::retrne or other experimented wtth
:-= rdea of the cruiser submarine, All dox bow arrangement, wtth six re- the seizure of the Vichy islands oi St (3.400 hp) to hvo shafts
-r;:re larger than usual, with an excep- loads; one quadruple 550-mm train- Pierre and Miquelon, in the St Lar';- Speed: 18 ktsswfacedandB,S k1s
:::al surface armament and gtood en- able mountinq in the casing threequar- rence estuary, In February 1942 she srrbmerged
r'-rarce Some carried an aircraft to ters aft; and a quadruple 400-mm sank in the Caribbean after a colhsiol Endurance: 1853l km ( I 1,515 miles) at
i::rease their effective search radius. (15.75-rn) trainable mountingr in the l0 kts sMaced and I I 1 lcn (69 miles)
l::: cnly design to combine, reason- casing right aft, wrth four reloads. Specification at 3 ktssubmerged
--r'successfully, all these features in The suggested mode ofoperation of 'Surcouf class Armament: 2-mm (B-in) Wns,
trruo 203,
::e hnll was the Surcouf. Ordered submarines such as these was always Displacement: 3,270 tons surfaced ari .i:,.o 37-mm guns,
eight 550-mm (21.65-
':::der the 1926 progrramme as the first rather woolly and the Surcou-{ like the 4,250 tons submergred n) torpedo hrbes (four bow and four in
-: a class of three, she was destlned to rest of her kind, was never to find a Dimensions: lenqth I 10,00 m a tralnable mountinq), and four 400-
:= -re only unit of the 'Surcouf class, proper role. Seized in Plymouth in July (360,89 ft); beam 9,OO m (29,53 ft): nm (15.75-in) torpedo tubes (ina
-1 :he largest submarine in the world 1940, she was operated by a Free drauqht 9.07 m (29.76 ft) :ainable mountingaft)
-: :errs of displacement, though shor- French crew on several Atlantic pat- Propulsion: two diesels dehverLng Compiement: llB
::: -ian both the American 'Narwhal'
--ne
-a-:-:'ire Japanese 'A' boats,
trme of the Washington Treaty
:-:3nnshMJ toM3 had3O4.B-mm (12-
:- ;;rs and, to prevent further escala-
--::-- :r this direction (though even
-:.s: .ffere overlarge and totally un-
-n:-:.;) the treaty limited future sub-
:-:r::es to 203.2-mm (B-in) weapons,
:r--,- -!e French ever fltted the latter,
--r iese to the Surcou{ paired in a
:::::p1ex pressure-tight turret. This
:r.a-.Je was farred into a pressure-
- :angar' abaft it and containing a
=-:-:
s;=:-ally-desiqned Besson M.B.41 l
' : r::lane. This had to be taken out and
:-: ,',.:gs attached before it could be
-- ,'.=:ed Lnto the water, a time-
:::-s::lnq and hiqhly risky business
-r:::: while acceptable in 1926, was
,-:::a:ily not in 1939-45, Only the
::::-:h could ever have specified the
Surcoul seen h ere in the ClYde
estuary, was a product of the inter-
war concept of the 'cruiser
sltb marine', espou s ed by m anY
na-,nes. Sfte wa s the closest of all such
desigms to being a success, without
ever having the chance to be
enployed against enemY merchant
s,fupprng.
Axis Anti-Submarine Warfare
inWorld Warll
Of the Axis powers only ltaly had devoted any serious effort to of the Mediterranean warvirtually marked the end of Brltish submarine losses to
anti-submarine warfare, and so Allied submarines were to d irect enemy action. Of those boats transf erred to the Fa r East on ly two or th ree

face tough opposition in the Mediterranean. Bycontrast,
German and J apanese ASW preparation was weak and.
Japan's maritime empirewas to pay dearlyfor thiserror.
It was fortunate for the Allies that the major enemy powers had not put as much
effort into their prewar ASW preparations as into their submarine arms. As far as
the British (at least) were concerned, this favourable balance was somewhat
offset either by having to operate in poor 'submarine country' such as the North
Sea and the Baltic, or initially being obliged to use unsuitable submarines such as
the 'O' class boats in Mediterranean waters. To illustrate the former point, the
frrst three British submarine losses attributable to enemy action all occurred in
the shallow Heligoland Bight within the space of only three days. The German
ships involved were non-specialist auxiliaries, and their lack of sophisticated
gear was compensated by the initial fallure of the British to appreciate the
dangers of operating in such areas. German surface ships were to enjoy little
further success in North European waters and it was in the Mediterranean that
the British suffered by far the greater number of their losses. The much
maligned ltalian navy had developed excellent ASW ships in their 'torpedo
boats' which, like similarly-categorized German vessels, were really light des-
troyers, Both they and defensive minefields were used imaginatively, account-
ing between them for possibly 39 Britlsh boats. lnterestingly, only four boats
were officially listed as lost to enemy submarine actlon, suggesting far better
discipline in surface navigation than that common in the enemy's boats. The end
weredestroyed directly by Japanese forces. The Germans, partiiularly, lacked
the AS organization that was so necessary to the Allied cause: the teciinology,
the co-operation between aircraft, carriers and escorts and, above all, tihe
intelligence that was kept a secret so well. Paradoxically, the Germans also
lacked the great convoys that proved such magnets to submarines, catalysts to
activate the killing grounds where the escorts operated.
. I hough they could never afford to take chances with Japanese AS forces, the
Americans learned.early that they had nothing unusual in their armoury Witfr US
submarines operating on the surface at night, they were open (as wele those of
the Germans) to radar-aided counterattack, but the Japanese kept their escorts
a low priority for the equipment and airborne sets were not cbmmon before
1944. Having early developed a radar emission detector, the Japanese were
often loth to use their own radar in case their enemy might, in turn: detect them
through it.
The,Japanese expe-rimented with exotica such as circling AS torpedoes and
an early airborne MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector) but siored best with the
intelligent use of standard weapons such ds deep-laid mines at strategic points
and plenty of deptn cnarges. The latter, however, were reduced in effe6tiv'eness
by the building of too few escorts of too nigh quality.
Possibly most significant of all was the corisis{ent over-optimism concernino
sinkings of submarines by theJapanese. The Americans did nothing to cont.ra"-
dict these, with the result that the Japanese always underestimated the
weapon that was thronling them and did little to impiove their measures to
counter it.

Lett: A German sailor inscribes his
mine with a suitably facetious
dedication. German minelaying was
to cause British submarines much
inconvenience in nor thern w ater s,
butGerman surface vessels proved
unable to defeat the underwater
thteat.
Above: Depth charges ready for
action aboard a German escort. As
the G erm an army w a s s te adily
pus hed b ack by lft e Russr'ans, so
control of the Baltic coast assumed
greater impottance and the
Germanswere faced with an
incre as ingly effe ctive S ovie t
submarinefleet.

Swcouf' class (continued) Amongst the largest submarines offter lr'mg Surcouf was unigue ln
*' possessing twin 8-in (203-mm) Wns. She r,rras a/so fittedwith an aircraft, which
was hangared immediately behind theconning tower.

2423
 USA
: Old,S'class
-
ae the 'O'and 'R'
classes, the World
-,'iar l-designed 'S' class (or 'Sugar')
::ats were well represented in the US
iiavy in December 1941, when the
-SA iound itself in World War I1. Sixty-
::-Lir of these boats were still available,
:cugh many had for years been in-
'.-:lved only in training, All suffered
::m havinQl been designed at a time
'.','len the submarine was still re-
:a:ded by the US Navy as a weapon
-:: i:se in the defence of home terri-
:::y None, therefore, had adequate
::iurance for the Pacific operattons
--:--r wrth Japan as an ally in 1914-8, had
:-:: been foreseeable.
'R' boats were fitted with
The 'O' and
l:l-mm (18-in) torpedo tubes and had
;:cr endurance, and the general sPe-
:-ication for the improved 'S' class had
S28 asslre appeared in 1943. One
she, alongwithfters$ters, sal4. actionearly in thewar, and at
that timewas notdevoidof success.Whilemostof ffie ciass was
replaced by 1 943, 528 was lost in I 944.
'Narwhal' class
-:e two 'Narwhal' class units USSJVaT-
whal andNautilus must be classed as
I ::roup with the USS Argonaut that
-::nediately preceded them,
,::gre German transport submarines
-:-a: worked the eastern US seaboard
::-ng World War I made a great im-
::=ssion on an oceanically-minded
,-='.1, and the early i92Os saw desigrns
;::drced for a minelayet (V-4, lalet
-::,:cnaut) and two cruiser submarines
);a:lhal (V-5) and .lr'autulus
,:-er' were all larqe, even the latter
:'a= (3 20 m/]0,5 ft the shorter) being
:- geater lengrth than the monstrous
::::-ch Surcouf As a minelayer, the
,
--l ::uld load 60 mines, which were
-= : -irough two tubes exiting beneath
ira llunter,
:::,'vard of the after bulkhead of the
room the 'Narwhals'were near-
=:;-:e
,.' -:entical, mounttnq two torpedo
-::s a{1 in place of the mine stowage,
.
= :::aller demand on sPace that
=:::*lied for their shorter lengrth, To
:,r.:: endurance, torpedo
rne boat's
::-:,alre was on a grand scale,
-:--. ci 36 beinq carrted both within
-.'.
-:,= :';ll and the casrng topside. To
ihem even further, two 152 4-
=:::ii
:-:- i3-rn) deck gn-rns were mounted,
::-= iargest in any American sub-
:,::-::e Scouting for targets was the
:..-< -:r a small seaplane, the plans for
-.'.':-::: lriere, however, dropped.
L'55 Nautrlus rnpre-war trim. The two'Narwhals'were
ttought to be too slow for fleet submarine work during
the war. and were oftenused for clandestine operations,
a:lhougrh if was Nautilus frallln
dler Midway.
"i
- :j--;-1';"+-":r
:|+ --r- r,.!_.;
.,.,.,., : -.-
i : .:= ..:..::
been put out to competition, At this
time, US submarine practice was
dominated by the companies owned
by Holland and Lake; each tendered,
together with the Portsmouth Narry
Yard, Three prototypes were built to
the designs, the 52 by Lake being
thought unsatisfactory, In total, 25 Hol-
land-designed boats, known as the'S'
class Group l, were launched be-
hveen 1918and 1922 followedbysxof
an improved version known as the 'S'
class Group 3, The 15'S'class Group 2
boats were to the naval design (some
built by Lake's yard), and these were
followed by four lmproved 'S' class
Group 4 boats, Though all had about
the same speed, armament and com-
plement, they varied greatlY in s?e
and, somewhat, in endurance. All
of theHolland-designedboats'
All were considered slow bY US
standards but, though all were due to
be re-engrned, only the.ly'autrJus was
The so modtfled by the outbreak of war,
The latter was fltted also with two extra
tubes in the after casing and the other
two gained four, all in the amidships
casing, two firing forward and tvvo aft.
Despite the US fleet's shortage of
submarines in 1942, these three boats
were considered too slow and I'ulner-
(V-6), able for combat patrols and were mod-
ified in various degrees for clandestine
operations, running personnel and
supplies. The ly'auiiJus had facilities for
refuelling long-range seaplanes, an
echo of Japanese practtce, but was
never so used during hostilities, AII
operated particularly between their
west Australian bases and the Philip-
pines. The -l'iauflus finished off the
stncken Japanese carrier Soryu after
Midway, and landed personnel on an
unoccupied island near Tarawa to
build a secret airstrip. Other raids
were carried out on Makin Island and
up- Attu in the Aleutians. The Argonaut
was lost in
1943.
Specification
'Narwhal' class (as built)
Displacement: 2,730 tons surfaced and
3,900 tons submerqled
Dimensions: length 112.95 m
ished off the stricken Sorpt
*. t_.._ *
I : r: :i-lji"i:*:-=r:i;:-
*::t !.:jF;
,:i+:, .. :.2: .::.:..: ,:
were of double-hulled design, one
carried a seaplane for an experimental
period, and four were fltted with an
extra tube aft.
Sx were transferred to the Royal
Navy early in the war, one then being
passed on to the Poles, AslheJastrzab
she was sunk in error by the British in
the course of a convoy actron in 1942;
by tragdc irony, one of the escofis con-
cerned was also ex-American, the
'four-piper' HMS Sl.Albans, Most of the
American 'S' class boats in the Far East
had been replaced by newer boats by
late 1943, but some had success, Be-
fore the Savo Island action, for inst-
ance, Mrkawa's approach was sighted
and reported by the S3B, and the,S44
exacted a toll ofthe vrctors by sending
(370.58 ft); beam I0, 13 m (33.25 tt):
drausht 4,80 m (15,75 ft)
Propulsion: combrnation dnve l'.'rih
four diesels delivering 4026,8 kW
(5,400 bhp) and two electnc m!:ors
deliverinq 1894. I kW (2,540 hp) to two
shafts
Speed: 17 kts surfaced arid B !:s
submergted
Endurance:33354 k-n (20.725 mrles) at
10 kts surfaced and 93 kn (58 mtles) at
5 ks submergred
Armament: two single I 52. 4-rLm (6-m)
the Kako to the bottom. In October
1943 this old veteran's luck ran out and
she was sunk near the Kamchatka
peninsula,
Specification
Old'S' class (first Crroup)
Displacement: 854 tons surfaced and
1,065 tons submerged
Dimensions: length 66,83 m (2 19,25 ft);
beam 6,30 m (20.67 ft); drausht 4.72 m
(15 5 f0
Propulsion: two diesels delivering
894,8 kW (1,200 bhp) andtwo electric
motors dellering I 1 18,6 kW
(1,500 hp) to two shafts
Speed: 14,5 kts surfaced and 1 I kts
submerged
Endwance:9270 km (5,760 miles) at
l0 ktssurfaced
Armament: one 101,6- or 76,2-mm (4-
or 3-in) gn:n and four or f,ve 533-mm
(2 f-in) torpedo tubes (all bow or four
bow and one stern) for 12 torpedoes
Complement:42
Narwhal and lrer sis terc were the
larg es t subm ar ines rn US servjce
until the arrival ofthe nuclear
submarines of the I I 50s. I n a scene
trom the happier pre-war days,
Narwhal;'s seen towing a seaplane
I
i
with engine trouble back to Pearl
Harbor. *
gnrns and sx 533-mm (2l-in) torpedo
tubes (four bow and two stern) later
increased to 10 tubes for 40 torpedoes &
Complement: Bg
il;
*1
 StrsngEflng Scpcn
Far all the efficiency and courage o{theJapaneselmperialNavy, deficiencyin
pre-war planning meant that when the mighty American war machine got into its
stride they had no answer to the three-pronged attack on, above and below the sea.
af allthearmsof theUS Navy, itwas thesubmarine that btroughtJapanfo jtsknees.
Sc great an rmpression drd lhe nuclear bomb-
rng oi Japan make in Augusr 1945 that iL is
.videly assumed that this weapon won rhe war.
It drd nor. The rambtLng Japanese empire had
already been defeated because it had no
answers to the assaults ol the fast carrier
grodps, tc :he cutflankrng amphibious opera
trcns and to the iron rino oI the submarin-o
blockade,
One reason for Japanese creaiion of the so-
called 'Greater Co-Prosperity Sphere'was to
gain access to raw materials, coal, iron ore, oil,
tin, rubber, etc., wrth which the home rslands
were poorly provided This wrder empire was
created raprdly and efficiently by rhe cam-
paigns of early 1942 but thereafter, Lhe key to
sustainrng it 1ay in the free movement ol mer-
cenriie traffic, ooth in the transporl oI commod-
tties and the support of the many necessary
garrisons
The Japanese high command had garnbled
on the Western states acceptinq a fart accomoli
after Pearl Harbor They underestimared the
oiitrage caused rn the USA, and rhe UK rhough
down was far from out.
The UK had long suffered assauits on her
vital and vulnerable mercanlile manne and the
stiil-recent submarine olfensive bv the Kaiser's
fleer had on.ly barely been weathered The
lessons were well learned and were also well
appreciated by the US Nar,.y whrch, yel unab.e
to undertake the vasL operations ol a few years
EXp**
hence, resolved to strike at the busy network of
Japanese commerce with the only effectrve
weapon at its disposal, its submarine arm.
For their part, the Japanese operated a su-
perb suriace fleet but, like the UK's Grand
Fieet oi World War L thrs was drilled to think
ollensively against rhe day oI rhe Armageddon
of a sea battle that would decide the mastery of
the Pacrfic. Its ccnsiderable submarine arm
existed to scoLlr lor the fleet and to ambush that
ol the enemy, Submarine assauit on merchant
shipping, despite its critically rmportant rm-
p-icatjons, was nor in iine-with offensive
strategy. Conversely, it seems not to have been
considereci that an opponent would aciopt jusr
these tactrcs and Japan thus started tiosiitilies
with no plans for convoy, few escorts and 11ttle
preparalon lor the rapid replacement of lost
tonnage
Parldoxically, the Amencan submarine arm
had been built on the twin precepts of home
defence and 'go i:r the waishipsi It took the
assauit on Pearl Harbor to force the clecision to
adopt unrestricted submarine warfare, Imtial-
ly, boats worked our o1 both the Phihppines and
Pearl Harbor but, with the overrunhinq of the
former, the 28 survivors of the Asiatri Fleet
boars 'ell back on Ausrraha and Hawaii
As yet rnexperienced and overwhelmecj bv
the scale of the onstaught rhey couid do tinle
but hinder the enemys olans bur the IJSS
Swordfish s srnking of the Alsutusan Maru
(8,660 grt) was to be the flrst drop 1r',-,':,.. -.': _:,
become a deluge,
Filty boatsofvanousvinLageSV.ir: :' .r..... .:
for deployment. Though at hrst s;:==-t :.
they soon began to concenLrote a . -: _ _:.--: ... _ :
they could exploil the Japenese ':::..- .'
sailing unescorred and sing-y o:--:. :.___ .
situation obtarning until about Aprir -:=: _:.=
f,rst enemy warship k,ll by SucPrt I -:.: " r:
on 27 January 1942, when the USS G:-:;::_-.
sank the surlaced submarinel- 173. C: 3 :
=::: r
ary the o1d'piq-boat' USSS-37useC rre :3r:.:
trick of exploiting her small silhouet:e -: I : -- -
taced nrght atrack, sinking tne dos--- =: -'
sushro in rhe Macassar Srrait. So-t-i ..i.:-=-
were to develop partrcular alh:rr.-=.. .',:.':.-:
sinkrng Japanese desrroyers, er=n-:,--_. :.-.
ing a crisrs lor the enemy,
By now the Australian port of Fremal:,e ',','. :.
a forward base up the coast at Exmcu::. l-.-
were being rapid,ly developed lor sur:r-::-_=.=
operalions The enemy was striktng l:ac_< .-
ing shallow water and plentiful deoil: --i.:1.::
to disadvantage the unwary or oirer-cc-a l:-
11 February 1942 the USS Siark fell irs: -.--: .--.
lo Japanese ASW shrps ol CeLebes (Su.;'...
=..
The USS Perci was so shatiered b-,' i::--
charges on 3 March that she had to suriace -:- -:
scuttle,
A Japanese transport lies rusting an a Pacific
beach, mute testimony to the efficiency of the
campaign against J apan's economic lifeline. E v e :
coastal convoys were not safe irom prowiing IJS
submarines, and the waters of the homeiand itse!:
were penetrated.
;itrangiingJapan
: .:,,:'-..r-ne tactics were evolving in hght ol
: ::.--:r-l€ 'r4iorking ahead of a tarEet to loose
i , ' :-. .:re ihroat' salvo of torpedoes was risky
. :, - .: eilective and popular. Deck guns
. : r -:,;aluable, not only to avoid using pre-
: .,:,-eioes but because the torpedoes
=: .:--,::s ';,,-ere tnrtiaily extremeiy unreli-
-r :ep-h control and badly-designed
'::' : Lalors frequently ies.ilted in brtter
. : .:.-r-er' (or ,^/orse) ior clews who had
.. - . i : srage an a'tack, The classjc case

: .:.:r .-,:,h 12 out of 15 letsurely expended

,.- jir:es Only foul exploded and the ship
, .,' . .j invesfigatlonwaseventuallyto solve
' ' : :- , :.lem and to speed the introduction of

- =-::,rtc iorpedo.
-. - :---? -.vas then sel up as a fur'lter sub-
'... : rse rvLth boa's .ransleired from Pearl
' r, -.:'- er a perceived enemy invasion threat.
: '' =alheied, it was possrble by mid- 1942 to
,-.,-::-::.a a regular close blockade of the
-=.--, J.asis of the Japarrese home islands.
.. . -. n.'1ys were now lo be encountered.
:-: poorly escorted ano the it:trcduc
. :: 3J surface-search radar allowed sub-
-: -:-:s :c detect and track potentlal targets.
= -:S tladdock, the frrst fltted, sank two
.'....= - -:. s aid in A .gu>l. ln the firsr hall year The end of aJapanese deslroye r escort of the unhke the German ideals, were usualiy only
. ,: sul^marrnes accounted tor 56 mer- 'lJkuru' class. While merchant shipping. upon three strong; their scale reflected the greater
r . ::::: c: 235 000 grt, Over the foliowing srx which|apanese industry wasso dependenf, was independent spirit of the average American
the m6si. importanl stralegric targef, /osses commander, and their titles (Wilkln's \tr/iidcats,
,,. :-: ::re :oil rose 1o 84 ships of 358,000 grt amongst the destroyers and escorts of ihe
almlng Clarey's Crushers etc,,) echoed the popular
=.i'minelayrng
--,:lsl'.'e
UP
was also undertaken
/miiiiat w.ry *ere so serjous as I o make effective freebooting approach common to all US forces.
escorting impossible.
.-.::::arines, causing further losses and dis- The submarine arm in the Paciflc v/as very
. -,:- ior the steep rise tn actlvity there was much the creation of Rear Admiral Charles A.
.-:' . rr- .- be pard. On.ly rhree booLs wete By i944 both sLdes gett,ng more ex Lockwood whose drive and enthusiasm were
penenced, The American ^rere
boats were not only of critical importance
': . - ,.= :c the followrng year, On the
13 dr-irrng mcre numerous but stayed longer on station by
=, :and 1943 saw a further 308 enemY virtue of uslng forward stagi.ng posts, and iudi- Having deluded themselves that their Pacific
;rosstng some 1.367,000 tons Even ciously-sited depot shlps or tenders. The conguests would be acceptedwith equanimity, the
- : replecenien tonnage. lhts reore Japanese convoy system was getting into its Japanese were ill prepared to defend their
:-- :r a :5 per cent decrease inJapan's avail- strrde but the subrnarines regrouped into 'wolf- sealanes again st attack. Here another !reighter
::.. 1 ! l:.9 packs' for co-ordinated attacks. Such packs, lalls victim to the US submarine fieet.

iirl:l.',l,r]if

. ,r.|';!ia],,,.
. : r.:_ltl.{rvil' I -
iN.-r
,:r,: t,:t,rllltiiu..l.; i:r.1,:
'ltr,,,lli\,1 -o,,,..,.::_,':.:i.tt.lli
,rridiiN^Sj1,:l r1,1

nlilil!1'!,9{j ,:
 Allied Submarines of World fv a,r Ii

US submarrnes sought out J apanese shlpping

wherever it lay.?h js perisiop e shot shows a
merchantman of 9,000 tans camouflaged in
harbour with a small boat to the right. Seconds
later, the submarine made a successful torpeda
attack.

A periscope view of the end of an old ! apanese

destroyer. In the first picture, a torpedo has ripped
the bows off theescoit, and tfte othet two photos ':'.
. |:\..,:,",1.I:t?;i l '

show the inevitable resuit.

I

Anong lhe star performers was Mush Mor-

ton s USS Wanoo which sank 20 ships ol over
60,000 grt before her loss in October 1943 iti La t)
Percnse Sirait, The record tonnage sunk by
one submarrne was a shade over 100,000 qrt by
the USS Flasher in -944 5 and the greatest
number of shrps over 500 grt was 26 oi 73 000
grt claimed by the USS Tautog, Though uidi-
vidual scores were wdv behind those of sotne
German aces (and even some British) Lhe
sireer number o[ boats had the desrred eff.=ct,
66 more commissioning in 1943 alone,
Massive losses
The year I 944 saw the loss of no less thari 548
nrerchantmen ol 2,452,00Q grt, Though tanker
construction kept pace wlth losses, the
-apanese
saw tneir dry cargo lleet halveo. By
naking tankers priority targets, the Americans
ralvedJapan's vital o1l imports by the mtddle of
-944, Enemy shipping was now being con-
-rlicted into a tighter area by Amertcan adv-
=nces, and submarines competed increasinqly
' .-h each other and bolh carrier and land-
:ased aircraft for the now dimrnishing number
,: :argets. Early 1945 saw 160 submarines avail-
.:;e, and the South China Sea was called Con-
,-i' College, The USS Hoe and USS FJounder
'.'::r conlrived lo collide under waler.
-r:anese imports lrom the Indies dried up.
llere were still losses. A particularly bitter
:.: .r,ras that of Dick O'Kane's USS Zang. Hav-
. ; Jisposed of 24 enemy ships in eight months,
-: boat was sunk by one of her own rogue
:-:does in the course of attacking a convoy in
= : crmosa Strait,
-:- subsidiary function of the submarines was
=:,arding', stationed along the routes of the
: -.:,q B-29s that were laying waste the
. ::ese home islands from bases in the
.:.: ;s Over 500 ditched aircrew were res
-,r -: loial,
.= -asi Maru' of the campaign was sunk by
- ', jS icrsk the day before the surrender,
:' --.s :,1e tast of 1, 113, totalhng 4,8 mtllton Ert,
- --al oeen 52 submarines
: USA

New,S' class
Klown as the New 'S' class because
.he early units confusrngly took pen-
trarts of the Old 'S' class boats still in
service, 16 boats were built in two very
s:mrlar groups. Their design was
based closely upon that ofthe preced-
.r:g 1,320-ton 'P' class, but differed par-
::crilarly in having a deeper stern to
accommodate an increase in the after
rcrpedo tube complement from two to
:lur. The 'P' and 'S' class boats were the
1st all-welded submarines ln the US
\avy and, though techniques were still
being developed, the workmanship
'ras sound, as evinced by the suruival
:f iheUSS,Sa/mon (SS 182), Ieadboatof
-:e New'S' class Group I, whlch was
severely depth charged in October
-344 by four Japanese escorts after tor-
pedoinq a tanker off Kyushu, The com-
.ination of concussion and the effects
:: overpressures through being driven
-a-r below design depth left the hull
i:shed between frames, but the boat
:iade it home, Irreparabie, she was
:;entually scrapped, The double hull
:: ihe American boats was a protective
:eature, provided that the ballast and
::el tanks within retained an ullage
space over the liquid contents,
Composrte propulsion systems were
iited in some, arrangements whereby
-ie two folward diesels drove gener-
aiors d[ectly and the two after units
.';ere geared ro the shafts. the gearing
beLng shared also by hvo propulsion
:rotors on each shaft. Though complex,
-j:.e arrangement proved satisfactory, The New'S'class Group 2 included Dimensions: length 93,88 m (308.0 ft); The launch ofUSS Swordfislu on i
Twelve reload torpedoes were 1o- the USSSgua/us (SS 192), which found- beam 7,98 m (26,17 ft); draught 4.34 m April 1 94 1. Few of those present

Jated \ nthin the pressrue hull and four
ncre in external stowage in the casing,
a: arrangement vulnerable to the
efects of depth charge attack, Tlvo
i::nes could be carried for each inter-
:al torpedo and laid through the tubes,
lnsrnaly a 76,2-mm (3-in) qun was
-::ed, but this was changed to a 1C1,6-
:::m (4-in) weapon in the majority of
boats, Wanime modifications saw the
:r-:lky 'sails' cut down to a profile simi-
-3r io that of later classes.
ered through an induction valve failure
while on trials in May 1939, Salvaged
and refitted, she suwived the war as
the USS Sailfish. The USS Swordfish
(SS 193) was credited with the first
Japanese merchantman sunk, a week
after the outbreak of war,
Specification
New'S' class ('Salmon' group)
Displacement: 1,440 tons surfaced and
2,200 tons submerged
(14,25 fr) could have foreseen that in nine
Propulsion: composite drive with fow m on ths, within a week of P earl
diesels deliverinq 4 l0 1. 4 kW H arbor, Swordfish would sink the
(5,500 bhp) and fow electric motors first of 1,1 1 3 Japanese merchant
dehvering 1983,6 kW (2,660 hp) to two ships to fallvictim to the US
shafts submarinefleet.
Speed: 2 1 kts surfaced and 9 kls
submerged (laterupgrradedto one 101,6-mm/4-in
Endurance: 18532 km (1 1,515 miles) at gun in most units) and eight 533-mm
10 lts surfaced and l5B krr (98 miles) (21-in) torpedo tubes (four bow and
at 5 ktssubmerged four stern) for 24 (1ater 20) torpedoes
Armament: one 76.2-mm (3-1n) qmn Complement: 75

: Gato crass
j:::rn the New 'S' class desiqn the
i-iiericans developed the 'T' class
s':-i:marine, a dozen of which were
-:':rched in barely 13 months, mostly
,:- .940. They differed primarily in re-
le-.rr1g tlvo extra tubes forward (10 in
-'-' and later substituting a specially-
:-:i'fied l27-mm (S-in) deck qun for
-:: earlier 101,6-mm (4-in) qnrn, or 76,2-
::::l3-rn) gmn in some cases, Thts gra-
::a-i evolutionary process was suc-
::si.l] aad produced at the rigrht time
: s:imanne with acceptable charac-
:::s:cs for the Paciflc war, What was
:-::ded was a long endurance and
s:'=suficiency, Because of the dis-
:::,:es hvolved, patrols were much
-r:-;er than those in the European
-::arre and more boats were needed
to maintain numbers on statlon,
Thus the 'Gato' class was an im-
proved 'T' and went into volume Pro-
duction, the f,rst of class, the USSDrum
(SS 228) being completed shortly be-
fore hostilrties commenced, Officially
capable of operatinq down to 9i m
(300 ft) they often went deeper. The
earlier boats had a large, solid looking
sail, similar to those of pre-war de-
signs, These were soon reduced as
boats came in for repatr but, although
the structure could be lowered the
very high standards ('shears') deman-
ded by the long periscopes remained
a lofty feature. Operatinq on the sur-
face more than would have been
possible in European waters, they be-
gan also to accumulate varied outflts of
automatic weapons, regnrlar and non-
regnrlar, the structures gaining varioris
platforms to support them, Even extra
main-calibre deck guns appeared, al1
in the cause of making the 24 torpe-
does aboard last longer.
After 73 boats the hull was secretly
improved by the adoption of HT steels
and advanced sections, increasing
their offlcial limit to 122-m (400-ft)
depths. No less than 256 of these were
ordered and known as the 'Balao'
class, but only 122 were actually com-
pleted, a further l0 un-finished hulls
being scrapped.
The combined group formed the
backbone of the US Navy's wartime
submarine strength, achteved much
and sufered 29 losses. Post-war, with
the example of German develop-
ments, many were modernized under
lhe GUPPY programmes, remaintng
the greater part ofthe fleet's underwa-
ter arm until rntroduction ofthe nuclear
boats, Many 'went foreign', some still
sernng,
Specification
'Gato'class
Displacement: i, 525 tons surfaced and
2,4l5 tons submerQied
Dimensions: lenqth 95.02 m (3 1 1,75 ft);
beamB.3l m(27,25 ft); drauqht4,65 m
(ls,25 ft)

A'Gato' ciass boat of late 1942. By this time productionwas approaching three
per month from three separate yards, and operational experience was being
incorporated. through the adoption of a smaller sail and moreweapons for
surtacework.
'Gato' class (continued) Allied Submarines of World War II
USS Darter agrround on Bombay shoal
during the battle of Leyte Gulf. After
the triumph of the previous daywhen
she torpedoed and sank the cruiser
Atago (flagship of Admiral Kurita), as
well as damaging ffie crur'ser Takao,
shewas badly damaged andfinally
scutiled on 24 October.

Propulsion: four diesels deliveri ng

4026.8 kW (5,400 bhp) andfour
electdc motors delivering 2043.2 kW
(2,740 hp) to two shafts
Speed: 20 kts surfaced and B.5 kts
submerged
Endwance:2 i316 km (13,245 miles) at
i0 kts surfacedand 175 kn (109 miles)
at 5 klssubmerged
Armament: one 127-mm (S-in) gun and
10 533-mm (21-in) torpedo tubes (sx
bow and four stern) for 24 torpedoes
Complement:80

USA

ffi 'Tench'class
The'Tench' class marked the ultimate
refinement in the basrc design whose
ancestry could be traced back to the
'P' class. Externally they were virtually
identical with the 'Balaos', and so
closely reiated was the desigrn that
some of the later Balao contracts were
converted to 'Tenches'. Though 25
boats had been completed by the end
of hostilities, most were still working
up rn home waters; not a dozen, there-
fore, managed to see operational duty
and none of these was lost, Total pro-
duction was 33 boats between 1944
and 1946, with another l0l cancelled
or scrapped incomplete,
Differences, though not obvious,
were important, The first concerned
machinery, In the 'Balao' class the four
diesels each ran a direct-coupled
generator, which served both to
charge batteries and power the elec-
tric propulsion motors when surfaced.
Each shaft had two motors, coupled to
lt via reductron gearing, Both the hlgh-
speed motors and lhe reductLon gear
were norsy (to the extent where it was
fortunate that Japanese ASW techni-
ques and equipment were so back-
ward), Reduction gears were also ex-
pensive, temperamental easy to dam-
age and, traditionally a slow delivery
item in the USA (as was the turbo-
electric propulsion in battleships), it
rnade sense, therefore, to develop a
large and slow-turning motor that
could be direct-coupled. TWo of these
largter units, with no associated gtear
housings, could be accommodated
without the earlier awkward crank in
the hu]l, but illustrates some of the
problems facrng submarine desiqners.
Fuel and ballast tanks were better
organized, firstly to obviate the need to
lead the vents of the ballast tanks
:hrough the pressure hull (where they
constituted a flooding hazard) and,
secondly, the better to compensate for
:le considerable chanqe in weight
1nd trim as stores were consumed dur-
:rg a iong patrol. Even a further four
:rpedo reloads were squeezed in, Specification (2,740 hp) to two shafts USS Pickerel one of the later w' a: -
:rd this combined with radar and 'Tench'class Speed: 20 kts surfaced and 9 kts built fleet submarines, caug h t c';:::" -:
=rlcient mechamcai fire-control com- Displacement: l, 570 tons surfaced and submerged one of the most dramatic meihocs : :
;.iiers, put the 'Tenches' far ahead of 2,415 tons submerged Endurance:21316 km (13,245 miles) at surfacing. Transferred to Ital-,' ::.
:-: oppositlon, In order to improve on Dimensions: length 95,0 m (3 L 1,67 ft) l0 kts swfaced and 204 km (127 miles) I972 after extensive upda Ltng. :--: e
-:-: average but slow, divinq trmes of beamB.3l m(27.25 ft); drauqht4.65 m at4ks serve d under the name Giarra:.c:
::-30 seconds, the casings were (15,25 ft) Armament: one or two 27-mm (S-in)
1 Ga zzana Priaro ggta untLJ I I 3 ) .

:-:rced wrth many more ligrhtenlng Propulsion: iou r dresels delivet, ng gmns and 10 533-mm (2f -in) torpedo
_- -,:s 4026,8 kW (5,400 bhp) and two electric hrbes (sx bow and four stern) for 28
motors delivering 2043,2 kW torpedoes Complement:BI
Tench' class (continued)

:*:E;:fir*8l&;lA3BlfeE:;:dg:llll1:t:l,::Xl:i:!1i1ii11lf: ; ;;;;;;

A 'Tench' class submarine in its natural

environment - on the surface! By the time that this
photo was taken, in June/July 1 945, there were very
few targets for the highly successful sub skippers,
/apa-nese izesse/s having been all but swept trom
tfteseas.

2030
 Allied Submarines of World War II

'Tench' clqss submcrine

were the US N avy's' G ato',' B alao' and
T he fl eet submarines of W or Id W ar I I
'T ench' designs. With a r angexces s of I 1,000 nautical mile s ( 1 2, 6 66
in e
miles/20383 km), the 'Tench' class boats could operate in the home waters of
the J apanese empire, and the punch packed by the 24 torpedoes carried was
considerable. Although American operationswere often carried out on the
surface,later boats werecleared to operate at depths of 140 m (450 ft), and
this hull strength stood them in good stead while under attack.
I
ffi lb', 'P' and'R' classes
The'O' class (later'Oberon' class) was
developed as a replacement for the
ocean-goinq 'L' class of World War I
design. They were categorized as
overseas pattol submarines, and it is of
nterest to note that, even as early as
the concept stage in 1922, there was a
requrrement for lonq range with an
eye to possible future operations
against Japan (an ally dwinq 1914-8).
The lead boat, HMS Oberon, was laid
dornrn by Chatham Dockyard in 1924
and was closely followed by two sis-
ters, HMS Otway and OxJey, Sx'bow
and two stem tubes were fitted, with a
reload for each, These, together wlth
extensive bunker spaces, made for a
large hull which proved distinctly un-
handy, with speed reduced by a Ofus, Though still piagmed by weep-
plethora of external fittings, Even after
much fairinq and attention they barely
the required speed submergred.
The hull was fitted wrth saddle tanks,
which contarned most of the ballast
capacity. Some could double as extra
fuel tanks but were unpopular as they
inevitably emitted telltale otl traces
through leaky rivet heads. As with the
'L' class boats, a 101,6-mm (4-in) gnrn
was fltted rn the tower to allow it to be
worked in heavy seas,
Because of the limitations with the
'Oberons', an improved 'Odin' class
was evolved: lonqer to accommodate
more powerful machinery and
beamier to improve stabrlity ln the sur-
faced condition. Completed in 1928-9,
these boats were HMS Odin, OIym-
pus, Orpheus, Osr'rjs, Oswald and
ing oil, their outsides were marked by
a great clean-up of general clutter. An
modation in the upper casrnq to ease Specification
the confines of the crew on extended 'Odin'class
patrols. The 'Parthian' and 'Rainbow' Displacement: l,7B I tons surfaced and
classes were essentially 'Odin' re- 2,038 tons submerged
peats; sixof eachwere ordered, differ- Dimensions: length 86,41 m (283, 5 ft);
ing only in detail, TVro 'Rainbows'were beam9.12 m(29.92 ft); draught4, 17 m
ultimately cancelled, and the units (r3.67 ft)
completed in 1929-30 were HMS Propulsion: two diesels delivering
Parthian, Perseus, Phoenix, 32BI: 1 kW (4,400 bhp) andtwo electric
Poseidon, Proteus, Pandora, Rain- motors delivering 984. 3 kW ( 1,320 hp)
bow, Regent, Regulus and Rover, to two shafts
Most of the 'O' class boats were in Speed: 17,5 kts surfaced and 9 kts
the Far East in September 1939 but one submerged
of those in home waters, the Oxley, had Endurance:21 123 km (13,125 miles) at
the melancholy record of being the B kts surfaced and 97 krn (60 miles) at
first British submarine lost when torpe- 4 kssubmerged
doed in error by another British sub- Armament:one l01.6-mm (4-in) gnrn
marine, HMS Trjton, Of the jotnt class and eight 533-mm (21-in) torpedo
total of 18, l2 were lost, most bythe end tubes (six bow and tvvo stem)
of and many in the Meditera-
1940 Complement: 53
nean, for whose confines they were I
I

achieved their desiqned surface interesting idea, fortunately not pur- totally unsuited, j

speed, and failed altogether to reach sued, was to install auxiliary accom-
{

I/MS Odin asslre appeared at the start of thewar.

Completed in the late 1920s, the'O'classwere
/arge vesse/s designed to operate down to 90 m
(300 ft). Odin r,rrassunk in I 940 by ltalian
destroyers.

>K iiorpoise' class

Based on the recently-completed
PartLuans', the 'Porpoise' class sub-
narines were purpose-built mine-
layers, German practtce tended to
near-vertical mine shutes located
'r,rlhrn the envelope of the pressure
:::ll, but the British preferred external
rowage, despite risk of damage fuom
l:/erpressures or depth-chargnng,'E'
ad'L'class minelayers had had stow-
agfes in the saddle tanks on each side
brt. m the experimental conversion of
:::e M3 rn 1927, tracks were latd atop
--:e hr:-11 over the greater part of her
iergrth and inside the free-flooding
space contained withrn an extra-deep
An endless-chain mechantsm
=srng. mines through doors right aft as
=i:he
-:e srrbmalne
moved slowly ahead,
-:= system was basically that incorpo-
:a:eC in the 'Porpoises'; in the name
s,1lD it extended over about three-
Tjarters of her lengrth, but was longter
r- the remainder. All this gear added
a-cout 54 tons of topweight, mal:tng the
acats very tender when first surfaced
-,'a-n a full load in a heavy sea. Extra
lightening holes improved both drain-
ing and flooding time, allowinq the
boats also to dive more qurckly, Laun-
ched behveen 1932 and 1938, the boats
were HMS Porpoise, Grampus, Nar-
whale, Rorqual, Cachalot and ,SeaJ,
Three other units were cancelled.
Being weight-critical the class took
rather small diesel engines, resulting
in a modest surface speed. To avord
detection from fuel leaks all bunkers
were internal, it being found neces-
sary to extend the pressure hull down-
wards like a box keelson to meet the
saddle tanks. This oddly-shaped and
weaker cross-section undoubtedly
contributed to the desiqned depth
being limited to 91m (300ft) com-
pared with the 152m (50Oft) of the
'Parthians',
The man function of the 'Porpoises'
was, officially at least, superseded by
the development of a mine capable of
beinq laid through a conventlonal tor-
pedo tube. But despite thrs the class
was still to lay some 2,600 mrnes oper-
ationally, They proved invaluable dur-
ing the height of the siege of Malta
when, rn concert with the available 'O'
class boats, they moved in personnel
and supplies. The Seal, after damagingt
herself by mrne in the Kattegat and
unable to dive, had to surrender to two
Arado floatplanes. Repaired, she was
recommissioned as the UB-A but not
used operatronally, Only the Rorqual
survived World War IL
Specification
'Porpoise'class
Displacement: 1,768 tons surfaced and
2,053 tons submerqed
Dimensions: lengrth 88.09 m (289,0 ft);
beam 9.09 m (29,83 ft); draught 4,BB m
(r6.0 ft)
Propulsion: two diesels delivering
2460. B kW (3,300 bhp) and two electric
motors delivering 1215,5 kW
(1,630 hp) to hvo shafts
Speed: 15,5 ktssurfacedand9 kts
submerged
Endwance: 21308 km (13,240miles) at
B ks surfaced and 122 km (76 miles) at
4 ktssubmerged
Armament: one 10 1,6 mm (4-in) gm'r,
srx 533-mm (21-rn) torpedo tubes (all
bow) for 12 torpedoes, and mines
i
50
Complement: 59
Similar to the'Parthian' class from
which it was derived Porpoise could
Iay some50 mines. Sfie wassunkbY
I apanese aircraft in J anuary I 945.
f ih"*"r'class Allied Submarines of World War II
With the steam-driven 'K' class boats
ard the experimental X1, the Royal
Navy had attempted to produce'sub-
marines with characterisrics appropri-
ate for operations with the surface
fleet. Unfortunately, the 'K' boats were
disastrously problem-prone and the
XJ remained a one-off. The require-
ment still exrsted, therefore, for a boat
to fill the role while avoiding the weak-
nesses of the 'O' class. Adheing to the
hmitatlons of the Geneva Conference it
was decided to build 20 boats, each of
the maximum allowable surface dis-
placement of l,B0O tons, with the com-
bined functions of fleet work and long-
range patrols. In the event, with the
swface fleet becomingr faster, polcy
was changed and only three of the
class were completed between 1932
and 1934 as the 'Thames' class units
HMS Tfiames, Severn and CJyde. The
boats were only 1,83m (6ft) shorter
overall than the monstrous 'K' class
boats and were actually beamier over-
all, despi.te a narrower pressure hull,
In cross-sectron the hull was carried
downward at the keel to meet the line
of the outer hull, Little oil fuel was car-
ried inboard, most of it being stowed rn
spaces above the main ballast tanks.
Weepage was apt to be into the main mm (4,7-rn) gmns saved some 6 tons, Specification T he' Th ames' class submar ine HMS
hull through started rivet-heads. while a further B tons was gained by 'Thames'class Clyde rs seen a cting as escort while
Only now were diesels available of burning fuel of a lower specific gravity, Displacement: 2, i65 tons surfaced and the lanker Dingledale refuels tfte
the size and power to match the 'K' In the Norwegian campaign of 1940, 2,680 tons submerged 'Dido' class cruiser Hermione. Iiese
class leqend speed of 23,5 kts. Enqine the 7fiames was lost on a mine, while Dimensions:length I05. 16 m (345.0 ft); large boatswerevery capable and
design was by the Admiralty, and lhe Clyde succeeded in damaging the beam8.61 m(28,25 ft); draughr4,TB m aboutA1 had been planned in the
turned out to be lighter than forecast, Gneisenau by torpedo, The Clyde ran (15,67 ft) early 1930s.
This was fortunate as the boats were an invaluable 1,200 tors of supplies to a Propulsion: lwo diese ls delivering
highly weight-critical. For their ex- beleagnrered Malta and sank several 7457,0 kW (i0,000 bhp) and two B lcts surfaced and 219 lcn ( 136 mrles)
tended patrols, for rnstance, 41 tons of enemy merchantmen while workrng electdc motors deliverrng 1864,25 kW at 4 kts submerged
fresh and drstilled water were carried, out of Gibraltar. The Serern was active (2,500 hp) to two shafts Armament: one i0 1, 6-mm (4-in) gur
some two per cent ofsurface displace- for a time in the little-known Levant Speed: 22,5 kts surfaced and 10.5 kts and six 533-mm (21-in) torpedo tubes
ment. General submarine policy of operations, submerged (all bow) for 12 torpedoes
substitutincr 101.6-mm (4-in) for 119,4- Endurance: 18532 km ( I 1,5 15 miles) at Complement:61

ffi ii'"la*
Though its origins went back to 1928,
the'S'class was highly successful dur-
ing the war and, with 62 completions,
was the Royal Navy's most proliflc
class. Ostensibly 'H' class replace-
ments, the performance of the 'S' class
boats was required to be enhanced to
allow operation in the Baltic and
Mediterranean. A tight, 600{on sur-
faced displacement target was set to
produce a small submarine which,
nevertheless, was requrred to be able
io trarsit 805 km (500 miles) to and from
its patrol area, where rt was expected
:o remain up to 1O days. Any increase
:n the 805-km (500-mile) range meant
:raving to find space for very much lar-
ger radio equipment, The specifica-
:on was later to be altered drastically,
:alling for 1930-km (1,200-mile) pas-
sages at not less than 9 kts and eight
iays on station,
Initially, a class of four ('Swordfish'
tlpe) was built; launched between
-331 and i933 by Chatham Dockyard,
:ese displaced 640 tons despite every
:Jod at weight control, The design
'.-;asreally too tigrht and was relaxed to
:-J tons for the eight lengthened mm (4-in) qun. With only i2 or 13 tor- Interestinqrly, eight units were lost ffMS Stormrefurns to the UK in i313
Shark' tlpe boats of 1934-7. Though it pedoes aboard, the gnrn was a useful from the origdnal 12, the same number During her F arEast commissior:. s-:=
-L-as planned to terminate the class at means of disposing of 'soft' targrets as were lost from the followino 50. All of sank 20 J apanese suppJy ressels - . i
-l -,ivar
saw the desigin stretched futh- which, while not wafianting the ex- the firsr group losses occutr6d before by gunfire - together with a
=: and constructed in series, penditure of a torpedo, were often re- February 1941, while the first hull of destroyer and four escorts. On he!
To save on topweiqht a 76,2-in (3-in) luctant to sink. Earlier boats had fuel succeeding groups was not launched most successfu/patrol sle sari - -
:::r was fitted but, with the extra hull tanks within the pressure hull, but later until October 1941. Submarine opera- vesse/s, nrhe on a single da-v. licie
-::-gnh, a further torpedo tube was units supplemented these with exter- tions in European waters during the that torpedoes were re sen'ed i= :
r::ked-rn aft on some boats. Others nal capacity, which allowed them to early months of the war were clearly warships, ganfire sufficing to
:=ied both of these for a sinqle 101.6- work even rn the Far East, hazardous. despatchcargo ships.
'S'class (continued)
Specification
(later boats)
'S' class
Displacement: 860 tons surfaced and
990 tons submerged
Dimensions:lenqth 66. 14 m (217,0 ft);
beam 7, 16 m (23,5 ft); draught 3.20 m
(10 5 ft)
Propulsion: two diesels deltvertng
14 16,8 kW (1,900 bhp) and hvo electric
motors delivering 969.4 kW (1,300 hp)
to two shafts
Speed: 15 ktsswfacedand9 kts
submerged
Endurance: 13897 kn (8,635 miles) at
10 kts surfaced
'T' class
Instantly recognizable as a result of
their oddly cranked profiles, the 'T'
class boats were the Royal Navy's stan-
dard wartime patrol submarines. Be-
tween HMS Triton and Tabard, laun-
ched in October 1937 and November
1945 respectively, the class reached a
respectable 54 in number. With the
'Thames' class abandoned for the
reasons discussed and a replacement
required for the unsatisfactory 'O'
class, the 'T' class design needed not
only to rectify shortcominqs but also to
conform to the treaty agreements that
bedevilled interwar planning, The
London Naval Treaty limited total
(rather than individual) displacement
so, to obtain maximum numbers of
boats, a 1,000{on target was set. Into
this a 42-day endurance was to be
packed, That the final result was only
some 9 per cent heavy, while being
highly reliable, was a credit to the de-
sign team,
Because of their limiting para-
meters, the 'T' class boats could ship
only small-sized diesels and their sur-
iace speed was thus modest, In con-
trast they carried a large punch, the six
iorward tubes within the pressure hull
Below : The 'T' class I 940 designs were slow but of
long endurance, although because of their limited
size they were not capable of supporting their
crews for such a length of time.
ffMS Sibyl enfers Algiers harbour in
M ay I 9 43. Originally intende d for
operations in the Meditenanean and
Baltic, 'S' class boats also found
themselves in the East Indies. Sixty-
two were produced, making them
lfie Jargresf c/ass in the Royal Navy.
Armament: one I0 1, 6-mm (4-in) gun
and six 533-mm (21-in) torpedo tubes,
or one 76.2-mm (3-in) gmn and seven
533-mm torpedo tubes
Complement: 44
being augmented by a pair in the
bulged bow casing and a further pair
in the casing, one on each side of the
tower, Thus, a iO{orpedo forward sal-
vo could be fired, albeit at the cost ofa
highly individual profile,
This arrangrement applied Io all 22
boats built before World War II, later
units hanng the amidships tubes taken
farther aft and reversed, and a single
tube added in the casinq right aft. War-
built boats also had their bows altered
to set the external tubes higher, and
some external ballast tanks converted
to bunker space. Oil fuel capacity was
almost doubled and the endurance of
the boat became more than that of her
crew and ther supplies,
Fourteen of the pre-war boats were
Iost, mainly in the Mediterranean,
Those from the wartrme programmes
were completed largely after the end
of the Mediterranean war and only one Below: HMSTigrisseen a/ongside a Above: HMS Tally-ho in transit to the
was lost at sea, Post-war many were depot shipjustbefore her final Far East. Such passages of the Bitter
sold, whrle others were stretched and patrol. She was one of the original'T' Lakes ofthe Suez canal had become
streamlined, servinq alongside their cjass boals, /aun ched in October more common in J anuary 1 945, with
successors, the 'A' class, until the late 1939, but she was lost in March 1943, any German naval threat extinct and
1960s. Four units were cancelled and probably to mines. Note the external resources gradualfii being released
another only projected. tubes atthe bow and amidships, and for service against the Japanese.
the unusual hull profi|e.
Specification
'T'class
Displacement: 1,325 tons surfaced and
1,570 tons submerqed
Dimensions: length 83,82 m (275,0 ft);
beam B.10 m (26.58 ft); draught 4.50 m
(r4.75 ft)
Propulsion: two diesels delivering
1864,25 kW (2,500 bhp) and two
electdc motors delivering l0B 1.3 kW
(1,450 hp) to tvso shafts
Speed: 15,25 kts surfacedand 9 kts
submerged
Endurance:20382 km (12,665 miles) at
l0 kts surfaced
Armament: one 10 1. 6-mm (4-rn) grun
and l0 or I I 533-mm (21-in) torpedo
tubes (in first grroup 10 bow and in
second grroup eight bow and three
stern)
Complement: 56 (first group) or 61
(second group)
>K iiJ'
"nd'v'
classes Allied Submarines of World War II
For a simple, unsophisticated type,
'Jt e' U' class proved rem arkably
successfuJ.,Seen in Mediterranean
colours, andwith the originalbow
form, itwas boats like this, out of
Malta, that put a stranglehold on
Rommel and his army.

A successful type, the singrle-hulled'U'
class boats were designed originally
as unarmed targets to replace the
elderly 'H' class boats, and were little
iarger, Three were laid down as such
but, as the Royal Navy did not possess
a modern 'coastal' submarine, it
seemed advantaqeous to modify the
bow to take torpedo tubes from the
3utset The after hull had a sharp taper
and the casing ended short of the
stern so a1l armament was set forward,
:our tubes in the pressure hull and,
surprisingly (though a reflection on the
doubtful accuacy of the torpedo sal-
';oes of the day), the bow casing was
also bulgred to take two more, This was
not a good feature as the restricted
height of the design meant a shallow
The'V' class represented an
improve d and updated' U' de sign
permitting deeper diving and
quieter underwater operations. All
survived thewar, unlike the
preceding version, an d m any s ewed
post-war with Europan navies.
periscope depth, and the oversize
bow casrng made it both diff,cult to
marntain constant depth and also
caused a drstinctrve 'pressure hump' in
the water above, Wrth the outbreak of
war a further group of i2 boats was
ordered, 1,6m (5,25ft) longer to im-
prove the lines and ease the cramped
internals; most of these had only four
tubes. Thirty-four more boats of this
type followed, with improved lines and
increased bunker space, Though ex-
tremely handy, the 'U' class boats were
rather limited in diving depth and had
a low surface speed,
Again, therefore, the design was up-
dated. This time an extra midbody sec-
tion was inserted to house uprated
machinery, and the hull was rede-
signed to permit submergence to 91 m Specification
(300 ft) rather than the 60 m (200 ft) oI 'V'class
the earlier boats, and to facilitate all- Displacement: 670 tons surfaced ard
welded construction in modules that 740 tons submerged
would produce faster building times, Dimensions: Iength 62.79 m (206.0 i.
This later type was known as the 'V' beam 4,BB m (16,0 ft); draught 4 72 r:r
class, of which 33 were ordered but (15 5 ft)
only 21 completed, It is a notewofihy Propulsion: two dresels deliverLnq
fact that, except for two early units built 596.6 kW (800 bhp) and two elecrrc
in Chatham Dockyard, all Bl boats motors deliverrng 566,7 kW (760 hp, ::
were built tn the two Vickers Arm- two shafts
strong yards at Barrow and on Tyne- Speed: 12,5 ktssurfacedand9 kts
side, submerged
The 'U' and 'V' classes were particu- Endurance: 87 i5 km (5 415 miles) a:
larly suited to the shallow and confrned 10 ktssurfacedand 113 lcrr (70 mrles,
waters of the North Sea and Mediterra- at 7 kts submergred
nean but, though successful, they suf- Armament:one 76.2-mm (3-in) gul a:-:
fered 19 losses, After the end of the '
four 533-mm (21-in) torpedo tubes (a
Mediterranean war they had little use bow) for eight torpedoes
and many were either transferred or Complement:37
reverted to a training role,

iivfs Utmost aior gside a depot shrb (ejlfter Forth or Maidstone) and tfte 'S'c/ass
Doaf Seawolf. Utmost adrecen tly returned from a Mediteffanean
ft
:cmmission, duringwhich she torpedoed the heavy cruiser Trieste, causing
severe damage as rye,l/as smkmg several supplyvessels and also
:n dertaking other clandestine operations.
f/MS Uproar sh ows the small size of these boats. In a short-range ir.a:. sr-:.:
-
in the N or th S e a or the M editerranean, endur ance ls m uci less im pa n a: : :. ---
manoeuvrability, and the 'tJ' class proved very handy, in spite of ia -.:,g :ee:"
desrgrned as a training boat.
Ht'l SUpholder in Action
Some of thefiercest seaand airfighting of thewar tookplaceoverthe
The Tenth Submarine Flotilla was based in the old
Mediterranean. Malta, strategically positioned between Europe and Africa, was the QuarantineHarbour of Malta, awayfrom themain
linchpinfor much of theplanning onboth sides, anditwasfromMalta thattheyoung anchorage of GrandHarbour. At the timewhenthe
men of the l}th Submarine Flotilla set out to put a spanner in the Axisworks. flotillawas most active, therewould have been few
othervessels in port, being far toovulnerable to
lhe r'ncessanf a ir raids.

Early 1941 saw Malta's tribulatlons increasing

r direct proportion to her strategic signi-
icance. The newly-arrived German X Flieger-
<cr-os was taking over from the Regia Aero-
:rautica the task of reducing the island fortress
:c rmpotence and, desplte the devoted efforts
:: :he weary and supply-starved defenders, a
permanent dust cloud hung over Valletta and
-s rubble-choked streets,lts magnificent and
re-mbltng Grand Harbour was virtually devoid
:: warships but, even so, the Royal Navy could
:-lot countenance falling back on the relative
safety of Grbraltar and Alexandrra, for these
;;ere criticai times in the sea war,
Followrng thelr success against the Itahans in
\crth Africa, British land forces were being
:ansferred in large numbers to flght the abor-
:-,,e campaigns of Greece and Crete, At the
sarne time, however, Rommel's Afrrka Korps
and its equipment were being shipped to
Itcrth Africa rn a continuous flow of convoys.
lvialta was well placed both to interdrct these
a:id to assist in the covering of the British troop
::cvements, The Luftwaffe's role was to pre-
-,-ent this and it had succeeded to the point
-.';nere the Royal Navy's surface ships had been
:ciiged, temporarily, to leave and the RAF's
arnelds had been reduced to a state unfit to
sewice and operate strike arrcraft. For the
',';:rile, Malta's offensrve capacity devolved
-"rgely upon her submarines,
Il: was into this cockpit that Davld Wanklyn
:rcught HMS Upnolder, Not yet 30 years of
:ge. Wanklyn had already commanded two
:-i H' class boats in home waters before stand-
:-g by his new submarine as it took shape on a Valletta Peninsula from the bustle of the Grand accompanying three other boats, In pre-dawn
-,--:kers'
slip during i940. He was to be her first Harbour, Under the command of Captain blackness two days later, the little boat was
'Shrimp' Simpson, they were to be officially lying on the surface awaitrng the source of
=C cnly commandrng officer,
propeller norses heard clearly over the asdic
laruary l94l saw lhe Upholder jorn a mixed organized into the lOth Submarine Flotilla,
rag of boats worklng out of Lazaretto Creek, On 24 January, following voyage repairs, the (sonar), Sure enough, the vague shapes of
:e cld Quarantine Harbour distanced by the UphoJder sailed on her first combat patrol, three southbound merchantmen and their

'U'class submarine cutaway drawing key

31 Oil fue 47 Steeringwheel 61 Wardroom 71 Torpedo hatch
32 Circulating pump 48 Binnacle 62 ERAs'mess 72 Ventvalves
33 W/T cabinet 49 Steerinqpedestal 63 Galley 73 Feederswitches to main
34 Surfaceexhausthatch 50 Conninatower 64 Coolcupboard cOntroi
35 W/T aerialtrunk 51 Controlcentre 65 Controlpanel 74 Bed
36 Hydrophone 52 Depthgauge 66 3-in 50 calibregun
37 Navlgation light 53 Main motor indlcator 67 Beadyammunitlon locker
38 Handrai 54 Periscopeeyepiece 68 Gun support
39 RDFaray(insurface 55 Periscopewell 69 Torpedo davit (stowed
posltion) 56 Motorgear pos tron)
40 Attackperiscope 57 No.5 maintank 70 Torpedoembarking gear
41 8-inbifocal binocu ar 58 Sluicevalves
periscope 59 No. 2 batterycompartmenl
42 Telegraphtransmitter 60 Locker
43 Telegraph bridge
44 Bowlight
45 Hatch
46 Azimuth repeater
 Allied Submarines of World War II

".,-.rrrr*,;rrr::11€ii{arrar'.;a
:Jdd{iitidtli''i

TheFortress ofStJohn, dominating the harbours ot
Valetta, welcomes home a'U' class boat after a
successtul patrol.While a return to base might
normally be looked forward to, Malta at this time
was being subjected to punishing air raids from
Axis bases only 20 minutes'flying time away.
single escort reluctantly detached themselves
from the deep gloom, Wanklyn loosed a full
spread of four torpedoes, Ali missed, the
enemy sailing serenely on, oblivious of their
assailant, Chagrined, Ihe Upholdels crew re-
loaded and sweated out the day on the bottom.
Torpedoes in Malta were ltke summer snow
and their wastage was not popular, Wlth dark-
ness came the welcome order to surface, to
recharge batteries and refresh the boat's foul
atmosphere. She was astride the main Trapani-
Tripoli route and targets abounded; unfortu-
nately a group of three passing merchantmen
were northbound in ballast and the rerhaining
four torpedoes were conserved for loaded
targets,
Before dawn on ihe foilowing morning came
a chance with two heavily-laden targets trund-
ling south over a calm sea, Tlvo shots produced
Ihe Upholdels flrst hit: the 4,000{onner settled
slow1y by the bows as her companton bore on.
Wanklyn was determined to venfy a kill bu:,
not daring to surface in daylight to use his deck
gnrn yet unwilling to sacrifice a further torpedo,

75 Waterproof door ln 78 Compressorstarter 83 No. 1 batterycompartment 91 Magazine 100 Cabletrough

bulkhead 79 Drain sump 84 Bilge pump 92 2T-intorpedo 1 01 'Disappearlng' bollards
76 Airconditioning unit 80 Dropkeel 85 Maincompensatingtank 93 Torpedostowage 1 02 lnsulator
77 No 4 main tank 81 No.3maintank 86 Compressor compartment 103 Waterline (surface trlm
82 No. 2 maintank 87 Lead ballast 94 Asdicpanel 104 FoMard hydrophone
'105 Outertubecovers
88 Freshwatertank 95 Torpedotube
89 Airbottles 96 Cablelocker 106 Torpedooperating tank
90 Store 97 Asdicgear 107 Watertlghttank
98 FoMard escape hatch 108 Obstruction rod
99 Obstruction wire 1 09 Free-flowing valves
1 10 No. 1 main tank

50

67

<=r""__>
HMS UpholderinAction
hung around 1br hours until the reluctant vlctrm
plunged quietly and without fuss.
It was to be 48 hours later that the flnal two
torpedoes were expended against a single,
escorted target, One hit was scored, which did
not prove fatal, and the submarine was soundly
and accurately depth charged. By a combina-
tion of silent routine and frequent changes in
both course and depth, Wanklyn successfully
disengaged, the destroyer qiving up to succour
her injured charge.
Still very much at the learning stage, the
submarine entered a lean spell and it was not
until the end of April that her score was
boosted with a 5,5O0-tonner, Anxious to do bet-
ter, Wanklyn nearly stranded the boat in des-
troying a loaded freighter abandoned on the
Kerkenah Bank.
This was a time of little respite for the Malta
boats, who lost two of their number in May, On
25 May the Upholder was in quret conditions
east of Sicily, havlng disposed of a 5,000{on
frelghter in the Messina Strait during the day
before, when hydrophone effect prompted a
perlscope check. What Wanklyn saw was a
submariner's dream: four southbound liners,
packed with troops, Unfortunately, they were
accompanled by an alert escort of five des-
troyers and the Upholderwas down to her last
two torpedoes, Both had to count and an attack-
ing position had to be achieved rapidly. Con-
centrating hard, Wanklyn was surprised by the
urgent beat ofan escort at close quarters. Only
by an rmmedrate flooding of the 'Q' tanks was
the submarine able to gain sufficient depth to
avold being struck. Levelling out at 24 m (80 ft)
the fugitives were grateful to discover that they
hadnot, infact, beendetected, Time, however,
had been lost and the boat was back to peri-
scope depth immediately; both torpedoes
were loosed at a two-funnelled ship as the Up-
fto1der agarn plummetted and changed course.
Skippers who survived never dallied to
obseive resultsl Tbro explosrons were clearly
audible at the appointed time but the escort ran
down the torpedo tracks and heavily depth-
charged the release area, The Upholder was
still perilously close to this point but, resisttng
the temptatlon to break into a noisy gallop,
Wanklyn slowly put distance between himself
and what was an unco-ordinated assault,
VictoriaCross
Reaching Malta without damage, he disco-
vered that he had despatched the llner Conle
rRosso (17,879 grt). Of the 2,500 troops aboard,
over 800 perlshed; the remainder of the convoy
promptly reversed course, For his coolness
and achievement, Wanklyn was awarded the
Victoria Cross, He, hrs crew and his boat were
now a formidable combination.
By June the l0th Flotilla comprised nine 'U-
boats', with other excellent reputations being
made by such as HMS Urge HMS Unique and
HMS Unbealen, Bigger boats worked out of
Gibraltar and Alexandria, but for the 'U' class
boats the war began on their doorstep and they
rarely returned wrthout the Jolly Roger at the
periscope head,
Upholder rzas on her I 4th pahol, part of a patrol
line offTripoli. Such lines were placed so that any
Italian convoy trying a night crossing would be
rntercepfed. Upholder was surfa ced on the niglit of
17/ 18 Septemberwhennews of a convoywas
heard.

On 28 July 1941, near Marittrmo, lhe UphoJ-
derput two torpedoes into the cruiser Gaibal-
di wlthout, however, sinking her. A month later,
on 22 Augmst as she was picklng off a 4,000-
tonner from a convoy, the Unique was sinking
the I1,400-ton Espena, a survivor of the earlier
iroop convoy, Shortly after, on her 14th patrol,'
lhe Upholder was part of a submarine line off
Tripoii, a trap to intercept three more large
troopships, In the early hours of l8 September,
surfaced with casing awash, she received
warning of the convoy's approach from the Un-
beaten, the next rn line. With the Italians havrng
no radar, it was posslbie to remain surfaced,
with the sound gear giving a rough bearing,
Vagnre shadows, barely separable from the
general gloom, the enemy duly appeared,
Allied Submarines of World War II
moving fast, Long prepared, Wanklyn fired
three torpedoes at an estimated 4570 m (5,000
yards) and dived fast, Men mentally counted off
seconds until a muffled thud released held
breath. Smiles erupted rnto cheers when, rm-
mediately afterward, two more explosions
were heard, A full.house. Still there came no
counterattack and a cautious peep with the
periscope was made as the crew wrestled and
cursed silently in the task of reloading, Des-
troyers appeared to be engaged in rescuing
survivors while the stationary bulk of a liner
Ioomed nearby, Dawn confirmed the situation,
with the added probiem of a destroyer circling
protectively but as yet bhndly, Of the third liner
there was no sign. Though once forced down
by the escort, Ihe Upholder was worked slow-
Lieutenant-Commander M.D. Wanklyn VC, DSO, is
seen with his Number One, Lieutenant J .R.
D rummond, flanked by Upholder's o{fi cers. The
beardedWanklyn and his crew established such a
reputation that the name ship of the modern fupe
2400 class is to be cal/ed Upholder.
ly, patiently, into an attack position and, as '-le
mornrng sun shone yellow on its piates, ae
immobilized trooper was lifted by the srmr.'-
taneous eruption of torpedoes, As thoug:
weary of further struggle she quietly s1:d
under, The Upholder had disposed of :he
19,500-ton sisters ly'eptunla and Oceania. The
third shlp, Vulcania, evaded an attack by HMS
Ursu.la to make Tripoli safely,
Though now credited with over t00 000 etr.
sunk, the boat was now to experience two tota-i-
ly uneventful patrols. In early November I941.
however, an lmprovement in the srhration ir
Malta allowed the surface shrps of Force K :c
operate for a while, They totally destroyed one
convoy, toqether with an escort, and the Uphol-
der (ever the opportunist) encountered the
aftermath and added a further destroyer, the
Libeccio, to the list, Rommel, now desperate for
supphes, pressured the ltaiians to the porn:
where warships were used as transports, The
Upholder encountered, and despatched ur a
mighty detonation, the petrol-laden Italian sub-
marine St Bon.
Finalpatrol
Following a necessary spell ashore in early
1942, Wanklyn rejoined his command and sank
a second submarine, lhe Ticheco, in the Strar:
of Otranto, heavy weather then frustrating ar.i
attack on enemy capital ships.
On 6 April 1942 the Upholder sailed on her
25th patrol, She landed an agent ashore ani
transferred another to HMS Unbeaten before
proceeding to her usual patch off Tripoli. She
was never seen again, Other boats in the area
heard a prolonged depth charge attack and the
Itallans credited their destroyer Pegaso with a
positive k111. Wanktyn and his dedicated cre-w
had made their last contributlon to the unremit-
ting blockade that was to guarantee the defeai
of the Afrika Korps in the battles around E1
A-lamein only six months later,
- *"---a
From,Janii

Nowegianr
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oX'-craft
lhouqn popular wrth sgme foreign
ileetslth<i concept of the'midger sub-
marine had no part in the Royal Navy's
pre-war plans. Only in 1942 did it be-
come apparent that no orthodox
method existed to strike at enemy
ships that menaced the northern con-
voy route from safe, protected anchor-
ages, TVro prototype'X' type midgets
(X3 and X4), based on a private de-
srqn were quickly built and tested, fol-
lowed by a production run of sx (X5 to
XJ0). The desiqn avorded the snare of
cver-miniaturization and the 15,62-m
151 25-ft) craft could suppod a volun-
ieer crew of four for several days. A
ilstinctive feature was the armament,
:ot torpedoes but two large charqes,
:cnformal with the hull and each con-
:aining 2 tons of explosrve. These could
oe deposited on the seabed below a
s:aiionary target or, if the water was too
deep slung beneath rt. A key member
:: the crew was the diver, who could
,eave and re-enter the craft by a flood-
i:le forward compartment. It was he
',',lo secured the lines for the neutrally
..loyant charges or placed limpet
:.,1]es actually on the tarQlet's hull.
Though theoretically capable of an
,::Cependent range of 2776km (1,725
:::'les), this would have involved a long
r:r endurance-sapping test for the
:::-.n'and it was, therefore, customary
to tow them with larqe submannes to Specification
the neiqhbourhood of their attack, 'X'class
Twelve productron 'X'-craft were Dispiacement: 27 tons surfaced and
built (includinq the trainingr umts XfJ 29,5 tons submergred
toX76) of which sevenwere lost. They Dimensions:length 15,62 m (51,25 ft);
were followed by a sliqrhtly larger'XE' beam 1.75 m(5,75 ft); draught2.26 m
tlpe for use in the Far East and equip- (7.42 ft)
ped with a rudimentary, but very wel- Propulsion: one diesel delivering
come, air-conditiomng system, Eleven 3L3 kW (42 bhp) and one electric
of the 12 ordered (XEi lo XE12) were motor delivering 22,4 kW (30 hp) to
completed, and one of these was lost. one shaft
The job for which the 'X -craft were Speed: 6.5 kts surfaced and 5 kts
desiqned succeeded magnificently, submerged
their attack on lhe Tirpitz in Septem- Endurance: 2776 km ( 1,725 miles) at
ber 1943 beinq related above, The 4 kts surfaced and 148 km (92 miles) at
Japanese cruiser Takao was sunk by a 2 kts submerged
single 'XE'-craft in the Johore Strait in Armament: two 2-ton explosrve
water so shallow that the submarine charEres and limpet mines
was in danqer of being trapped be- Complement: 4
tween the cruiser and seabed as the
tide receded,'X'-craft reconnoitred
and provided navigatronal aids for the
D-Day beaches, sank a floating dock in
Bergen and cut underwater cables in Above: Rear Admiral C.B. Barry, FIag
the Far East, O ffi cer S u bm ar ines, lower s him s e lf
into the hatch of a later model of
'X'-craft, moored alongside the
depof slrip Forth at Holy Loch. While
the attack on the Tirpitz was their
most noted feat, the tiny submarines
s aw consider a b Ie ac tion.
*-- '
'a'

One of the'X'-craftwhich attacked

tle Tirpitz, XSis depicted showing
o n e o f the two confo rm al e xplosive
charges, each of two tons. XS fi/as one
of the unfortunate boats, as she was
not heard from again after setting off.

.:+A
Armed Forces of the World

WbrsclwPacf Parr

EclstGermcnu
:,:r Germany, or the German Democratic Republic
lli) as it is officially called, plays a crucial role in
-.-. Warsaw Pact order of battle for two reasons:
-:: only is it opposite West Germany, but within its
:l:ders is based the Group of Sovlet Forces in Ger-
-any (GSFG). This latter is the largest concentration
:' Soviet forces outside the Soviet Union. The GSFG
:rnsists of 10 tank divisions, nine motorized rifle
: r'isions and one artrllery division.
After the end of World War ll Germany was di-
. ied into four zones of occupation, one each admi-
^ stered by the Soviet Union, United States, United
'( ngdom and France. Berlin, which was within the
Scviet zone, was also divided into four zones. The
:::ginal intention was that the whole of Germany
,.'ould be treated as a unity rn economic terms, but
.r s lntention soon f ell by the wayside as the Soviets
-oved countless key factories and their workers \.
:ack to the Soviet Union as part of their war repara-
- cns programme. Conditions in the Soviet zone be-
:ame steadily worse, and many workers and their
'amilies fled to the Western-adminlstered zones.
,Vith the creation of a 4-km (2 5-mile) wide border
zone this eqress became very d ffrcult, although
:eople could still escape via Berlin. ln June'1 953
:ast Berlin workers revolted, but were soon quelled
cy the Sovret army with heavy loss of life. ln '1 954
:ne Soviets decided to cancel the reparation pay-
'nents from Germany, although by that time there
,vas in any case little left to take. Things started
siowly to improve for eastern Germany, but many
<ey workers were still fleeing to the west.
One night in August 1961 a barbed wire barricade
r,vas erected around West Berlin (the US, British and
French zones), and work soon started on its replace-
ment by a more permanent structure, which later
became the Berlin Wall. Srnce then the number of
people escaping to the West has dropped to a
trickle.

Above: The BMP- I is armed with AT-3'Sagger'

anti-tank gruided missiles and a 73-mm gun.

Left: The EastGermans have recently begun to

receive T-72 MBTs. This is aT-72 model 1980/8l
which lacks the optical rangefinder forward of the
commander's cupola, probably indicating that it
carries a laser rangefinder.

The whole of the East German armed foi'c=s .

called the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA, or Nat.-'
People's Army) and comprises the army, nav'. : -
force and border commands. Their formation ca- :=
traced back to ihe early days after the end oi \\ : - :
War ll, when some Germans were used bi :-=
Allies for guard duties. ln 1946 the East Ge'-.-
Border Police was formed. When the Ge--.-
Democratic Republic was established in 1 948 s: - =
of these police, together with German prisor:-. :'
war returning from the Soviet Union, were gr.-:::
into so-called Alert Unlts. As the years \{'e-: :.
these grew in strength and most of the r :i. - -;
was of a military ratherthan police nature. F'.e^.," -
ly the name Alert Unit was dropped in favou: :' -=
Kasernierte Volkspolizei {KVP, or Garrisone: :=:-
ple's Police), which by then rncluded land, s:. '-:
air units wrth a very high percentage of offic:-- .- -
NCOs.
 \A ftAs
Armed Forces of the World
ln 1952 the KVP units were disbanded in favour of to-surface missiles. The East German navy does not 'Kondor l'class patrol craII, 14 'Bremse'class patrol
standard divisions, each of the two corps having have any submarines, and its surface fleet includes craft and 30 to 40 smaller craft. The Ministry of State
rnree divisions, with a seventh division in East Berlin two 'Koni' class f rigates, 10 'Parchim' class corvet- Security has about 7,000 men formed into a quard
-nder operational control of the Ministry of the ln- tes, six 'Hai lll' class large patrol craft (being re- regiment in East Berlin with seven (six motorized
:erior. Two years later control of the KVP passed placed by the 'Parchim' class), 15 'Osa l' class fast rifle and one artillery) battalions. The Workers' Mili-
'rom the Ministry of the lnterior to the Chief Admi- attack craft (missile), '1 B 'Shershen'class fast attack tia has about 450,000 people on mobilization, and its
nistration of the German People's Police, and in craft (torpedo), 31 'Libelle' class fast attack craft equipment includes anti-aircraft guns, anti tank
i956 the National People's Army was formed, (torpedo), 12 lFrosch' class LSTs, 27 'Kondor ll' guns and armoured vehicles, although a lot of this is
alihough by that time the KVP had well over 1 10,000 class minesweepers and a host of survey ships, obsolete. The Ministry of the lnterior has 10,500
cfficers and men under arms. diving tenders, intelligence craft, support ships and men organized along military lines, while the trans-
tenders. Reserves total 25.000 rnen. port police has a further 8,500 men.
East German Army
The East German army has a strength of about East German Air Force Conclusion
120,000 officers and men, of whom some 71,000 The East German air force has a manpower of The East German armed forces are probably
are conscripts. East Germany was in fact the last 38,000 officers and men, of whom 15.000 are con- trusted more highly by the USSR than any other
member of the Warsaw Pact to introduce conscrip- scripts. and its strength is about 350 combat aircraft. non-Soviet Warsaw Pact forces, and thus recelve
tion, in this case during 1962. Conscripts serve 1B The main role of the air force is close air support and Soviet equipment before any other members of the
months in the army and air force or 36 rn the navy. air defence. Units include 1B arr-defence squadrons pact. Unlike Poland and Czechoslovakia, which pro-
ieserves amount to 330,000 with a three months with Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG 21 and MiG-23 duce armoured vehicles based on their own or
per year call-up commitment. plus another 250,000 fighters, one reconnaissance squadron with MiG- Soviet designs, East Germany manufactures only
with a reduced comrnitment. 21 s, four fighter/ground-attack squadrons with MiG small arms and ammunition. East Germany has for
East Germany has two military districts, Military '1
7s and MiG-23s, three transport squadrons with many years been sending training teams and milit-
District lll with its headquarters at Leipzig in the Antonov An-2, An-1 4 and An-26, Tupolev Tu-1 34 and ary advisers to many parts of the world, and today
south and Military Distrlct V with headquarters at llyushin ll-'14 aircraft, two helicopter squadrons with has such groups in Algeria, Angola, Ethiopia,
Neubrandenburg in the north. The East German Mil Mi-B and Mi-24 helicopters, and a variety of Guinea, lraq, Libya. Mozambique, South Yemen and
army has six front-line divisjons (two tank and four trainers. The air force also controls two radar regim- Syria.
motorized rif le) organized along similar lines to ents and seven SAM regiments located at 30 sur,
those of the Soviet army, though all are manned and face-to-air missile sites with SA-2 and SA-3 missiles.
equipped as Category 1 units. Three of the divisions Beserves l01al 30,000 men. The EastGerman army has two surface-to-surface
are based in the northern area: the gth Tank Division missile brigades each equipped with nine SS- I
East German para-military units 'Scud-B'mjssi,les on MAZ -543 eight-wheel
near Eggesin, the Bth Motorized Rifle Division transporters. 'Scud' has a range of up to 270 km
around Schwerin, and the lst lVotorized Rifle Divi- The 50,000 East Gernan frontier troops come (168 miles), and although in Soviet service they
sion in East Berlin. The other three divtsions are under the Ministry of Defence and comprise some carry nuclear warheads the German 'Scuds'are
based in southern Germany: the 7th Tank Division 66 battalions. There is also a coastal arm with 19 likely to be conventionally armed.
near Dresden, the 4th l\,4otorized Rif le Division near
Erlurt, and the 11th Motorized Rifle Division near
Halle
The East German army also has two surface-to-
surface missile brigades equipped with 'Scud' mis-
siles (though the nuclear warheads for these
weapons remain firmly under Soviet control), two
air-defence regiments wlth SA-4'Ganef 'SAMs, two
artillery brigades, two anti-aircraft regiments, three
s gnals reg ments, three engineer regimenls, one
airborne battalion and two anti{ank battalions.
Equipment includes 1,500 T-54lT-55 MBTs, a few
T-62 MBTs, several hundredf-12[-]4 MBTs, over
1,500 T-34l85 tanks which are in reserve or used for
training, 1.000 BMP mechanized infantry combat
vehicles, 1,000 BRDM-1/BRDM-2 amphibious
scout cars, about 1,600 BTR-60, BTR-70, BTR-50
and BTR-I 52 armoured personnel carriers, MT-LB
multi-purpose tracked vehicles, about 600 towed
and self-propelled artillery weapons including the
122-mm (4.8-in) 251 and 'l 52-mm (6-in) 2S3 self-
propelled howitzers, 150 or more 122-mm BM-21
t4O-round) and 122-mm RM-70 (40-round) multiple
rocket launchers, 1 B 'Scud' SSM launchers and 24
*+
FROG-7 missile launchers. Anti-tank weapons in-
clude the'Sagger' (man-portable and vehlcle-
mounted),'Spigot' (man-portable) and'Spandrel'
1qffi
tvehrcle-mounted) antitank guided missiles, as well
as 100-mm (3.9-in) T-12 anti-tank guns. Air-defence
vveapons include 23-mm ZSU-23-4 and 57-mm ZSU-
57-2 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, 14.5-mm, 23-
mm, 57-mm and 100-mm towed anti-aircraft guns,
and SA-4, 54-6, SA-7 and SA-9 surface-to-air missile
systems.

East German Navy

The East German navy has a total strength of
: ut:
14,600 officers and men, though thls figure does
rcLude the 2,800 men of the Grenze Brigade Kuste
;GBK), the coastal branch of the frontier guard; the
naval arr arm with two helicopter squadrons includ-
;ng one wrth Mil Mi-14 'Haze' antr-submarine heli-
copters; and the 4,000 men manning coastal de
'r
fence weapons including guns and 'Samlet' surface-

iv