Barrow Built

S Class, 1935 - 1970

Based on the saddle-tank construction of the L Class submarines, which they were designed to replace, the 12 vessels of these two classes proved so useful that an improved version was put into mass production during the Second World War. 217 feet long and displacing 872 tons (surfaced), the improved S boats gave outstanding war service under the most difficult conditions, and there is some justification for describing them as the most important of all the Royal Navy's submarines in the pre-missile era.

S2 under construction at Scott Lithgow's

IMPROVED S CLASS SUBMARINES

Fifty Improved S Class submarines were launched between 1940 and 1945, making the S Class the largest single group of submarines built for the Royal Navy: a total of 62 were constructed over a period of 15 years. In one respect, the S Class was unique in that they were the only class to remain in production throughout the war period - which is a fair measure of their success.

As can be imagined, there were considerable variations in a design which spanned 15 years, and modifications as a result of war experience could only be incorporated depending on the stage of construction reached. Although not, in themselves, above average, the combination of the S boats' qualities, together with the reliability of their equipment and the great ease of operation and maintenance, made them very effective and safe.

No modifications were made to the first five vessels of the War Programme (Safari, Sahib, Saracen, Satyr and Sceptre). but an external stern torpedo tube was added to the group of boats that followed, bringing the number of tubes up to seven, and the number of available torpedoes to 13. This change was indicative of the varied armament of S Class submarines. Many boats were fitted with a 20mm Oerlikon cannon, mounted on a platform aft of the periscopes, which replaced or supplemented three portable 0.303-inch machine-guns. 18 vessels, built towards the end of the war and intended to operate in the Far East, had their standard 3-inch gun replaced by a 4-inch gun, mounted inside a low breastwork, forward of the conning tower. In addition, the boats fitted with the 4-inch gun had their stern torpedo tube removed - from weight considerations.

To extend their radius of action, submarines operating in the Far East during the war had some of their main ballast tanks converted to oil fuel tanks, increasing the fuel load from 72 tons to a maximum of 98 tons. All boats stationed in this theatre proceeded on patrol carrying as much additional stores as possible particularly food and ammunition -stowed in all manner of unlikely spaces (an ammunition locker was placed under the Wardroom table, and shells were even stored in the engine room). Naturally, this practice became a matter of some concern and, although strict regulations were imposed on the stowage of ammunition (particularly regarding temperature requirements), the rules were never completely adhered to. By these measures, the S boats managed to achieve long patrol times in operational areas; the record of 49 days was set by Sirdar.

During 1941 and 1942, S Class submarines were fitted with the first radar sets for surface as well as air search, and during the first stages of the war S boats were very active in the North Sea and the Mediterranean. As a result, losses were rather heavy and, in the North Sea alone, six of the class were lost in 1940. As the war progressed, however, the class became more adept, and were particularly successful against other submarines. Of the 62 5 Class submarines built, 17 were lost during the war: nine in the North Sea and Atlantic; six in the Mediterranean; and two in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

It is reputed that an S Class submarine, HMS Statesman, fired the last torpedo of the Second World War, when she sank a Japanese derelict.

The ability of the submarine to operate stealthily made the S Class ideal for secretive missions, and the clandestine operations of the Vickers built Seraph provide one of the most fascinating stories of the Second World War, and earned her the nickname

HMS 'CLOAK-AND-DAGGER'

Seraph - HMS 'CLOAK-AND-DAGGER'

Commissioned in 1942, and under the command of Lieut. N L A 'Jimmy' Jewell, HMS Seraph's first special operation was a surveillance of the North Africa coast as preparation for Operation Torch (code-name for the invasion of North Africa). This was followed by the secretive landing and recovery of an American delegation who were to meet with Vichy French commanders near Algiers. A strong friendship and mutual respect grew between Seraph's crew and the American passengers, which led to Seraph masquerading as a United States' submarine under the nominal command of Captain Wright, USN.

Before the Allied invasion of North Africa, it was necessary to unite all the French forces in the various garrisons under the leadership of General Giraud. As the General did not trust the British and refused to co-operate with anyone but the Americans, Seraph sailed under the Stars and Stripes - with her crew adopting a much-practised Anglo-American slang in order to appear as American as possible to her valuable passenger.

In the autumn of 1942, a decision was tentatively made to invade Sicily. As the Germans were bound to anticipate that Sicily would be a likely target, the question arose of how to fool them into deploying their forces elsewhere. As British officers were continually being flown around the coast of Spain to North Africa, a plan was devised to plant a body, carrying false papers, in the sea off Spain - as if coming from a crashed plane. In order to convince a post-mortem that the 'officer' had indeed drowned, the body of a man who had just died from pneumonia - in which form of death there is liquid in the lungs - was found. On the understanding that his true identity would always remain secret, consent was obtained from the dead man's relatives and, from that time forward, he became 'Major William Martin. Royal Marines', and his body was placed in cold storage as a plan was devised.

The body of 'Major Martin' was to carry two letters for delivery to Africa, one from Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Nye, Vice-Chief of the Imperial General Staff, and one from Lord Louis Mountbatten, both of which intimated that Sardinia was the target of the assault. In addition to his identity card, the 'Major' was assumed to be a brilliant, but nevertheless extravagant, man, and in his pocket was a letter from Lloyds Bank Head Office, calling on him to pay off an overdraft of nearly £80. Assuming that every young officer had some romantic attachment, 'Major Martin' carried a photograph of, and two letters from, his 'girlfriend' Pam. These letters were folded and unfolded continually to look as though they had been read and reread. Probably his engagement was the cause of his overdraft, for he also had, in his pocket, a bill for £53 for an engagement ring. With the addition of the usual paraphernalia - old bus tickets, keys, theatre tickets, scraps of paper, Esc 'Major Martin' was ready for his mission.

With the Prime Minster's approval, HMS Seraph sailed at 6 pm on 19th April. 1943 - with 'Major William Martin' safely stored in a six-foot metal canister packed with dry ice. For ten days Seraph surfaced only at night. On the morning of 30th April, 1600 yards off Huelva. Spain, Seraph surfaced and 'Major Martin' was slid out of his canister into the sea. He was sighted by a Spanish fisherman later that morning and recovered by the authorities. A post-mortem revealed that death was caused by 'asphyxiation through immersion in the sea'. The German agent in Huelva 'played his part' and his superiors were alerted to the existence of the documents. To complete the plot, 'Pam' sent a wreath to the 'Major's' funeral in Spain, and his name was inserted in the casualty list, which appeared in 'The Times' of 4th June 1943.

The success of 'Major Martin's' mission can be measured from remarks in Field-Marshal Rommel's personal papers, which reveal that when the Allies invaded Sicily the German defence was led astray - 'as a result of a diplomatic courier's body being washed up off Spain'.

These missions were vital to the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight Eisenhower, and Seraph's exploits saved thousands of Allied lives. General Patton himself praised the Seraph's conduct during the invasion of Sicily, and Lieutenant Jewell subsequently received the Legion of Merit - the highest American honour that can be bestowed on a foreigner. When she was scrapped in 1963, a Seraph Memorial was erected in Citadel campus at the Military College of South Carolina, and includes Seraph's periscope, fore hatch, plane wheels and other items from the Barrow-built submarine.

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