HMS Storm

Last updated

HMS Storm.JPG
HMS Storm
History
Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Name HMS Storm (P233)
Builder Cammell Laird & Co Limited, Birkenhead
Yard numberJ.3067
Laid down23 June 1942
Launched18 May 1943
Commissioned9 July 1943
Stricken1949
FateSeptember 1949, scrapped at Troon, Scotland.
Badge HMS Storm badge.jpg
General characteristics
Displacement
  • 814-872 tons surfaced
  • 990 tons submerged
Length217 ft (66 m)
Beam23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
Draught14.3 ft (4.4 m)
Propulsion
  • Diesel engines: 2x8 cylinder 950hp Brotherhoods.
  • Electric motors: Metro-Vickers.
Speed
  • 14.75 knots surfaced
  • 8 knots submerged
Test depth380 ft (120 m)
Complement6 officers, 43 ratings (at end of wartime commission)
Armament

HMS Storm was an S-class submarine of the Royal Navy, and part of the third group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on 18 May 1943. So far, she is the only RN ship to bear the name Storm.

Contents

She served in the Far East, from Trincomalee in modern Sri Lanka and from Perth, Australia. She was notable for being the first operational submarine to be commanded by a British officer from the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Commander Edward Young, DSO, DSC and bar (he had previously commanded the P555 which was used in the training of crews and anti submarine ships). [1]

Career

After sea trials and working up in Holy Loch and Scapa Flow, Storm's first (and uneventful) patrol was to the Norwegian coast, north of the Arctic Circle. The day after Boxing Day 1943 she departed Holy Loch for the long passage to Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) via Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, arriving in Trincomalee on 20 February 1944. [2]

Her first patrol in the Far East was to the Malacca Straits between Malaya and Sumatra, both then occupied by the Japanese. Her first contact was a sighting of Japanese submarine I-165, but she was too far away for an attack. On 11 March 1944 she sank her first victim, a 500-ton coaster, with gunfire. In April she patrolled to the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal south of Rangoon and on 14 April claimed her first sinking by torpedo, a 3,500-ton merchant vessel - although she did not see her sink. The following day Storm attacked a merchant ship that was escorted by what was originally identified as a destroyer, but was actually a minesweeper, plus a submarine chaser and one other anti-submarine ship. She sank the minesweeper, W-7, with torpedoes. [3] [4] Storm's third patrol was a so-called "cloak-and-dagger" operation, to land a local agent on an island off the northern tip of Sumatra. This ended in failure when men in an inflatable dinghy sent out to retrieve the agent from the island heard him calling from the shore at night. His voice was coming from the wrong location, and sounded strained: the dinghy retreated and Japanese machine guns and a 4" gun opened up. The dinghy occupants made it safely back to the submarine, but the fate of the agent was unknown. The fourth patrol was back to the Malacca Straits and a third victim was sunk by torpedo; this time the 3,000-ton Japanese auxiliary gunboat Eiko Maru. [5] [6] Following this she sighted and attacked U-1062 but without success. She began her sixth patrol by sinking a 500-ton coaster, before conducting a daylight gun raid on a small port at Mali Kyon, sinking two small escort vessels. This patrol led to the taking of a Japanese prisoner who was brought back to Trincomalee, the first such capture of the war. [7] After this she sank three more coasters of 250-300-tons before ending her patrol.

Storm returns to Portsmouth at the end of her last patrol. Storm's homecoming.JPG
Storm returns to Portsmouth at the end of her last patrol.

In September 1944 Storm was deployed to Fremantle in Western Australia. On her journey to Fremantle she discovered and attacked a small convoy sinking a coaster, two small escort vessels as well as damaging a further two coasters, a MGB and a MTB. The distance to the cruising grounds around Java and Celebes were so great that one of her ballast tanks was converted to carry diesel fuel in order to manage the 4,800-mile round trip. In November several schooners and other small craft carrying nickel ore were sunk. She was attacked several times on her return journey, and sighted a destroyer but held off attacking. In January 1945 Storm briefly held the record – 37 days – for a patrol by an S-class boat, covering 7,151 miles in the process. However this was her last patrol, and she received orders to return home. She finally did so on 8 April 1945, flying the traditional Jolly Roger flag to signify the end of a successful patrol. Since leaving her builders she had travelled 71,000 miles and spent over 1,400 hours under water - the equivalent of 60 days and nights. [8]

The cover of Young's book describing HMS Storm's wartime experiences. One of our Submarines.JPG
The cover of Young's book describing HMS Storm's wartime experiences.

One Of Our Submarines

Before the war Storm's Captain, Edward Young, had been in publishing, and when he returned to the trade he described his wartime service in the book One Of Our Submarines (including his account of the loss of HMS Umpire (N82)).

It was first published in 1952 by Rupert Hart-Davis, with a foreword by Admiral Sir George Creasy. The book was designed by typographer (and RNR) Ruari McLean and the endpapers feature a cross-section diagram of Storm. [9]

The title was later issued in 1954 as the 1,000th publication from Penguin Books, and Young designed the cover. [10] As a 21-year-old office junior before the war, Young had previously designed the famous "triple stripe" standard Penguin cover, as well as the first version of the Penguin logo. [11] A model of HMS Storm is on display in the Royal Navy Submarine Museum in Gosport [12] along with the medals won by its captain.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Jack</i> (SS-259)

USS Jack (SS-259), a Gato-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the jack.

USS <i>Spadefish</i> (SS-411)

USS Spadefish (SS/AGSS-411), a Balao-class submarine, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the spadefish. Although she was commissioned late in the war and spent only one year in the Pacific war zone, she was able to run up a record of 88,091 tons in 21 ships and numerous trawlers sunk.

HMS <i>Safari</i> Royal Navy S-class submarine which served in World War II

HMS Safari was a third batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Commissioned in 1942, she was assigned to operate in the Mediterranean Sea. During the course of the war, Safari sank twenty-five ships, most of which were Italian.

HMS <i>Trident</i> (N52)

HMS Trident was a British T class submarine built by Cammell Laird, Birkenhead. She was laid down on 12 January 1937 and was commissioned on 1 October 1939. HMS Trident was part of the first group of T class submarines.

HMS <i>Stonehenge</i> (P232) British S-class submarine

HMS Stonehenge was an S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in 1943, she made her initial patrol off Norway and was then transferred to the Far East, where she conducted two war patrols, during which she sank two Japanese ships. On her second patrol, Stonehenge disappeared with all hands and was declared overdue on 20 March 1944. The most probable cause of her sinking is that she hit a mine, but her wreck has never been found.

HMS <i>Splendid</i> (P228) Submarine

HMS Splendid was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She was laid down on 7 March 1941 and launched on 19 January 1942. After an initial patrol through the Bay of Biscay to Gibraltar, Splendid conducted two patrols in the Mediterranean Sea; one was abandoned after technical problems and on the other she sank two Italian ships. On her next patrol, the submarine attacked two Italian convoys, sinking an Italian destroyer in the second attack. Based in Algiers, the boat operated north of Sicily, sinking six Italian ships, including two tankers and two heavy merchant ships. Splendid was detected by a German destroyer on 21 April 1943 while patrolling off Naples, Italy; the submarine was attacked with depth charges by the destroyer and forced to surface, after which she was scuttled and her surviving crew members taken prisoner. She was the most successful British submarine by tonnage sunk between November 1942 and May 1943.

HMS <i>Sickle</i> British S-class submarine

HMS Sickle was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in 1942, she made her initial war patrol off the Norwegian coast. Sickle then sailed to Gibraltar, from where she conducted one patrol, then to Algiers, French North Africa. From 10 May to 10 October, the boat patrolled the Gulf of Genoa five times and sank a German submarine as well as three minesweepers and an escort ship. She then moved to Beirut, French Lebanon, and conducted two patrols in the Aegean Sea, sinking three caïques and a merchant ship, in addition to landing resistance operatives in Greece.

HMS <i>Stratagem</i> S-class submarine of the Royal Navy

HMS Stratagem was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in 1943, she made her first war patrol off Norway before she was sent to the Far East, where she conducted three war patrols. On her second, she shelled installations on a Japanese-held island. Her only success came on her last patrol, when she torpedoed and sank a Japanese oil tanker. Soon after, she was spotted by aircraft and depth charged by a destroyer. She was forced to surface, and was scuttled to prevent her capture. Ten crew members escaped the sinking submarine and were taken prisoner, of whom only three survived the war.

HMS <i>Sea Rover</i> S-class submarine of the Royal Navy

HMS Sea Rover was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in July 1943, she conducted one war patrol off Norway, before being re-assigned to the Pacific theater. Arriving in February 1944, the boat conducted several patrols in the Strait of Malacca, sinking one transport, one gunboat, one merchant, three sailing vessels, two coasters, and one lighter. During this time, she was attacked several times by aircraft and surface ships; in one attack, she took on two tons of water from leaks caused by depth charges. Sea Rover collided with an Australian corvette in December 1944, and she was sent back to England, then the United States, for repairs. After the war ended, the boat was sent back to England, placed in reserve, then sold for scrap in October 1949.

HMS <i>Seadog</i> Submarine

HMS Seadog was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in September 1942, she spent most of her career in Arctic waters, off Norway, but sank only one German ship in 13 patrols. In January 1945, she was redeployed to the Far East, meeting more success. On her first patrol in the area, the submarine rescued four American airmen. After two patrols, she and her sister ship HMS Shalimar sank five sailing vessels, two coasters, a barge, a tugboat and a Japanese tank landing ship. After the war ended, Seadog was sent back to England, placed in reserve, then sold for scrap in December 1947. She was ultimately broken up in August 1948.

HMS <i>Shalimar</i> S-class submarine for the Royal Navy

HMS Shalimar was a third-batch S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during World War II. Completed in April 1944, she conducted one war patrol off the Orkney Islands, then was assigned to the Pacific theater, arriving there in September. The submarine conducted one war patrol off the Nicobar Islands, destroying several small ships with gunfire. During her next three patrols in the Strait of Malacca, Shalimar sank twelve sailing vessels, eleven landing craft, four coasters, three lighters, three tugboats, and one minesweeper. After the war ended, the boat was sent back to England, placed in reserve, then sold for scrap in July 1950.

HMS <i>Sibyl</i> (P217)

HMS Sibyl was an S-class submarine built for the Royal Navy during the Second World War, and part of the Third Group built of that class. She was built by Cammell Laird and launched on 29 April 1942.

HMS Porpoise (N14) was one of the six-ship class of Grampus-class mine-laying submarines of the Royal Navy. She was built at Vickers Armstrong, Barrow and launched 30 August 1932. She served in World War II in most of the naval theatres of the war, in home waters, the Mediterranean and the Far East. She was sunk with all hands by Japanese aircraft on 19 January 1945, and was the last Royal Navy submarine to be lost to enemy action.

HMS <i>Torbay</i> (N79)

HMS Torbay (N79) was a T-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was laid down at Chatham Dockyard and launched on 9 April 1940.

HMS <i>Tiptoe</i> (P332) British T-class submarine

HMS Tiptoe was a British submarine of the third group of the T class. She was built by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow, and launched on 25 February 1944. She was one of two submarines named by Winston Churchill, and so far has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to be named Tiptoe. In 1955 she was involved in a collision with a coastal steamer whilst in Tromsø harbour. She was involved in escape trials off Malta in 1962, and the commanding officer was reprimanded in 1964 following an incident in the Firth of Clyde where she was run aground, and again in 1965 when she collided with HMS Yarmouth. Although originally named for the ability to sneak up on someone undetected, she maintained several links with ballet, including the Royal Ballet and ballet dancer Moira Shearer. She was scrapped at Portsmouth in 1975, while her anchor is on display in Blyth, Northumberland.

HMS <i>Tally-Ho</i>

HMS Tally-Ho was a British submarine of the third group of the T class. She was built as P317 by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow and launched on 23 December 1942. She has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name, that of the hunting call, "Tally-Ho!".

HMS <i>Terrapin</i> (P323) Royal Navy T class submarine in service 1944-1945

HMS Terrapin was a British submarine of the third group of the T class. She was built as P323 by Vickers Armstrong, Barrow and launched on 31 August 1943. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Terrapin, after the animal of that name. Apart from a brief period in home waters off the Scandinavian coast, Terrapin served in the Far East for much of her wartime career.

Arthur Hezlet

Vice Admiral Sir Arthur Richard Hezlet, nicknamed Baldy Hezlet, was a decorated Royal Navy submariner. He became the Royal Navy's youngest captain at the time – aged 36 – and its youngest admiral, aged 45. In retirement he became a military historian.

Edward Preston Young English book publisher and submariner (1913–2003)

Edward Preston "Teddy" Young & Bar was a British graphic designer, submariner and publisher. In 1935 he joined the then new publishing firm of Penguin Books and was responsible for designing the cover scheme used by Penguin for many years as well as drawing the original penguin logo. During World War II he served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) and became the first British RNVR officer to command a submarine. After the war he returned to the publishing world and eventually became managing director of the Rainbird Group. Having written his wartime biography, One of Our Submarines, in 1952, he later wrote several other books.

Hugh Mackenzie (Royal Navy officer)

Vice-Admiral Sir Hugh Stirling Mackenzie, was a Royal Navy officer who became Flag Officer Submarines and Chief Polaris Executive.

References

  1. Lt Cdr Freddie Sherwood, a Canadian RNVR officer was the first RNVR officer of any Commonwealth nation to command a submarine, HMS Spiteful.
  2. Young (1954) pp. 135192.
  3. Young (1954) pp. 193234.
  4. "Japanese Minesweepers". Combinedfleet.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  5. "HMS Storm (P 233) of the Royal Navy - British Submarine of the S class - Allied Warships of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  6. "Eiko Maru".
  7. Young (1954) pp. 235282.
  8. Young (1954) pp. 283308.
  9. Young (1952) endpapers.
  10. Young (1954) back cover.
  11. van der Dat, Dan (4 February 2003). "Edward Young (obituary)". The Guardian .
  12. "Model of HMS Storm". Gosport: Royal Navy Submarine Museum. Archived from the original on 31 August 2010. Retrieved 1 November 2011.

Bibliography