HMS ''Sea Scout'' was a
S-class submarine of the third batch built for the
Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was sold for scrap in 1965.
Design and description
The last 17 boats of the third batch were significantly modified from the earlier boats. They had a stronger hull, carried more fuel and their armament was revised. The submarines had a length of
overall, a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of and a
draft of . They
displaced on the surface and submerged.
[Chesneau, p. 52] The S-class submarines had a crew of 48 officers and
ratings. They had a diving depth of .
[McCartney, p. 7]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two
diesel engines, each driving one
propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a
electric motor. They could reach on the surface and underwater.
[ On the surface, the third batch boats had a range of at and at submerged.][
''Sea Scout'' was armed with six 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in the bow. She carried six reload torpedoes for a grand total of a dozen torpedoes. Twelve mines could be carried in lieu of the torpedoes. The boat was also equipped with a 4-inch (102 mm) deck gun.][
The submarine was named after the Sea Scout section of the ]Boy Scouts Association
The Scout Association is the largest Scouting organisation in the United Kingdom and is the World Organization of the Scout Movement's recognised member for the United Kingdom. Following the origin of Scouting in 1907, the association was form ...
and incorporated the Scout fleur-de-lis emblem in her ships' badge.
Construction and career
HMS ''Sea Scout'' was built by Cammell Laird and launched on 24 March 1944. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name ''Sea Scout''. She spent most of her wartime career in the Far East, where she sank numerous Japanese ships, including twelve sailing vessels, two coasters, two unidentified vessels, a sampan
A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed Chinese and Malay wooden boat. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. The design closely resembles Western hard chine boats like th ...
, a patrol vessel and a tug with five barges. She survived the Second World War, in 1953 taking part in the Fleet Review to celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.[Souvenir Programme, ''Coronation Review of the Fleet, Spithead, 15th June 1953'', HMSO, Gale and Polden] She was eventually sold and arrived at Swansea on 14 December 1965 for breaking up.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sea Scout
British S-class submarines (1931)
1944 ships
World War II submarines of the United Kingdom
Ships built on the River Mersey
Royal Navy ship names