HMS Porpoise (S01) explained
HMS Porpoise (S01) was a Porpoise-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 25 April 1956, commissioned on 17 April 1958,[1] and was decommissioned in 1982. Finally, she was sunk as a target in 1985[2] in torpedo trials, for which purpose she was painted bright red.
She had been used as a training target while still serving with the Navy; in 1979 her casing, ballast tanks and vents were reinforced so that unarmed torpedoes could be fired at her without the risk of sinking.
In 2000, a glacier in East Greenland was named after her http://www.wayupnorth.co.uk/green00/index.html
Commanding officers
| From | To | | Captain |
|---|
| 1965 | 1966 | | Lieutenant Commander G R H Lloyd-Williams RN |
| 1977 | 1977 | | Lieutenant Commander MJ Syme RN |
| 1978 | 1979 | | Lieutenant Commander J L Milnes RN |
| 1979 | 1981 | | Lt Commander N S R Kilgour CB | |
Accidents and incidents
- Notable accidents involving HMS Porpoise
- 18 October 1963: Suffered superficial damage departing Portsmouth harbor after colliding with the aircraft carrier HMS Centaur.
- 1 January 1969 - Entangled in the nets of the French trawler Belle Poule.
- 18 April 1982 - HMS Porpoise became entangled in the fishing nets of the Irish trawler Sharelga. The Sharelga, after travelling backwards two miles for twenty minutes, capsized and sank.[3]
Notes and References
- Book: Submarines of The Royal Navy. 1983 . Maritime Books. 0-907771-00-9. registration.
- Web site: Porpoise Class Submarines. Battleships-Cruisers.co.uk. 15 February 2010.
- http://www.independent.ie/regionals/droghedaindependent/lifestyle/the-day-sharelga-was-sunk-by-a-sub-27169745.html "The day 'Sharelga' was sunk by a sub"
