HMS Surf was a S-class submarine of the third batch built for the Royal Navy during World War II. She survived the war and was scrapped in 1948.
The third batch was slightly enlarged and improved over the preceding second batch of the S-class. The submarines had a length of 217feet overall, a beam of 23feet and a draft of 14feet. They displaced 842LT on the surface and 990LT submerged.[1] The S-class submarines had a crew of 48 officers and ratings. They had a diving depth of 300feet.[2]
For surface running, the boats were powered by two 9500NaN0 diesel engines, each driving one propeller shaft. When submerged each propeller was driven by a 650hp electric motor. They could reach 15kn on the surface and underwater.[3] On the surface, the third batch boats had a range of 6000nmi at and 120nmi at submerged.[2]
The boats were armed with seven 21adj=onNaNadj=on torpedo tubes. A half-dozen of these were in the bow and there was one external tube in the stern. They carried six reload torpedoes for the bow tubes for a grand total of thirteen torpedoes. Twelve mines could be carried in lieu of the internally stowed torpedoes. They were also armed with a 3adj=onNaNadj=on deck gun.[4]
HMS Surf was built by Cammell Laird and launched on 10 December 1942. Thus far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name Surf. The boat served in the Mediterranean and the Far East during the Second World War. Whilst in the Mediterranean, she damaged the German auxiliary patrol vessel GA 54 / Chiaros and sank the German merchant Sonia. On transferral to the Far East, she sank a small Japanese tug and a barge, and laid mines in the Strait of Malacca.[5] Surf survived the war and was sold on 28 October 1949. She arrived at Faslane in July 1950 for breaking up.