Submarine Museum Portsmouth

[Jack]

Jess and I had a trip out on Friday to the submarine museum at Portsmouth.

 

Will write up a report this week as there are some good points and bad points.

 

There is one thing for sure - I would never ever like to be a submariner - I like my space and I like peace and quite, this is something you would never have on a sub. These men must of been crazy.....

 

I was looking forward top seeing the only remaing X craft as these have always stuck in my mind and will write more in the report....

 

First up HMS Alliance a WW2 sub that was designed for the pacific war - never knew they made them this big!

Torpedo room

 

 

Bridge

 

Engine room 2 x two thousand 200 hundred hp engines.......

 

Rear torpedo room

 

[Jack]

X Craft

 

One for Tim and the seniors....everytime I see an old engine - I think of you guys.........:sweat:

 

 

There must of been some operation going on at this time judging by hwo many X craft were lost but couldn't find anyone to answer my question so will have to do some google research on these dates.

[Jack]

Here is a freighting picture......

 

[Jack]

The Holland 1 the RN first ever sub and well worth going to see in its own right and some serious restoration went into this as it had been laying on the seabed from 1915 - 1982

 

[Jack]

Great artifact:

 

 

 

And for those who have read the story......

 

[Jack]

And now the sad bit.

 

[Jack]

Polaris missile and....

 

 

 

 

WOW.........

 

[Degsy]

Haven't looked it up but I think the X craft were probably lost in operations against Tirpitz.

[ArtistsRifles]

Haven't looked it up but I think the X craft were probably lost in operations against Tirpitz.

 

The following X-Craft were lost during Operation "Source" - the attack against the Tirpitz:

 

X-5 Sunk 22 September 1943 during Operation "Source" (disappeared, wreck never found)

X-6 Scuttled 22 September 1943 during Operation "Source", after placing side cargoes beneath the battleship Tirpitz.

X-7 Scuttled 22 September 1943 during Operation "Source", after placing side cargoes beneath the battleship Tirpitz.

X-8 Abandoned 16 September 1943 during outward passage on Operation "Source"

X-9 Foundered 16 September 1943 as a result of broken tow rope during outward passage on Operation "Source"

X-10 Scuttled 23 September 1943 after Operation "Source"

 

For the loss of 9 dead and 6 captured out of a passage and combat crew total of 48 men (4 Passage Crew and 4 Combat Crew to each)

 

X5 was towed by HMS Thrasher

X6 was towed by HMS Truculent

X7 was towed by HMS Stubborn

X8 was towed by HMS Sea Nymph

X9 was towed by HMS Syrtis

X10 was towed by HMS Sceptre

 

The other one mentioned in the photo - X22 - was rammed and sunk with all hands in a training exercise by HMS Syrtis

 

Of the towing submarines:

 

HMS Thrasher (N37) - Survived the war and was broken up in 1947

HMS Truculent (P315) - Survived the war but was lost in collision with the tanker "Divina" in the Thames Estuary with the loss of 64 lives. 15 Survived.

HMS Stubborn (P238) - Survived the war and was sunk as an ASDIC target off Malta in 1946

HMS Sea Mymph (P223) - Survived the war and was broken up in 1948

HMS Syrtis (P241) - Lost with all hands of Norway in 1944 - presumed to have hit a mine.

HMS Sceptre (P215) - Survived the war and was broken up in 1949

This was the only submarine in Operation "Source" not to lose any of it's X-Craft crew members.

 

Pesronally I reckon anyone who volunteers for submarines is worthy of the utmost respect whilst those who volunteered for X-Craft duties had to be some of the bravest souls of WW2!!!

Edited July 6, 2008 by ArtistsRifles

[Joris]

Great pics!!

[martylee]

Very good photos Jack! Must have been an intresting museum to visit.

 

Marty

[AlienFTM]

 

A prized possession from my youth was a book, number 1000 by (Pelican?), one of whose juniors was Edward White who became the first RNVR submarine commander, of HMSM Storm, so after the war they published his autobiography, "One of our Submarines" as Pelican(?) 1000.

 

I remember there being a Submarines song to the tune of 10 Little Indians (as per the PC brigade) entitled 10 Little S-Boats which described the death of the S-Class Submarines in turn, being bombed, depth-charged or whatever.

 

The song was never finished.

[AlienFTM]

Great artifact:

 

 

I have read a book about Special Operations (SBS I think). It tells how the Allies needed a senior French Officer to legitimise Operation Torch but after we sank their navy, they didn't trust us, so we had to send an RN submarine on an op to effectively kidnap him without him realising he was being kidnapped, making the entire journey to be on board a US submarine so that the French officer did not turn down the RN.