| Built By: | Cammell Laird (Mersey) |
| Build Group: | S2 |
| Fate: | Believed sunk by U34 off coast of Norway on 1st August 1940. Sole survivor AB William Pester later killed in an accident 01-07-1945. |
1936-1939: Portland.
1939: 6th Flotilla. HMS Titania, Blyth.
1940: 6th Flotilla. HMS Titania, Blyth.
Possibly the first British warship to be attacked by the enemy. Hostilities against the Germans were commenced at 1100 hours on 3rd September 1939, Spearfish was attacked by a German submarine at 1104.
Was part of the submarine force which was in the Kattegat and off the coast of Norway during the German invasion of Norway.
Roll of Honour |
41
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| Archer, Henry Edward |
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| Warrant Engineer | ||||||
| Best, John Philip MID |
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| Lieutenant | ||||||
| Binns, Harry Edmund |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Bird, Arthur John Thomas |
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| Engine Room Artificer 1st Class | ||||||
| Bird, Herbert Francis |
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| Telegraphist | ||||||
| Bruce, Robert Walton |
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| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| Carlton, Edward Curle DSM* |
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| Petty Officer Telegraphist | ||||||
| Carpenter, Robert William |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Carter, John Ainsworth Verdun |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Clifford, Ronald Joseph John |
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| Leading Signalman | ||||||
| Darch, Edward John |
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| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| Delussey, Arthur |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Evans, Maurice Allen |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Forbes, John Hay DSO |
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| Lieutenant Commander | ||||||
| Commanding Officer | ||||||
| Foster, John William Thomas DSM |
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| Petty Officer | ||||||
| Gillett, Alec |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Gimblett, Arthur Robert (RNR) |
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| Lieutenant | ||||||
| Glover, Albert John |
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| Leading Seaman | ||||||
| Hawes, Edward Henry Daniel |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Hill, Ronald Eustace |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Ibbotson, William |
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| Chief Petty Officer | ||||||
| Iverson, William Stephen |
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| Leading Seaman | ||||||
| James, Thomas Benjamin |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Lynch, Frank |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| Maxwell, Maurice James |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Mordue, John William |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Morey, Ernest George DSM* |
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| Able Seaman | ||||||
| O'Hair, Edward Ernest Peacock |
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| Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class | ||||||
| Oliver, Oswald |
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| Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class | ||||||
| Peel, Stanley Noel DSM |
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| Engine Room Artificer 1st Class | ||||||
| Pirie, Donald Anthony DSC* |
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| Lieutenant | ||||||
| Rawlings, Arthur Thomas |
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| Leading Stoker | ||||||
| Royle, Reginald |
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| Stoker Petty Officer | ||||||
| Smith, Arthur George |
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| Petty Officer | ||||||
| Smith, Ernest |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Smith, Ernest Walter |
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| Telegraphist | ||||||
| Smith, Jack Maunder MID |
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| Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class | ||||||
| Tuson, George William MID |
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| Leading Telegraphist | ||||||
| Walker, Harold William |
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| Stoker 1st Class | ||||||
| Walker, Philip Gordon |
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| Leading Seaman | ||||||
| Williams, Francis James |
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| Telegraphist | ||||||
| 23-05-1935 | Laid Down |
| 21-04-1936 | Launched |
| 11-12-1936 | Completed |
| 24-09-1939 | HMS Spearfish was heavily damaged by German warships off Horns Reef. She was unable to submerge but nevertheless managed to escape. A rescue mission was undertaken by the British Humber force and Home fleet. Spearfish safely put in Rosyth on the 26th. Repairs to Spearfish were completed in early March 1940. |
| 13-03-1940 | Lieutenant Gordon Denne Browne died in a motoring accident. |
| 10-04-1940 | Attacked and damaged the German pocket battleship Lutzow, effectively putting her out of action for one year. |
| 20-05-1940 | HMS Spearfish sinks the Danish fishing vessels S.130 and S.175 with gunfire in the North Sea. |
| 01-08-1940 | HMS Spearfish sailed from Rosyth on 31 July 1940. The next day she was hit by a torpedo from U-34 and sank. U-34 was returning from her last patrol as a combat boat. She had only one torpedo remaining after a successful patrol (already 4 ships sunk). The U-boat surfaced to look for survivors and found AB William Pester (on his first patrol) who was the only survivor of the sinking, 29 became casualties |
| Length overall | 217 ft |
| Beam | 23 ft 6 inch |
| Depth | 11 ft |
| Displacement | 872 tons (surface) |
| 990 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 350 ft |
| Speed | Surface 15 knots (design) |
| Surface 14.75 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 6000 miles at 10 knots (design) |
| Armament (i) | 6 x 21 inch bow tubes |
| 1 21 inch stern tube | |
| (13 torpedoes carried) | |
| 1 x 3 inch gun | |
| 3 x 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| 1 x 20mm Oerlikon cannon | |
| Complement | 5 Officers and 35 Ratings. |
| Note | (i) The armament of submarines of this class varied considerably. For example: 23 boats were fitted with the six bow tubes only; 18 vessels, intended to operate in the Far East, had their 3 inch guns replaced by 4 inch guns; whilst, in some boats, the Oerlikon cannon replaced, rather than supplemented, the three machine-guns. |
| Class: | 1935 - 1970: T Class |
| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | T 3 |
| Fate: | |
| Scrapped in February 1967 at Briton Ferry. | |
Directed by William Fairchild, The Silent Enemy is a newly restored 1958 war film based on the real Lionel 'Buster' Crabb who vanished during a reconnaissance mission for the MI6, played by Laurence Harvey.
In 1941, Britain was sustaining enormous losses fighting a war on three fronts against an ever increasing Axis power. To add to their problems, the Italians have recently created a new form of warfare - Frogmen - an intrepid band of men who travel astride small torpedo-type vessels, and attach explosive charges to the hulls of enemy ships, below their waterline.
A young Naval Lieutenant, 'Buster' Crabb, an expert in mine and bomb disposal, is sent to Gibraltar to try and combat this new threat. Never having dived before, he sets to work to master the technique of underwater operations, and soon he and his team are able to locate many of the frogmen's charges and render them harmless. But with an invasion of North Africa imminent, time is not on the Allies' side.
13 pages added or updated in the last 2 month
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| Length overall | 217 ft |
| Beam | 23 ft 6 inch |
| Depth | 11 ft |
| Displacement | 872 tons (surface) |
| 990 tons (submerged) | |
| Diving Depth | 350 ft |
| Speed | Surface 15 knots (design) |
| Surface 14.75 knots (service) | |
| Submerged 10 knots (design) | |
| Submerged 9 knots (service) | |
| No. of shafts | 2 |
| Endurance | Surface: 6000 miles at 10 knots (design) |
| Armament (i) | 6 x 21 inch bow tubes |
| 1 21 inch stern tube | |
| (13 torpedoes carried) | |
| 1 x 3 inch gun | |
| 3 x 0.303 inch machine-guns | |
| 1 x 20mm Oerlikon cannon | |
| Complement | 5 Officers and 35 Ratings. |
| Note | (i) The armament of submarines of this class varied considerably. For example: 23 boats were fitted with the six bow tubes only; 18 vessels, intended to operate in the Far East, had their 3 inch guns replaced by 4 inch guns; whilst, in some boats, the Oerlikon cannon replaced, rather than supplemented, the three machine-guns. |
| Class: | 1935 - 1970: T Class |
| Built By: | Vickers (Barrow) |
| Build Group: | T 3 |
| Fate: | |
| Scrapped in February 1967 at Briton Ferry. | |
Directed by William Fairchild, The Silent Enemy is a newly restored 1958 war film based on the real Lionel 'Buster' Crabb who vanished during a reconnaissance mission for the MI6, played by Laurence Harvey.
In 1941, Britain was sustaining enormous losses fighting a war on three fronts against an ever increasing Axis power. To add to their problems, the Italians have recently created a new form of warfare - Frogmen - an intrepid band of men who travel astride small torpedo-type vessels, and attach explosive charges to the hulls of enemy ships, below their waterline.
A young Naval Lieutenant, 'Buster' Crabb, an expert in mine and bomb disposal, is sent to Gibraltar to try and combat this new threat. Never having dived before, he sets to work to master the technique of underwater operations, and soon he and his team are able to locate many of the frogmen's charges and render them harmless. But with an invasion of North Africa imminent, time is not on the Allies' side.
13 pages added or updated in the last 2 month
Please help to maintain this site by reporting any Errors, Broken Links, Information or Site Issues on this page using this button
If you find this site useful, please consider supporting my work with a small Donation.
Please Note: Donations made using this option go directly to the site owner and not to the Submariners Association.
Thankyou for your support.
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